http://www.devonhorseshow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Devon-2021-Cancelled.pdf
I just created a thread on this and think I deleted it.
http://www.devonhorseshow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Devon-2021-Cancelled.pdf
I’m furious. If what they say regarding USEF not providing guidelines until May is true, the USE is truly USEless.
I’m also confused due to other shows running. I’m wondering if it’s the size of the property.
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I, too am confused by the shows running now and those cancelled in the next month
I understand it’s a very delicate situation but honestly people need clarification = WHY this one not that one •
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My bad I didn’t see another thread - we can combine or delete this one if it wasn’t first!! Yeah the gist I got from the Plaid Horse article about this was they can’t make enough money to run the show without having spectators and were looking to USEF to allow them spectators in order to run but USEF was not being very clear about what would be allowed by late May? I had been thinking about doing the local hunters with my horse this year but we just aren’t ready after inconsistent showing this year so I’m glad I didn’t enter. Nothing on the page about refunding entries as of yet.
What a bummer. Devon is not like a regular show… the scale of this show takes a whole year to plan, it’s not something you can do between mid-may and the end of the month! I don’t know how USEF could possibly think that was enough time?!
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I think it is that they are very dependent on spectator income. Some other shows can break even without spectators.
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I totally agree. What a shame.
My guess it that it was 100% not financially viable to operate under USEF’s current rules and USEF was refusing to commit to loosening the rules until Mid-May, and it just reached a point where the only financially viable decision was to cancel because the uncertainty made it impossible to plan to move forward. What a shame. But I guess I’m not surprised. It’s hard for me to imagine a “regular” Devon with that kind of attendance being safe right now, and it’s also hard for me to imagine how the show could operate in a way that wasn’t a net loss without a significant number of spectators. It’s a shame. I’m actually a little surprised the rubber didn’t hit the road and cause the show to be cancelled sooner 
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Devon draws tens of thousands of spectators every year. In addition, they rent out all of the vendor space that they can, and make a bunch of money selling food. The rent for the box seats, the cost of tickets in the stands, all of this is income for the show that they cannot make without the spectators. I am sure that the entry fees and stall fees make some money, but they need to pay for judges and other officials and management.
The money is in the spectators.
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I was hoping that USEF’s announcement of updated spectator guidelines in mid-May was directly tied to a plan to ensure that heritage shows like Devon and Upperville could run.
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I mean, that’s what an efficient, forward-thinking governing body would’ve done, but alas…
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I am bummed. I am angry. But I’m also understanding.
Devon is such tight quarters. It’s expensive as hell to run and dependent on packing in thousands of fairgoers in addition to horsey spectators.
It’s not like other shows.
I just hope the two year lapse isn’t the nail in the coffin for Devon.
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I foaled out my mare in PA last April so we could show the foal in both the PA bred and open classes at Devon. My filly has been in professional show prep since January 1st, so I apologize for my pity party.
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I agree. Devon is unique and has more of a dependency on spectator revenue than any other North American show I can think of.
I am assuming that since show management knows what they need, they have been in close communication with the state, the townships, and USEF about possible plans that could lead to a financially viable horse show. I think that by end of May it could have been done but of course the variables that are changing quickly in ways that are optimistic towards outdoor gatherings could also change in the opposite direction without much notice. And, the federation probably needs to put into place a policy that could be followed by any horse show in the country, not just an exceptional circumstance for Devon.
All the same, it’s a damned shame.
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If I was competing there this year I’d be really pissed.
I understand last year since the pandemic came on hard and fast so there wasn’t a lot of warning.
But we just just a bit over a month out at this point and now they announce canceling?
There are people who have booked equine transportation (with payment), put in for vacation time at work, booked hotel rooms. Not to mention the vendors at and surrounding the grounds have started preparations. Judges have been booked. Competitors and trainers have prepared to go to this show and may not have time to switch to another.
There are people who depend on showing for their income. Canceling this close to the start date is horrible.
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How does Brandywine run two weeks of shows with very few spectators and make it. Devon could run and skip the big money jumper classes that they need the spectators to support. I think there is something else going on here !!!
I got an email from USEF last week saying that they would look at adjusting Covid protocols in mid-May. So the mid-May timeline is for all shows, not specifically for Devon. But it hits at a bad time for Devon’s planning.
I don’t think Los Angeles county was permitting any shows until pretty recently, so there are some government entities that are stricter than USEF.
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My two cents. The Devon Horse Show benefits Bryn Mawr Hospital. Maybe the powers that be thought that it wasn’t prudent to have a hospital involved in a pandemic-time horse show?
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I thought of you when I saw the cancellation. I’m sorry, it was clear that you were very much looking forward to taking your mare and your yearling to Devon. 
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Just looking at the prize lists I think it’s a couple of things. First, Devon does not have all of the classes of a typical AA show- no Children’s/AA hunters, none of the beginner type divisions. All of those typically don’t pay any money back at other shows but obviously gain profit off of the entry fees. Some of the classes that Devon does have, like the side saddle or the saddlebred/ harness/roadster stuff, are extremely cheap to enter ($50 for side saddle, free or $25 for the saddlebred/harness/roadster classes) yet still offer prize money. In addition, of the divisions that both shows do have entries for like the AOs and Juniors, Devon has far greater prize money offered for similar entry fees (i.e. AOs are 2,000 per 18-35 then 2,000 per 36 and over at Brandywine, vs. 10,000 for each age division of AOs at Devon).
If they knew how short they’d be on cash due to the fact that no/minimal spectators would be allowed, maybe making the prize list with lower money amounts for prize money could have helped, but not having the short stirrup/low children’s/3’ and under divisions to help fund some of these classes and having cheap or free classes still offering money instead makes Devon a lot more expensive.
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