Do you think Devon 2025 will be only hunters, jumpers and maybe the pleasure drive on Sunday?
Horrible to see so many cancelled classes and one-horse events.
Maybe low hunters in the Dixon oval? Pre-childrens?
What do you mean? I didn’t see a single canceled class.
Perhaps it’s a disingenuous question, referring to the ASB/saddle seat classes? I didn’t see any entries for the saddle seat medal class this morning (I think it was).
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Apparently the coaching class ran at 11:30 PM(!) and those folks are not happy. There’s a sense that the non-hj stuff is quietly getting pushed aside so that there is nothing left but hj stuff, so I can see where OP’s question might have risen from.
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In the Saddlebred and Hackney classes, there are a bunch of zeroes.
There’s a big show at HITS (!) in Saugerties which competes with Devon. Not H/J, but breed stuff.
My driving friends are not happy with Devon. Yes, that 1130 class really was unpopular! It’s a sad time. Devon new management not doing a lot to help?
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Devon’s management was not very responsive to a letter sent by the saddlebred and hackney people after last year’s debacle with classes running late into the night. Luckily Devon does have its cheerleaders within the hackney/saddlebred community who are rallying to save the tradition and some people did return. If Devon loses the gaited horses and carriages they lose what makes the show special as the oldest multi-discipline show on the country. The Hackney is the logo so they really need to be careful. But the bad attitude starts in the board room so …
The new show management team needs to get its act together. Tuesday’s night classes started an hour late. There really is no excuse for that. It’s Devon. Things traditionally run on time. The coaching classes that night are fun to watch but started so late - after 44 trips in the speed class - that it was just too late for most people to stay. The coaches rebelled and did get their class moved to the daytime for Wednesday.
They’ve also played with the schedule and moved classes from one ring to the other. I can’t imagine the sidesaddle people were happy to be over in the Wheeler Ring this year. I know some people who like to watch them weren’t. They also moved some of the jumper classes over there that had traditionally been held in the Dixon, not sure what the reasoning is but it didn’t make anything run faster.
On Wednesday night I heard people complaining on their way in about the night classes starting early on Monday and late on Tuesday with no warning. It’s not a good look.
Overall the general consensus with people I’ve talked to has been that the whole show has felt off. Attendance is definitely down. Even Grand Prix night wasn’t as packed as it usually is. You could actually move. There aren’t as many people wandering the vendors and country fair. I imagine a number of families are finding it too pricey. Hopefully decisions will be made to right the course.
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I certainly do not want to speak for all the sidesaddle ladies, but yes, there was displeasure voiced when the prizelist came out. It not being in the Dixon certainly made me a little less sad that mine is out of commission with an injury this year and couldn’t go. I am hopeful that next year it is back in the Dixon and I can show!
Logistics there are really, really tough for a regular showing horse, I cannot imagine what a PITA it is to deal with getting a carriage in and out of there. You’d think they’d incentivize dealing with that hassle, rather than making it even harder.
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I am at the Hits Saugerties show, and it is all H/J as far as the eye can see. Not a breed class anywhere in sight.
Ditto for Saugerties last week, according to the online results.
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I could not believe they moved 2/3 A/O jumper classes over and are only having the classic in the Dixon, I would not be happy
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Peter and David had the secret sauce to keep it moving, and keep people happy. Peter has long and deep ties to the ASB/Hackney/Morgan world. This show is tough to manage, and it is a real shame to see that falling apart.
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That looks like it was during junior weekend at Devon before the breed classes started there, correct?
Nothing to do with Devon but it annoys the heck out of me that Greater Boston (a NHH&TA , that would be a New Hampshire Assoc.) show is held is NY. Just had to get that out of my system because all the local shows are going the way of the dodo bird. Sorry for the highjack.
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The saddlebred stuff went up at Saugerties like 2 weeks ago. Didn’t conflict at all. Last 2 weeks have been strictly h/j.
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Last weekend was Devon Jr Weekend (aka Memorial Day Weekend). May 15-18 was 2 weeks ago.
I was just thinking that! NY is not in any way Greater Boston…
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I know! That’s a small ring for big fences. They moved the 1.10 jumpers over there too. Those had also been in the Dixon. I’m not sure why they felt the need to move everyone around and tinker with the schedule so much. The show has run well forever so copying what was working would have been the best plan it seems to me. And making sure the courses were designed in such a way that the classes kept moving. But what do I know?
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I saw that too. I would not want to jump 1.40 in that ring.
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how about last year when they moved the amateur jumpers to the Wheeler ring and used the Dixon Oval as the schooling ring for that class, for no good reason whatsoever.
Wowww really? Didn’t hear about that
It looks like the one amateur jumper in the wheeler conflicted with the hunter derby too, schooling for both a hunter derby and 1.40 meter jumper class at the same time in that schooling area does not sound like a fun time
