I’ve been away for at least 10 years and was disturbed by what I noticed as a marked decrease in attendance this past weekend. Has anyone else noticed this? Has anyone seen numbers? With so few in attendance on such a wonderful weather day compared to 10 years ago, I also felt myself concerned about the potential decrease in the horse industry as a whole? Your thoughts?
The level of clinicians in the more popular, mainstream disciplines and their clinic topic/focus seems to have changed somewhat. So has the mix of vendors going by the disappointing experience of friends attending in the last few years who didn’t buy much or anything in one case. While nothing beats shopping at Congress, this used to have pretty good vendors selling popular items. Not so much now, I guess. Also they used to have a stallion row or something, haven’t seen that mentioned in the brochure they send every year for years,
Too bad but it doesn’t seem to be what it was. There hasn’t been anything that interested me or clinicians I wanted to see the last few years. And I used to go every few years.
I was there for a few hours late Thursday afternoon and a few hours on Sunday morning. Crowds thin both days. Both not peak times. The weather was really threatening on Sunday so I think that might have hurt them as well.
Shopping definitely not as good. One new vendor - State Line Tack - but a lot of vendors did not return from previous years.
I always enjoy watching the dressage demos as they usually have top name people. Not so this year so I didn’t make the effort to attend. We did watch Gayle Lampe talk about saddle seat and she is top notch, so that was good.
Since registrations in all major breeds are down anywhere from 30 to 70% since the crash of 2008, it’s no surprise that the number of horsey people is declining. Shows are the same way. It’s depressing, honestly. Lots of ideas floating around to get new blood into the sport but no one seems to have hit on the magic solution yet.
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I was there on Friday. Crowds weren’t huge and there are definitely fewer vendors than in the past. I did find some decent deals but nothing earth shattering. I’d hate to see Equine Affaire disappear completely but looks as though it could be headed that way.
I was there Friday and Saturday. There were not a lot of people there and some of the vendors didn’t even show up. I personally think it could have been a lot better, but I have never been before this year so I haven’t seen in person how much better is usually is. I do wish the demos and clinics were longer, they were informational and helped me a lot. I think that if they introduced new things into the events it would grow more. I heard a lot of talk while I was there about how it is the same thing year after year.
Have been to both Massachusetts and Ohio ones. Just didn’t see any clinicians I was that interested in, to go this year. Used to love the Fantasia but that went down in quality. Last time I saw it, the mounted shooting just went on and on and on…
