Question- If the Hits ocala Circuit had super low attendance & was losing money & couldn’t fill classes or divisions all circuit & Wec a few miles away was super busy & had full divisions even as an unrated show. Would usef have the Authority to step in and change the mileage rule? Could Tom keep his show dates even if he couldn’t run a show because of lack of attendance? If he couldn’t get people to attend… would Roberts be able to apply to usef for those dates?
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Not sure about the extent of what USEF can/will do, but you can certainly lose your show ratings if you don’t meet certain requirements and I believe the mileage rule is different based on show rating.
For example, the 6 Culpeper shows used to be AA rated for hunters. Attendance over the last several years has been so poor that last year Culpeper lost their AA rating for 3 of the shows (down to a single A) and this year lost the AA rating for all 6 shows. I believe one show manager in VA is already getting ready to protest one or two of Tom’s Culpeper dates based on this.
Thats not how it works. USE(f) cannot take unilateral action unless rules are proven to have been broken. They also operate under the rules of parliamentary procedures by members who sit on committees. There are show managers on some of those committees. BNTs also sit on the committes.
Despite the fact Ocalas number are dwindling, thats by comparison to past years and can be said of most rated circuits as prices have truly gotten stupid and many seek other options and/or don’t want to show big circuit rateds and run for National or Zone points, perfectly happy just to show and maybe get something from a local club at the end of the year.
Show managers own the show dates, don’t have to run the show every year, can move the dates, move the show or sell them. WEC Ohio took over USE dates owned by the previous manager who had them for many years despite not having those dates at the same facility or at all some years. That manager basically retired but IIRC still has some rated dates that they moved to other venues.
Where WEC has really been successful is providing a non rated option in a rated venue quality environment . Trying to be user friendly. Offering a product that has people voting with their feet and wallets. Even the AA shows have got locals skipping hauling to Fl and staying north in winter and it is growing. More of those people went to Ocala then WEF.
Rather then post here about the mileage rule saga and what has occurred since it’s implementation should come up in a search. It’s done very few people much good but the ones who benefitted did so big time. got some epic threads about its negative impacts on everybody but Managers and a small circle of BBBNTs.
Just remember USE is a private hobby club, not law enforcement or government regulatory agency. And you can treat it as you would any club you join that doesn’t give you what you want. It’s really not the only show in town if you love horses and want to show, AQHA has been growing too. Nothing’s prefect but there are options.
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(To TS) Here’s a novel idea: how about deducting prize money from show bills? After Culpeper in August, I’ve been waiting FIVE WEEKS since I won almost $1,000 - that is ridiculous. I shouldn’t have to call the show office, or ask my trainer if they mistakenly sent her the money, wonder if it’s been lost in the snail mail, or otherwise chase it down over a month after the fact. It’s 2019 - get with the times, HITS.
Also, the bathrooms at Culpeper are legitimately a biohazard. I was literally strategizing the best way to avoid using the bathrooms while we were there. It is abhorrent. In theory, I should have good memories there since I won a class at Pony Finals there back in 1999 and we’ve won a fair amount this year, but I still hate going because it’s just the worst show experience. It’s a place to endure, not to enjoy. But TS truly couldn’t care less, obviously.
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Also, the bathrooms at Culpeper are legitimately a biohazard. I was literally strategizing the best way to avoid using the bathrooms while we were there. It is abhorrent. In theory, I should have good memories there since I won a class at Pony Finals there back in 1999 and we’ve won a fair amount this year, but I still hate going because it’s just the worst show experience. It’s a place to endure, not to enjoy. But TS truly couldn’t care less, obviously.
He is not into bathrooms. I am hoping that one of his subtle but meaningful changes will be the bathrooms.
In Ocala everyone leaves the property to go across the street for the food trucks. The location of all the actual hits food & concessions is so far away from most of the barns. So inconvenient to even find a cup of coffee in the morning.
The prize money issue is just stupid. You can’t get it applied to your bill, unless you use it from the previous week.
My biggest issue is watching horses & grooms having to walk a mile down a well trafficed road to get to the stadium. Seems so dangerous to me.
Also, Ive seen numerous times horses breaking free & running all over the show grounds & down by the ship in area. One day a horse will run out that drive way & down the road.
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The stabling is inadequate for show horses, the ship in area is actually just a field, you pay $100/week for the right to park in a grass area with no water, no wash stalls and you have to hike to find a nasty portapotty, staff is rude and overcharge your bill, you get your prize money months after the show. Only perk of the show is its location and the ticket classes. Period. They can hold on to their dates, I’m not a point chaser and so I will do what is right for my horses and show WEC when it opens in Ocala.
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Feb “winnings” arrived end of April. I absolutely don’t expect to see Sunday money, but when you win some prior to Sunday, come on… Most shows want to apply to your bill.
I wrote off Culpeper about 6-7 years ago, but when I was last there, the bathrooms by the barns behind crappy restaurant were the exact same as they were in mid-80s. I was amazed the sign was still the same. I don’t know if they got an overhaul when they built those pathetic barns (I have an personal issue with those tiny doors, but that’s just me), but the same bathrooms from 1987 made it 2012/13 without any sort of facelift. They even smelled the same. It was like stepping into a time machine of the worse kind. I proceeded to go pee in my friend’s stall.
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Via email yesterday: [TABLE=“border: 0, cellpadding: 0, cellspacing: 0, width: 100%”]
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[TD=“class: m_-1046712842955500060mcnTextContent”]Dear HITS Ocala Trainer:
The 39[SUP]th[/SUP] edition of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit is fast approaching, and we want to share our plans for the 2019/2020 season. Think HITS Ocala was great before? Wait until you see us now! We have a full slate of new offerings and changes in store this year, and we think you’ll love every one of them.
Let’s start with Prize Money. Overall, prize money will be increased by nearly $2 million this year, for a twelve week total approaching $5 million! The Sunday Grand Prix will be increased to $150,000 most weeks during circuit, with Weeks V and IX increasing to $200,000. The season will finish with the seventh annual Great American $1 Million Grand Prix, the Crown Jewel of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, on Sunday, March 22.
Hunters will be in on the action too, as the Devoucoux Hunter Prix, qualifiers for the richest Hunter Final in the country, will double in prize money to offer $10,000 each week. The two USHJA International Hunter Derbies, Weeks IV and X, will also double in prize money, offering $50,000 each, making them two of the richest USHJA Hunter Derbies in the country in 2020.
We know prize money isn’t everything, so the plans don’t stop there.
New footing and footing refurbishment will take place throughout the grounds, with the biggest plans being the installation of a new Schooling Area for the Grand Prix Ring and the enlargement of Hunter Ring 3. The same cedar post-and-rail fencing used around the rings in Saugerties this summer will be installed at the Ocala grounds as well.
The Ship-in Area will be relocated behind tents 12-16. This is a great space with plenty of parking and room for grazing, less traffic and congestion, and easy ingress/egress from the main gate of the grounds.
We are improving the pathway to get to the Stadium from Jumper 1. This will also help with the separation of horse and golf cart traffic, a theme you will see in many other areas of the grounds as well. Additionally, new paving around many of the barns will aid in both traffic and dust control.
Let’s talk creature comforts. We plan to bring more foodservice options to the infield, providing both convenience and variety. The existing restaurant will be remodeled, with a bar and seating area added to provide a more social and comfortable atmosphere. The weekly parties in the vendor courtyard will return with a new vibe, Eat and Boutique. Each week’s party will feature a different local restaurant and special offers from our on-site vendor shops.
We will also offer a new VIP Hospitality plan, available on an individual membership basis. Purchase a Full- or Half-Circuit membership that allows you unlimited access to VIP at either the Stadium or the Grand Prix Ring. Complimentary continental breakfast will be served each morning, and a full lunch, including beer and wine, will be available for purchase each day. Add additional lunch guests at a per-person cost, and enjoy comfortable ring-side seating overlooking all the action.
Circuit Tent Stalls will again be priced at $1000 for the ten weeks – that’s $100 per week, a price that can’t be beat anyplace else. Not only do we offer over 1,500 tent stalls and 600 permanent stalls, on-site, convenient to the competition rings, but over 100 permanent paddocks and RV Hookups are available right on the grounds. From one or two tent or permanent stalls to a private barn of 20+ stalls including a private ring, we can take care of all your needs, during the shows, for the season, or even year-round.
We even offer on-site housing. With more than a dozen homes already on property, and our new partnership with GenZHomes modular housing, we can accommodate you, your staff, your clients, and your horses all on the same property.
As a company, HITS has a nearly 40 year history of producing top-level USEF-Rated shows. As individuals, our full-time staff brings more than a century of equine experience, from riding and training to barn and show management, to our namesake circuit. The City of Ocala and Marion County are the Horse Capital of the World for a reason, and we love being part of it. Those of you who have shown with us from the beginning, for many years or just a few, or who may join us this year for the first time, are all part of the reason Ocala continues its Horse Capital status, and HITS continues to provide one of the largest and most popular show circuits in the country.
We look forward to seeing you at this year’s circuit. The Prize list will be available in a few weeks, but if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help you make your plans, please do not hesitate to contact us at 845-246-8833 or [EMAIL="info@hitsshows.com"]info@hitsshows.com[/EMAIL].
Sincerely,[/TD]
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[TD=“class: m_-1046712842955500060mcnTextContent”]Thomas G. Struzzieri[/TD]
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[TD]:rolleyes:
IMO, too little, and MUCH too late. Suddenly he cares about his customers? [/TD]
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Clearly he is trying to faze out ship ins by putting it so far from everything and a pain to get to. All the while making traffic thru the main entrance and in front of the office a bigger nightmare. http://files.hitsshows.com/files/attached_files/3148/FL_Map_19.pdf
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So basically…all the newly offered prize money is going to the professionals, like we figured. Not too much for the average exhibitor in the way of improvements. Why not take the newly offered prize money and fix the place up once and for all?
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I feel sorry for the jumpers in ring 1… with all the constant trucks/trailers/rigs that will be driving by the long part of the ring to get to & from the new ship in parking. The ship in area is busy with come & go traffic all day long. Jumper 1 is usually the low level stuff with the green horses & more inexperienced Riders. Hopefully they get an ambulance standing by this year. They might need it in this ring. Yikes
I would have hoped to see new real bathrooms & a real ambulance on site added to this years “improvements”. Sad that Tom just doesn’t listen to his customers.
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Wait. Have they not had separate paths to the rings for horses? Or am I misunderstanding the email?
I will say that sounds like a pretty big bump in the prize money for the jumpers. Weren’t the horses in the Grand Prix every week jumping for a lot less money in previous years, except for the million at the end of the season?
@bingbingbing THANK YOU for sharing that email with the rest of us. I’m just a lowly exhibitor and owner and not a trainer, so I did not receive it, even though it’s me who writes the checks to HITS. However, I am getting emails to remind me to enter all their shows.
I agree with @Elouise - it reads as if all the prize money is going to upper professional level classes. Granted, we haven’t seen the prize list yet, but that doesn’t read like it’s money for different divisions.
Pathway from Stadium to J1? Really? That’s priority? How about communication between Stadium and Jumper 1? Aren’t there already events in the vendor courtyard? And modular homes? Where? When? Water and septic already in for these for circuit? How can you rent them? Or is that just going to be another email to Trainers Only? At least everyone has access to the cabins at Tryon.
And for y’all who ship in, I’m so sorry you all are now in the middle of Nowhereland. Too bad there’s no mention of any sort of technology update, so you guys at least have a clue what’s going on. Hopefully you will be able to hear the barn PAs to keep you in the loop.
I love how one of the “improvements” is memberships for VIP status. Give me a break.
Tom’s business model: Entice the BNTs, they’ll drag their clients along. This email 110% cemented me going to WEC Ohio.
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Anything new at the showgrounds in ocala?
I heard the old ship in area is going to be turn out paddocks. Any good improvements noted yet?
The old ship in area is paddocks on the side closer
to 326. They expanded hunter 3 about 15 ft in width. There is new footing. The outside course no longer has a bank. They have closed some paths to golf carts to separate from
horse traffic but nothing is new in terms of paths.
Or why not do what big box stores do to local stores: Move in and undercut business until those businesses (or dates in this case) are worthless?
I used to go to Ocala and have not shown there in about 10 years but I don’t miss it in any way. Nickled and dimed to death. Poor footing, rude staff. It was awful. Culpepper is no better. The only people who go there are those chasing zone points and state points or jumpers. HITS is going to be toast once WEC opens.
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