Is there still room for entry level hunter/jumper barns

[CHT]

I don’t know if it is in part due to Covid, but access to an affordable one day, or weekend show has pretty much disappeared where I live.

Back in the 90’s we had an entire circuit of affordable shows for people not ready to show recognized, with cross poles on up. A fun year end show.

Back in the 00’s there were a few barns holding schooling shows, so you could somewhat pick and choose.

In the last few years the shows to pick from have really slimmed down, but we still had a few, with a nice show facility having a year end show that was relatively affordable (no passport needed) that we looked forward to as our big year end goal.

Now that show is a “Gold” show with $400+ in fees for a three day show…before you even enter a class, and the main barn holding regular schooling shows has been sold.

Really not sure if barns like mine have a place in the industry any more - where working class riders can take their random horse to a nice day in the little jumpers and have a good time without spending a mortgage payment to do so.

Feeling a bit sad about it. Is anyone else seeing this change?

[CPL713]

That is a huge bummer. I actually have been feeling the opposite in recent years - I don’t know if the smaller barn shows were always around and I didn’t realize, or if they are cropping up again, but my area has several.

My barn actually has hosted a few shows on our property this year with decent turnout, even though it hasn’t been publicized very well. Then there are some larger, but still lower-level, schooling shows around, too. Just weekend stuff. Makes me happy, and I wish I could have done a few more of them this year! I think the one we are doing in 2 weeks will be our last for the season.

[Pokerface]

People stopped going, lots of complaining, and potentially poorly run organizations to host them. Where i grew up, the organization that used to have the local show circuit died out a few years ago. Poor attendance along with poor organization. My mom tried to support them, but eventually, the few people who supported them just weren’t enough.

Where I live now (Maryland), we have a few healthy local circuits, and many of our local barns compete in multiple circuits. My own barn hosts a few shows per year, and they are well-attended. We also have the added bonus that we have some nicer venues around here, and some of them host A and B rated shows, so it’s a cheaper way to show the nicer venue when you need to get a horse out.

It’s hard to say why the shows die out in some areas, I would venture to say that there are a variety of reasons. But, it comes down to what the people in that area want to show in and where they put their money.

[atl_hunter]

The local shows are alive and well in Georgia - sometimes with two options within 45 minutes of each other on a single weekend. The same barns often have IEA programs. Some barns even have academy programs. It probably varies by location but here the local, unrated 2 day show (with occasional Friday classes) has bigger classes than the local rated shows!

[Pokerface]

@Pokerface

People stopped going, lots of complaining, and potentially poorly run organizations to host them. Where i grew up, the organization that used to have the local show circuit died out a few years ago. Poor attendance along with poor organization. My mom tried to support them, but eventually, the few people who supported them just weren’t enough.

Where I live now (Maryland), we have a few healthy local circuits, and many of our local barns compete in multiple circuits. My own barn hosts a few shows per year, and they are well-attended. We also have the added bonus that we have some nicer venues around here, and some of them host A and B rated shows, so it’s a cheaper way to show the nicer venue when you need to get a horse out.

Also to add, the decline in the local show scene where I grew up has been steadily coming on, they closed down prior to Covid. My local circuits have had as good, if not better attendance than before Covid. People want to show now. My poor mom is stuck traveling quite a bit just to get to ANY shows. I could go every weekend (with options) and stay within an hour of my barn, easily.

[Highflyer1]

If anything I think the local shows around here (MD/SE PA) have gotten more popular (and numerous) in the last couple of years than they were since the 1980s. We have a number of reasonably well run, cheap-ish show series with fancy ribbons and prizes, which then qualify you for the Colonial Classic (fancy “local championship indoor final” at Harrisburg) as well as having end of the year stuff of their own. Many of the regular shows are $15-$20 a class with minimal fees and most people don’t have to stable so it’s pretty affordable. Obviously there is some local politics and drama but it’s not a bad place to start out. Unfortunately the 3’ classes (especially the hunter ones) tend not to fill and forget anything higher. So you may end up waiting for hours only to be the only one in your classes.

We’re also starting to see more boutique-y special shows-- unrecognized derby days and mini-prix-- sometimes mini mini-prix! They are really fun and popular.

[OfCourseItsAnAlter]

@atl_hunter

The local shows are alive and well in Georgia - sometimes with two options within 45 minutes of each other on a single weekend.

Yes. We show on one of the local Atlanta circuits and the number of competitors is a little overwhelming at times.

“What are they doing now?”
“Short Stirrup.”

“What are they doing now?”
“Still Short Stirrup.”

“Surely Short Stirrup is finished?”
“Nope. Still Short Stirrup.”

At the last show they had 3 sections of beginner walk trot on the first day.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

HAHA… ohhh I remember those days in NJ… You’d wait until sunset for anything besides Schooling Hunters and Suitable Hunters to go (what do you mean there’s 42 in each division and we’re holding the ring for 15 mins a CONFLICT with LEADLINE???). They would either have ridiculously shadowy rings or stadium lights that blinded you if you tried to look down the line and up and over the second jump. It was really a crapshoot if your horse was gonna stop, spook, or trip… plus you couldn’t make any Saturday night plans bc by the time the kids were done… you were all going home around 930pm.

[CHT]

Admittedly it was hard to want to support some of the local shows…mostly due to poor jumping safety and course design. Courses that required tight turns or jumping at angles- no options, or super short approaches for example - not what I want for a confidence builder. but instead of saying anything, people just stopped going.

Good to hear this isn’t happening everywhere.

[Limerick2017]

North Carolina still has wonderful C shows and schooling shows. We need them just like we need the barns that take beginners. I have heard 1 in 10 kids that start lessons will go on to lease/own/show so that introduction to ponies pipeline needs to be healthy!!

Georgia must give good lollipops for lead line to have multiple walk/trot sections.

[Calvincrowe]

Nope- here in the PNW there is a solid set of well-run and supported schooling (1-2 day shows, trot a pole to 3’ hunters and jumpers) running from March to October, then a few indoor ones over the winter. If they want to be sanctioned for points from the Oregon HJA, they need to use courses designed by a licensed designer (safety!) and offer USHJA classes. There are some series with year end awards of their own, too. There is a series offered alongside the A/AA shows at the same venue, using the same rings/jumps-- a real chance to show in the “big time” without the cost.

I think the reason we have them here is due to the thriving programs of beginners to 2’6" at many barns, great school horses, and trainers/BOs willing to either run shows or support those that do.

[OfCourseItsAnAlter]

@Limerick2017

Georgia must give good lollipops for lead line to have multiple walk/trot sections.

No, lead line is a separate class. The beginner walk trot riders are, ostensibly, in control of their own mounts.

These shows also have classes for pre-beginners, which is walk halt. Those riders have an adult walking along with them, but they aren’t on a lead line.

These are people who definitely understand the importance of getting kids into the pipeline.

[CHT]

I am curious what the cost difference is between the HJA shows vs A/AA shows.

I did remember we have provincially rates shows a little over an hour from here that sound lovely (albeit indoors), but they aren’t cheap either, and are 3-4 day shows. I wish they would hold divisions over one or two days so people don’t have to use up so much vacation time.

[foursocks]

Yah, in the Mid-Atlantic we have quite a few good options. The handful of months during the middle of last year that my horse was sound and fit I was sort of desperate for some jumper schooling shows that were within a reasonable distance, had 1m classes at minimum, a decent warm-up area, and had good footing. I went to a few to try them out and found the good footing to be the hardest part. I don’t need all-weather, felt, whatever fluffy footing (although my horse and I prefer that!) but I really don’t want to be able to see the base in some parts and have deep ridges and mounds of footing in other parts of the ring.

This was the case at two shows I went to, and I decided to go home after watching even ponies slip around, further churning things up. One of the shows had a warm up area on a steep hill that was like a slip and slide after the first few divisions. You would have to jump and immediately pull up or risk zipping down the hill on either side into the fenceline. Since my division was the highest it was the last one at both of these but after waiting around for a LONG time for the puddle jumpers to finish and thinking about how much I value my horse’s legs, it was an easy decision to leave. The second one was actually a very nice venue and had jumpers and hunters, but the jumper ring was very small, over-crowded with jumps (to get to one line you actually had to sort of jig sideways around a jump stuck semi-in front of it), and the footing was really deep. I have heard that they redid the jumper ring so the footing os ok now, but the course designer is the same so I’m not sure I’m interested in trying again.

I did find a couple of great little shows and will probably go back to those. One actually had 1.10m classes, but they were more like 1m. That was ok, we were just out to get back in practice, but finding schooling shows that have the jumps at height and oxers that have actual width is difficult. We were the last to go, as usual, there, and my trainer asked if she could raise the jumps for us to have one more (paid) round. They were fine with that, and sent a couple of teenagers out on saintly school horses to compete with us, so we finally did get to jump to height!

I will say that branching out and going to eventing venues that are holding jumper nights or combined tests or just practice rounds is something to try. They tend to build to height and have simple but decent courses, at least in my area.

[GoodTimes]

@CHT

I am curious what the cost difference is between the HJA shows vs A/AA shows.

I did remember we have provincially rates shows a little over an hour from here that sound lovely (albeit indoors), but they aren’t cheap either, and are 3-4 day shows. I wish they would hold divisions over one or two days so people don’t have to use up so much vacation time.

That was my biggest pet peeve when I lived in Alberta. It was clear that many of the shows/schedules were designed by a few select trainers. Running a Hunter division over 3 days plus classics/derbies on Sunday is the perfect way to get extra days worth of coaching fees.
I was surprised at how few options there were, compared to Ontario. I switched gears and instead of going to 5-10 shows/yr I went to 2-3. It was nice having more free non-horsey weekends, but it was also a drag that if your horse came up lame or you scratched because of the footing/weather it wasn’t like you could just go to another show next weekend. Especially after booking days off work.

I’m back in Ontario now. We’ve done a mix of Gold and Silver shows, will probably end up doing 8 or 9 before winter. My most expensive show bill will be Angelstone next week (probably looking at $1000 for the week for one horse doing one division and a Derby, plus stall, etc).
I’ve had a couple where we’ve broken even with prize money, the silver shows run around $200/horse for a division and a stall, run over one day.
Last weekend I won $1400 back in prize money at a Gold show.
And as a working Ammy I’ll only have to take two days off work for all of those shows. All of the Amateur divisions run over 1-2 days on the weekends.