QH Congress: How to go-- Update-- I'm coming! 21st-24th..P. 3

[AQHA4me]

[QUOTE=EquineLegalSolutions;6583236]
Funny, I never mentioned abuse. Rather, I was thinking of movement and head carriage… But thank you - your post made a great start for my latest editorial: http://equinelegalsolutions.blogspot.com/2012/09/show-horse-abuse-one-insiders.html

PS - Apparently, I wasn’t “barking up the wrong tree,” as several folks sent me private messages offering to send warm-up pen footage.[/QUOTE]

If you want is movement and headset why does it need to be from the warmup pen?

PS - I never made any threats, its common business sense not to bite the hand that feeds you.

[Chuckles]

[QUOTE=EquineLegalSolutions;6582227]
Not to hijack the thread, but I’d love to have some raw video footage of the warm-up pen before the hunter-under-saddle classes. Can anyone oblige me? I want to show my eventing friends why I left the breed show world…[/QUOTE]

You did indeed hijack the thread, so why bother with your opening line. MVP would like to see what Congress is about. Your comment was quite snarky and gave MVP no added information.
Since you have decided to go another way with your equine pursuits, why bring up the warm up pens at all? I imagine you really don’t need a reminder, just an opportunity to be snide.
I looked at your website and noticed that you are a sponsor on the Pleasure Horse Journal and publish in the AQHA journal. I am left wondering why you are, based on your previous post.
Unfortunately I would not be able to use your services, nor refer anyone to them based on this apparent dichotomy between your negative opinion about the same industry you are using to help you establish a practice.

So as not to hijack the thread, MVP the busiest weekend is usually around the 17th, 18th 19th of October. It is a big weekend for youth exhibitors and is the weekend of the Super Sale.

[Plumcreek]

@Sparky;6583578

The Derby is Saturday Nov 10th. It has some time constraints so the start time is still being tweaked. Right now the jog is at 6:30 am with the first horse on course around 7. Depending on entries, it might have to be earlier —everyone’s being a good sport about it but the fact is we have to have that arena completely cleared out by 11!

Aacck! I had it figured for the previous weekend during the open hunter classes. This is better as the Ranch Pleasure finals are Friday, but I will have to turn in my happily held, prize $49. ticket for one at the current price.

[findeight]

I live about 90 minutes south and go up most years…alas that job thing and need for some overtime bucks is in the way this year so can’t make it.

mvp, you are fine by yourself. I mean, have you ever been at any show and asked somebody about a nice horse and not gotten a nice reply often including baby pictures, pedigree and anecdotes? Congress is no different, see good, bad and some ugly but most people are nice and willing to share. Travel should be about meeting new friends anyway, not cacooning amongst those you know.

The only 2 caveats are the weather, which ranges between 80f and 28f and the area immediately surrounding the grounds. However they sell lots of really cute clothing for the first and there are tons of hotels outside that local area for the second. Some adjacent to major shopping (like Polaris).

Oh…actually there is a third, do NOT wear blue or anything that says Michigan on it:lol:.

[snydere02]

[QUOTE=findeight;6585228]

Oh…actually there is a third, do NOT wear blue or anything that says Michigan on it:lol:.[/QUOTE]

LOL I had to laugh at this because it is so true! …GO BUCKS!

[mvp]

[QUOTE=EquineLegalSolutions;6582227]

PS - Apparently, I wasn’t “barking up the wrong tree,” as several folks sent me private messages offering to send warm-up pen footage.[/QUOTE]

No, what I meant is that the “tree” in this thread is my Bucket List Item, not the virtue of high-end western showing.

You guys can hate on the Congressers if you like, but I’ll keep this thread to the business of getting to the show.

[mvp]

Best dates for the likes of me?

I consent to further enabling, leaving my momma in the dust and coming to Congress alone.

So which would be the 3 or 4 days you’d want to see?

Here’s the schedule for your convenience:

http://www.oqha.com/aaqhc/schedule

[QUOTE=Chuckles;6583612]
So as not to hijack the thread, MVP the busiest weekend is usually around the 17th, 18th 19th of October. It is a big weekend for youth exhibitors and is the weekend of the Super Sale.[/QUOTE]

Super Sale of horses?

Thanks for the enabling!

[appyrunner]

Go for Super Sale!

Super Sale is Sunday 10/21. Lots of super nice horses, some going for upwards of $300k. To all making comments about warm up etc. I’ve been showing AQHA all summer. It’s my first year. Maybe I’m not in the “wrong place at the wrong time”, but I’ve met nothing but nice people and have seen no horses with ripped up sides or mouths. I’ve stood and watched the warm up pens at some big shows and while I have seen some riding I would consider a little rough - I’ve seen equal or worse at local dressage schooling shows. I did make it clear when I was looking for a trainer that there would be no tolerance of spur marks or other nonsense. It was not hard to find a trainer that had a kind program and where my horse gets turned out every day. I ride in a smooth snaffle and no rock grinder spurs. There are bad people in all horse sports – but a lot of good people too. AQHA has a lot of good people.

[findeight]

@mvp;6586435

…
Thanks for the enabling!

Gald to be of help:D.

I like to watch the Reining and some of the Cutting so I always went up the first weekend but the real “glamour” events are the weekend of the sale-and it’s packed.

The Horsemanship is really kind of fun to watch as they have to execute a very precise pattern. Likewise I always enjoy Trail and Western Riding which is where I usually showed.

I showed WP (correctly) and Halter a little and appreciate the better examples seen there as well as the (legitimate) handling and training that goes into them but…a day full of just that can get a little…looooong. But it’s fun to watch a few and listen to the crowd “help” the judges decide.
Might want to check your hotel rates and availability too. There is plenty to see and lots you can learn from just watching regardless of when you go…sometimes it’s more fun to see something you never imagined you would be interested in and realize you are interested.

[mvp]

Thanks for the suggestion of Super Sale Sunday.

Other things I’d like to see:

Reining and cutting, HUS and over fences and some finished WP horses. Oh, and I’d got watch the Amateur Select oldies doing their thing. Trail would be good, too.

I’m not so into halter; maybe I could learn something.

Not so into barrel racing or pole bending and similar gaming stuff.

Given that-- seeing mature horses at the top of their game-- any other dates look good to you guys?

Yeah, and I’d like the Hotel/Plane Ticket Gods to smile upon me. Maybe those deities will decide in the end.

[fordtraktor]

Definitely the Freestyle Reining is the most fun. Totally worth it. Take heavy coats and layer. The shopping is warm, the stands can get very cold.

The night warmups are scheduled by class/# so you can pick a warmup ring at night for the classes/trainers you want to see.

Modern trail is very cool/challenging. It has always been challenging but in the last 10 years the difficulty has gone through the roof.

I’d skip the halter. They used to be good-looking horses but the modern ones are so post-legged behind they make me cringe every month when I get my QH Journal.

If you want to see hunters go to see the 3’6 Maturity, the quality will be a lot better than the smaller classes. You will see some really nice horses in that class. Don’t bother with the jumpers (and I say that with love and as someone who has ridden/won in the jumpers there). The C/As at any big A show are more competitive.

[findeight]

Hey, how about Showmanship at Halter if you don’t care for the big boys and those tank horses?

It’s for Ammies and kids and they also have to do a little something like a pivot, are judged on piositioning the horse properly as well as figure out how to be “on” every time they are in the judge’s line of sight and “at ease” the other 45min+ they are out in the ring-that gets more challenging with multiple judges. Lots of bling out there for that too:lol:. You can usually judge along with it and do pretty well even without a background in it.

Thats the one huge difference I saw when I switched, we typically don’t spend as much time with the ground skills as they do-we typically let ours drag us around and walk all over us (we meaning as a group in general).

[mvp]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;6587001]

If you want to see hunters go to see the 3’6 Maturity, the quality will be a lot better than the smaller classes. You will see some really nice horses in that class.[/QUOTE]

Yup, I’d like to see that. Hey, are these Appendix horses or do they have to be pure QH? I have a soft spot in my heart for the Appendix QH-- the American WB of my youth before the WB invasion. But these AQHA hunters are bred tall and narrow, right?

[QUOTE=findeight;6587034]Hey, how about Showmanship at Halter if you don’t care for the big boys and those tank horses?

It’s for Ammies and kids and they also have to do a little something like a pivot, are judged on piositioning the horse properly as well as figure out how to be “on” every time they are in the judge’s line of sight and “at ease” the other 45min+ they are out in the ring-that gets more challenging with multiple judges. Lots of bling out there for that too:lol:. You can usually judge along with it and do pretty well even without a background in it.

Thats the one huge difference I saw when I switched, we typically don’t spend as much time with the ground skills as they do-we typically let ours drag us around and walk all over us (we meaning as a group in general).[/QUOTE]

I can’t decide if showmanship is silly or not. Perhaps I should go see some well done. I’ll join you in your criticism of “us.” We could get our horses a whole lot more broke on the ground the way the Western folk do. I’ll bet the halter people really control all four feet. I could learn something of value there, I’m sure.

[bugsynskeeter]

No - halter people don’t control all 4 feet. Showmanship people do. You can’t touch your horse in showmanship, but halter horse people can set feet.

Well executed showmanship patters are hard. Here is the World Champion from the 2011 AQHYA World Show - very nice, brisk, clean pattern: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pnbjvxdwnU

I really wish they had a Huntfield Derby at Congress, but maybe next year!

If you want to see reining and cutting, you have to be there the first week.

[erniewalker]

Super Sale is interesting, but it’s a lot of sitting in place for my tastes.

I have the advantage of living about ten minutes away, so I usually go a few times throughout the show.

I haven’t looked at the program yet, but generally the classes on the same day as the Super Sale aren’t terribly intriguing. I had the super-awesome duty of watching a bunch of kids while their parents (my alleged friends! LOL) watched the Super Sale in that totally zoned out, drooling, taking furious notes sort of way. They weren’t even there to buy!

We ended up watching about eighteen thousand splits of the Small Fry Walk-Trot and buying ALL the junk food in the immediate vicinity just to keep the kids happy. Then they wanted to play in the super-awesome trailer displays, which are super-swank and NOT playgrounds.

I will cheerfully be going out alone this year. LOL

If you do the Super Sale, that would be a good day for shopping. Big events like that tend to draw crowds away from the trade show part, so you’ll be able to maneuver around without 15,000 of your closest friends breathing on you.

[mvp]

Update post

The Plane Gods have spoken: I’m crashing your horse show from the 21st to 24th or so.

I’d be pleased to meet and hang with any COTHers who will tolerate my newbiness.

[propspony]

UGH! I so wish I could go this year!!! Have fun. Shop 'till ya drop, and prepare to see some of the most spectacularly, meticulously groomed horses IN THE WORLD.

It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=propspony;6602569]
UGH! I so wish I could go this year!!! Have fun. Shop 'till ya drop, and prepare to see some of the most spectacularly, meticulously groomed horses IN THE WORLD.

It’s an experience you’ll never forget. :-)[/QUOTE]

Oooh, I can turn out a show hunter with the best of 'em. Can I learn a thing or two from the AQHA folks? Like what. I’d love to watch someone get a horse ready. Topnotch mane banding would be good.

[Plumcreek]

Then plan to hang out by the ingate/make up area before any showmanship class to see the last minute prep and the banding up close.

Prepare for your trip by paging through the Congress editions of the online Go HorseShow (The cover stud, Huntin Big Dreams, is worth finding in a class or schooling session to watch in person, IMO. )http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/053a4262#/053a4262/1

and/or Equine Chronicle http://www.onlinedigitalpubs.com/publication/?i=128680 magazines.

Have Fun !

[ex-racer_owner]

So excited! My sister and I are driving out tomorrow morning to spend the day. We go strictly for the shopping- love it! It truly is a spectacle. From bargins that you couldn’t believe all the way up to $20,000 Harris show saddles and $100,000 lq trailers. We do take shopping lists and have an idea of what those items normally cost, but also budget extra for the “OMG, that is a steal of a deal!” and the “Wow,I love that and have to have it” stuff.

Yes, people are up all hours of the day and night schooling horses, lunging horses, and partying, as per my BO who spent many Octobers at Congress.