Talk to me about Devon

[horsegal301]

I am thinking we may try Devon next year now that we’ve moved south and we’re a bit closer.
Their prize list hast only a little bit of information about the classes in the general driving divisions.

It looks like there’s a pleasure drive early in the day on Sunday. I see that there’s obviously a turnout inspection and that the drive is about 4.5 miles long with a max time of 40 minutes. Are boots for minis allowed? I’m assuming you need to do appropriate road signs for turns and stops? I noticed lots of people also incorporating a small bouquet of flowers in their vehicles, but I’ve never seen this at any other show. Is this expected? Are there any particular things I should know ahead of time about it?

Scurry - seems like everyone can canter? I feel like this seems simple and it’s just a cones course that you can canter. I only saw some clips, not full rounds, but are there start and finish cone markers, or is time measured on first and last set of cones?

Turnout - Also seems pretty aligned with a general turnout class unless there’s more to it that I’m just not thinking of? Is there anything particular you see that differs here from other shows’ turnout classes?

Also… in general, what is it like getting into the grounds… any tips or tricks that go beyond normal horse show tips - anything specific to this show? Any recommendations on places to stay?

Thanks everyone!

[MunchingonHay]

@horsegal301

Are boots for minis allowed?

When we showed at Devon ages and ages ago no one put boots on, except maybe bell boots. The pleasure drive on Sunday is all about looks, and dress to impress! Being turned out to the 9’s and being as pretty as possible, hence the flowers in the carriages/carts.

When I was a four in hand coaching groom we never booted our horses (except for bell boots if needed).

Its been years since I have been to Devon, and it was before I learned to drive. I just remember people paying to park in front yards and the side streets just LINED with cars. The grounds themselves are very small.

ETA: If you are close enough, go to Dressage At Devon in the Fall. That will give you a better understanding how small the showgrounds are, parking, etc.

[tabula_rashah]

I don’t really know anything about the driving questions but logistics questions I do- I worked for a very large farm that pretty much migrated to Devon every year
Devon is a nightmare as far as trailers etc. Have everything packed so that you can unload, get stuff to your stall and get your trailer out of there ASAP and be prepared to wait in line to get in and out of the facility. There is no trailer parking at Devon- you have to use satellite lots. Also there is very, very little car/ truck parking so be prepared to walk and pay $$$ for parking. It is a very small show grounds with a lot going on- some horses handle it fine and some get easily overwhelmed. I always bring my own food and drinks because the lines are long and the food is expensive and not as good as everyone says it is

[goodhors]

Devon is top-of-the-line in Pleasure showing. You need to be polished to the Nth degree to be placed. Know your Rules for turnout in each class so harness and accessories, your clothing, hats, laprobes are correct, appropriate to the carriage and class entered. Judges are huge on exhibitors being correct, traditional when you show in front of them.

I know nothing about the grounds or parking, no help.

[tabula_rashah]

PS- we used to have to book our hotel about a year in advance

[MunchingonHay]

I just spoke to my mom and she went to Devon to watch her old pony on Sunday.

She got a $80.00 parking ticket by parking in the spot for 20 mins too long.

The other day she went to go and pay it and the cop took it and told her to go home

[red_mares]

I took the road pony to Devon this year. We decided to go about 2 weeks before the show. Maybe 3, but probably 2. Since saddlebred/hackney entries were low, we were welcomed with open arms.

I didn’t find Devon super unique from other large shows, except for parking and that wasn’t super terrible. It was ~2 blocks from my car to our stalls. Even my 82 yro mother managed to do it. She thought it was miles, but she still did it. I would recommend a wagon. Taking things like ice for a cooler kind of sucked.

Hotels were not a problem. If you want to stay in Devon, at the Marriot (Springhill??) you’ll need to plan way ahead. There were plenty rooms available in King of Prussia and they weren’t super expensive.

It poured the whole week but the footing was still good.

Exhibitors get 3 wrist bands for admission and a parking pass. They do want you to leave your keys in your car in the Exhibitor Lot. Didn’t really matter in my case, neither of the guys working the lot could drive my 6 speed.

Since I live in the DC area, I really didn’t notice traffic or food prices. It’s no different than home.

I wasn’t there for the carriage driving classes, but I heard that numbers were down. There were 3 in the coaching classes during the week. They aren’t super inviting to saddlehorses, the schedule sucked. It was the one and only time I’ll ever show at 1pm. It interrupted the pony’s mid-day nap and he wasn’t happy.

[SLW]

Why do they want you to leave your keys in the vehicle??

[tabula_rashah]

It’s so small the parking guys have to double park people- everyone’s stacked in there like cordwood

[red_mares]

I didn’t have much problem with parking - but I have a small car. Trainer had his truck. I don’t think he really had a problem finding a place in the exhibitor lot, but once he was there, he stayed until the end of the day, mostly because he didn’t want to deal with losing his parking spot.

[tabula_rashah]

Yeah, I had to take several loads back and forth with a big F450 and a 6H head to head which you had to pull in, unload at your stalls and then back out through the gates because there wasn’t space for something that big to go around the circle through the barns. Def not one of my fave things to do lol

[red_mares]

We were in Barn 9 all the down near the end of the line. On Saturday, it reminded me of when we had the spot in the campground next to the boat ramp when I was a kid. Sunday afternoons were a parade of boats coming out for the week. We considered getting some cardboard and making number signs to hold up to score the efforts (like the Olympics). It was discussed as we watched trailer after trailer back up, make the back up turn between the barns and make-up ring and pull out. Doesn’t take much to entertain me.

I was kind of glad for the load/unload issue. It gave me a good reason to limit what Mom took with her every day.

[tabula_rashah]

haha I could totally be entertained by that too

I used to bribe the security guards with homemade baked goods so they’d hold traffic while I backed out real quick lol

[SLW]

Thank you for the explanation!

[RMJacobs]

@red_mares

Sunday afternoons were a parade of boats coming out for the week. We considered getting some cardboard and making number signs to hold up to score the efforts (like the Olympics).

This made me laugh. I’ve seen some very weird attempts to back a trailer at boat ramps. Of course, we got stares because we pulled our boat with a Toyota Avalon.

One day, we saw someone with the same kind of thinking–pulling a very small boat with a Prius. It made us smile.

[red_mares]

The guys with bass boats could put a boat in or out in a matter of minutes. Others, not so much. We had one of the few sailboats on the channel. There was also a power line to navigate near the boat ramp. Our boat went in during the middle of the week when no one was there. It came out in late October when no one was there. That water was COLD.

[RMJacobs]

I’m not the greatest at backing a trailer, but my husband can parallel park with one attached. I wish I had his skills.

I did do a three point turn on a very narrow road with a big U-Haul attached and actually did it in three moves. I was desperate. I’d made a wrong turn somewhere in Texas while moving cross country, and the road was narrow with deep ditches on either side. Every driveway had a gate right at the road. I will always be proud of myself for that one. Neither the dog nor cat seemed to appreciate it.