A few people were mentioning Thunderbird, which has a huge number of American exhibitors normally. They are fully sold out for the 2 May/June shows, the 2 June/July shows, and the 2 August shows. Apparently they are doing just fine…
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That’s one horse show facility and tbh there’s not much in the northwest as far as shows, so that isn’t shocking. Let’s see what GLEF looks like this summer. I looked around 2 years ago while showing at GLEF and first began realizing the numbers keep dwindling. When the A/O’s had the age groups combined even in the 3’3 at what is supposed to be one of the top shows in the country it begins to tell you something.
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I don’t know the first thing about showing over the border, but was the entry deadline before the tariffs were imposed, or are entries still open?
I think it remains to be seen whether owners/riders will be willing to put up a bond for the tariff amount every time the horse crosses into Canada. I’m assuming there’s a processing fee, and that one would not get back the bond immediately.
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There are no tariffs or bonds required anymore per the latest news.
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It’s been really hard to keep track of, and keeps changing, though. The instability of the tariffs might put people off from crossing the border.
Also I was referring to tariffs for going into Canada from the USA, not the other way around.
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Well, as of April 3…
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Almost a bigger concern for me would be if the pressure increases at the border for US support people to prove they are not intending to work illegally in Canada. They do love to make you sweat already, so if their elbows go up any farther it could get dicy in the passport exam room.
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Is it an issue if someone employed in the USA crosses the border and works for their USA employer while there? Like a show groom, assistant trainer, etc?
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I was at a few east coast shows last year: WEC had good numbers but the summer shows like Culpepper and NY and even Tryon had some very sad small divisions. Arguably that’s because a) it’s too hot to show in the summer anymore on most of the east coast and b) there are too many divisions anyway. But it was particularly noticeable in the childrens and juniors. Lots and lots of combining going on.
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Far from an expert opinion but I have been given the impression that any money changing hands for work in Canada needs to go to a Canadian. Even the veterinarians have to be circumspect about getting their equipment across the border. In the past, working for big barns, a shipping agent was in the mix to organize passage for horses and staff.
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That covers people working for those who are formally representing a country, not the AA hunter divisions.
ETA I know people who’ve already said they aren’t coming from Europe next winter as they’re not willing to risk ICE/ being stuck in a concertation camp over 5 months of work for someone who may or may not be willing and able to do the paperwork correctly. And yes that’s a direct quote, lol. Spain is going to get a nice bump in income and people are going to have to find american assistants who can give horses miles in the 1.2-1.45m.
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Yes, I’m one of the people entered in the several sold out shows. Entries open months before and sell out in literal minutes. You can also always scratch and get your deposit back before the entry deadline, which is what I have done to ensure I can go if it’s possible. I’m not entered in April as traditionally it rains a lot and we have a local show venue here in WA with an indoor. So, I’m waiting to hear people’s experiences at the April tbird show to determine if I’ll be able to get my horse across without writing a check…
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It’s very easy to justify your work as an American making money in Canada. Most barns send their employees with letters saying they’re integral to the horse’s care and no one else can possibly do it because it’s such a specialized job.
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You’d still need the right visa/paperwork potentially. There was a story about a British national who has been traveling the world on Workaway placements, and she was going from the US to Canada where she would stay for free with a family in exchange for a few weeks of cooking and child care. She drew grumpy agents and ended up in ICE detention for 19 days; they wouldn’t even let her just fly home to the UK. I’d be super careful to make sure anyone who will be paid to work for you has exactly the right paperwork.
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I can see that situation being a bit more complicated. I would definitely have proper paperwork for that. My husband crosses upwards of 15 times each summer without issue.
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That would be pre-Trump shite. My daughter is all excited about going to NYS this summer, it’s her second home, but I’m nervous about her heading south again this spring
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It’s just that… the rules they used last summer no longer apply. So please be careful out there, especially with any workers you are employing.
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Please do be careful.
People are disappearing. With no access to lawyers or ability to contact anyone at all, despite having all the right paperwork and no issues in the past. This includes demographics you(g) wouldn’t expect based on the track record and news cycles - white, no record or employment in politics/media, no social media history of “wrong” opinions. And yes, it’s that bad here.
Personally, I would not risk it at this time and I freaking live here. There’s no rules, no enforcement, and currently no consequences for “accidentally” detaining and disappearing someone illegally. If you get a grumpy border agent or tick someone off, you aren’t just risking sitting at the border or being sent home anymore. That’s the reality right now.
My hope is we course correct and get this under control ASAP. But I’m not holding my breath.
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I’m an amateur, but my husband works for a barn and has his own hauling business. And…he’s Mexican (born in the US, but I’m aware that doesn’t seem to matter anymore).
Thanks - I think I was focused more on the tariff and getting horses into the country part this convo and not the human aspect.
I’ll make sure he knows to look into proper paperwork.
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