Yikes. Not for small venues that put on one or two events per year. That’s a huge chunk of change.
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Add 50 to everyone’s entry fee.
Paid for. You don’t have an extra $50? You don’t show.
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That is a huge chunk of change for any event. The result would be…fewer events will run. Smaller venues may run more unrecognized events.
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Are you new the this sport? People flip out when entries go up by $5. And why should we now pay that much more for a VERY ineffective marker of COVID. We have to be smart about not bringing a sick horse…and we self certify to that. How hard is it to just have people self certify that they are fever free.
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Sounds like a great way for small venues to not get enough entries and have to cancel anyway. And people complain about disappearing venues…
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THANK YOU
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That’s the problem though - there are plenty of people who will do just that. And there are events in the less well populated areas that are already struggling to get enough entries to even run.
A $3-4k piece of equipment that is honestly only going to be used for a show season or two is an unnecessary expense very few events will actually consider taking on. They need that money for a lot of other things, and many events are lucky to scrape even with the cost of hosting their event to begin with.
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I agree 1000%.
If this measure was a guarantee of safety… then maybe I would support paying for it.
But the whole concern right now is asymptomatic people walking around infecting others.
That means… people with no abnormal temperature.
So why pay that much more for something that doesn’t actually reliably keep anyone safe? Raising fees by that much will cause some venues to lose so many entries… that they will close. There will be a ripple effect from there.
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And a $150 dollar test for COVID 2-3 days before the show is going to be ok with people - the same people complaining about the $5 entry fee increase? And then when there’s another show in a month, another $150 test? What about areas that you can’t get a test unless you’re on death’s door?
The “self-monitoring” won’t work for the asymptomatic people, so that’s out.
A coggins costs $30 bucks a year and is required. I’m sure many think that’s a pointless piece of paper, but tough nuts. Have a current one, or don’t show.
I’d think the thermal imager, which could easily be resold, would be the lesser of the evils here, as far as money is concerned.
That’s an interesting way to look at it.
Personally, I think requiring a test isn’t feasible either. Or a guarantee of safety.
I don’t think we can guarantee safety. I HOPE we can mitigate risk. I THINK we can. But there are no guarantees.
What we certainly can and will do though, if we aren’t careful and thoughtful, is harm the many small businesses and business owners and venues that are part of the sport with requirements that aren’t thought through to a significant extent. If we were GUARANTEEING safety, I would have less concern about that.
But testing is imperfect and is only a snapshot in time. Temperature taking is also imperfect. And also only a snapshot in time. So I am adding more weight to business related concerns and concerns about further damaging an already shrinking sport.
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I’m really not following your logic. If self-monitoring doesn’t work because people are asymptomatic, then why bother taking temps at horse shows? They’re still asymptomatic whether they take their own temp at home or at the show.
$150 COVID test before the show is not part of USEF guidelines. Irrelevant. I can’t see this being within the realm of reasonable anytime soon.
The coggins thing is also irrelevant to the discussion.
My point is that small shoe-string budget venues are going to struggle with implementation and costs. That’s just how it is. Suggesting that a 5k expense is chump change is not realistic.
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People are saying the temporal scanners are bad because they aren’t accurate. I suggested a relatively inexpensive and more accurate alternative. Someone else pointed out that both are irrelevant when it comes to asymptomatic people, which is true. So by that logic, the idea of “self regulating” is also irrelevant, because you could take your temp at home and still be walking around with COVID.
So realistically the only true way to stay safe is with a COVID test within 2-3 days of the show. Which isn’t feasible because it’s $150 bucks every time, and isn’t available to most people at this point in time.
Coggins are relevant, as they are part of the costs of showing. Almost never positive, but required to show. People pay the fee because they have to.
Seeing as how everyone is facing a shortened season and are chomping at the bit to get out, I bet they’d pay a one-time $50 fee for the purchase of a (edit) thermal imager no questions asked. But again, won’t catch the asymptomatic sick people so who cares.
So, temperature monitoring of any cost (including self-monitoring) is useless. Why do people care if the forehead (temporal) scanners are inaccurate? It’s a false sense of security in it’s entirety. This is all fluff, honestly. If we want it to be safe, you need tests. The rest doesn’t matter.
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I’m saying the scanner isn’t feasible…I also don’t think requiring a $150 negative test feasible either. Self certifying I think is a no harm…we should be taking our own temp everyday anyway before going out. That is what I ask people to do before they come to the farm…and any cold symptoms…don’t come. I think having fewer people at the events the only thing that will offer any sort of mitigation. And eventually perhaps having had a vaccine. And I hate to say it…no stabling or really seriously limiting stabling…maybe more outside corrals or something that can increase distance and limit touch for competitors.
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What about requiring competitors and volunteers to bring their own digital thermometer, and take a reading somewhere close to entrance?
. (Though really, I’m thinking setting things up so we dont have to breathe on each other is more likely to be helpful, but brainstorming here…)
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I see a bring your own thermometer, or a $50 Covid fee, or a $150 test as the end of our sport. If volunteering grandma to jump judge is so dangerous she needs a temp check then grandma isn’t volunteering.
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The reality goes well beyond simply having processes and protocols in place for the venue. Many medical personal may not be able to compete (doctors, EMTs, PAs, etc.) because they may either be on quarantine due to work exposure or may be forced to limit their exposure to further SARS-CoV-2 exposure. This leads to an issue of obtaining needed medical resources required to run a competition.
Additionally, states may still require no more than 10 people gathering, even if precautions are taken. Our research buildings on a medical campus are only allowed to be 25% occupied to avoid infecting clinicians or for clinicians to infect research scientists.
Also, ICU capacity may not be available near many venues in case of serious injury. Consider Rebecca Farm. The ICU capacity at Kalispell Regional Medical Center is about 5 beds, and some bed must always be held in reserve for emergent cases as well as surgical procedures. The next closest is 120 miles away in Missoula or farther in Bozeman. What would a HT do if a rider was critically injured in a fall if they can’t be accommodated?
Things beyond just the illness to consider.
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Posted this in another thread as well …
So, I am hearing third-hand that the USDF is about to take those new USEF recognized horse show protocols out for a turn around the arena …
June 8th-9th is the un-cancelled USDF Houston Dressage Society recognized show at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center, west of Houston. A birdie told me that the USDF/USEF is looking on this show as the test run for the new protocols. That was not from an official source, though.
Anyone know more about this?
Great Southwest is listing other equine events on their June schedule as well, to follow the dressage show.
https://www.gswec.com/events/
However the HDS website list of recognized shows has clearly not been updated, because the April show was cancelled of course.
https://houstondressagesociety.org/shows-results/schooling-shows/recognized-shows/
Because of asymptomatic cases, temperature monitoring is NOT SUFFICIENT. But it may still be NECESSARY.
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With all this are we about to see a rash of cancelled Recognized Shows followed by similar gain in Unrecognized ones? Seems to have been the modus operandi for some of the May shows stopped by the USEF/USEA, will it spread?
Probably. Just as considering Rayers’ point about the number of ICU beds available near the event will be disregarded.
Some people will do what they can to avoid the public health guidelines and not consider the effect their disregard may have on the well being of others.
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