How are people feeling about WEC Ocala these days? Are a lot of people planning to show there this summer? Hits saw a lot of trainers return this past Winter because they’d discovered all that glitters isn’t gold at WEC.
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I’m feeling like it is probably more than sHITS, but I have nice bathrooms where I’m not afraid to sit, my horse’s stall may be expensive, but there has yet to be a pole in the middle of it, no barn has flooded during a rainstorm, I haven’t gotten stuck, the footing has been incredibly consistent and well maintained, the show timing is generally close to what it says online, and the timing online is updated frequently (this is super important to me as I continue to work while showing, and it helps me immensely with timing), I get to checkout without ever having to go to the office, when I go to the office I have yet to have any eyes rolled at me, my husband very much enjoys sitting in expensive furniture in the hotel lobby in climate controlled bliss until I tell him I’m headed to the ring, the tacos are amazing, so are the quesedillas, and there’s ice cream, oh and really good grilled cheese at the ice cream place. So yeah I’m going to keep showing at WEC. For a bit more money in an already expensive hobby I am a way, way happier customer.
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A friend of mine commented very early on that it was a big selling point for all the dads/husbands who could sit in the hotel bar and have a drink and watch other sports with the other dads/husband until they got a text that it was time to go to the ring to watch the horse show.
And then they could return to the bar afterwards. Lol.
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I think part of the reason why HITS saw an uptick is that trainers took horses there specifically to get green hunter incentive points or qualify their riders for finals without the huge numbers at WEC or especially WEF.
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I think if you can pay whatever then that’s one thing but when trainers are building experience and show records on young horses to sell, bang for your buck matters. I get it that tent stalls suck but the majority of horseshows all over the country operate with tent stalls. I spoke to several trainers that specifically stated they were not happy with their experience at WEC and would not be returning. I’m curious to see how things look for the summer circuit.
I also know people that work in the hotel and spa. The spa was dead all winter. Staff wasn’t able to make any money. A lot of staff left. The new head guy came in and took away the raise they were given a year before and decreased the commissions staff would receive on upselling products and services.
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I agree that when producing a young horse, costs matter. HITS offered 3 free classes for age verified young jumpers this winter (not just the standard YJC classes - anything open from the .65 to the 1.10/1.20? Counted). Pretty hard to beat free entry fees…
I know WEC Ohio started this program this summer but will be curious to see if Ocala follows suit to compete with that HITS offering.
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Compared to what? Summer circuit will always be smaller than winter circuit, so what’s the relevant comparison? For the hunters, showing indoors is nice, but it gets pretty hot for some of the jumper classes that are still outside, so some barns don’t go because of that. But quite a few hunter barns put it on the schedule because of the indoors.
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You sound like you have an axe to grind with WEC.
We love it, for all the reasons stated above. The only advantage HITS has is the private barns/rings/turnout, if you have access to one of those.
HITS is not significantly less expensive than WEC, especially if you have one of the private barns. A few free classes if you have a young jumper is nice for sure, but I’ll still take the air-conditioned bathrooms and hotel/restaurant/shop access.
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An axe to grind? Really? I was simply curious what people were thinking about it now that it’s a few years in. I used opinions I have heard as point of reference. The entire management team was changed at the end of winter circuit 2023 and it seems to coincide with some of the discourse I’ve heard about. For Christ sake it’s a discussion board for ……discussion.
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I mean… I also got the vibe that you’ve got some personal issue with WEC and are looking for validation. So @wanderlust is not alone in that.
Sounds like some exhibitors like WEC but maybe some trainers don’t, which is how these things go. I’ll say no one in my circle loves HITS, for footing and facilities reasons. And the general consensus is that WEC Ocala is more “non-horsey family” friendly, if you’re going to bring people with you. If things have changed recently, it hasn’t trickled up this far yet.
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Compared to the previous summer and the one before at WEC. Are ppl still inclined to travel to WEC in the summer as opposed to other venues? Are local ppl staying local as opposed to Venice or Sarasota or even going out of state? There are businesses that see increased revenue in correlation to the traffic that WEC brings. So I’m just curious what all that will look like this summer. I live in ocala so it matters to me. And like I said, I know things were slow in the hotel this past winter based upon the people that I know that work there. They just opened a second hotel. Will it be full? I just get the feeling that they’ve hit a bit of a lull since all the grand opening excitement has simmered a little. I’m not saying they’re going out of business. It’s normal for things to fluctuate. I have no doubt Roberts ppl know full well what they’re doing. Just opening dialog to see what the general horse community is thinking/feeling about it.
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I never said HITS was better. Of course there aren’t really any facilities that compare to WEC. I think that HITS got exactly what they deserved in constantly giving ppl crap services and facilities year after year. They knew WEC was coming and were too arrogant to step up and make the necessary adjustments to improve what they had to offer. 2 years ago Hits was a ghost town. This past winter I was surprised to see the pick up in numbers that I saw. My curiosity is with what the cause might be. I don’t have a torch to carry for any of it. I think there’s pros and cons to any facility. I dont get to show a whole lot so I’m very conscientious about where I choose to spend my time/money. I went to Traverse City last summer and loved it. I love Aiken too. People raved about Tryon when it first started and within a few years a lot of ppl were over it.
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That’s a bummer to hear. I stay in loads of five-star hotels for work (I work in travel, where’s my tiny violin? LOL) and my massage at WEC was genuinely one of the best I’ve had in ages.
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So I love WEC Ocala. The footing is great, jumps are colorful and interesting, my classes start within 15 minutes of the estimated time, checkout is a breeze and the staff seems to be quite pleasant and easy to work with. And I love the wide aisles, big stalls, indoor wash stalls and real bathrooms. And getting an ice cream after I compete is a bonus!
When I was in the grocery store this winter I would run into people who were showing at HITS. The new management there is working quite diligently to bring people back. I have heard it is not HITS from years past and the people I knew who were competing there were quite pleased. Lots of good positive changes. (I gave up on HITS years ago when my 2:00 class would start at 4:15 due to bad management; waiting endlessly for some trainer to ride one horse or the checkout staff were argumentative about late fees or some other absurdity.)
One time this winter I was tempted to go to HITS because one week my WEC classes got bumped (moved to another ring) to the end of the day with a 3:00 start so I scratched. If I had shown at HITS that day, my class would have started at 10:30. I don’t do ‘late’.
I think each show venue has a place for exhibitors and Ocala. Do I like competing against 30-40 in my class? Not really. WEC is such a well run venue, it’s hard to go anyplace else. I would consider trying HITS for a change of pace, but I get a circuit stall at WEC.
As far as the spa? Well, two years ago I went and had my hair cut and colored. The bill? In the neighborhood of $500! Never went back. It’s not Manhattan and Vidal Sassoon did not do my hair. No way they should it price like that. But it’s not my spa, so I don’t set the pricing.
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From someone who hauled into both WEC and HITS this past winter, I can share that the cost was very similar for both. WEC unfortunately increased their ship-in fees and the class sizes are definitely larger by a lot. The footing and facility are amazing, that is not up for debate.
The advantages to HITS were the smaller classes and larger ring size for the 1.10+ classes vs. WEC mostly using Jumper 1 and Jumper 2 which are on the smaller side. The vibe was also a bit more chill and casual than WEC when comparing the 2. I was able to check out online with no issues, and was also able to do a same-day add at HITS which WEC will not allow.
In short they are both valuable places to show, and I’d go back to both just for the variety.
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How do you feel like the hotel measures up compared to other 5 star places? I’ve been to the spa for massage a few times and the service was great. But most spas at that price point have more amenities. I’m curious if that’s why it seems people come once and don’t return
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The no same day add policy is a big negative for me. I have a squirrely jumper that I decide day of what to show on based on how he feels and how the course is built. I get it that it’s a pain for office staff so I do understand why the policy exists.
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What seems to happen most often re “no same day adds” is that people enter all the possible permutations of classes they might want to do on a given day, and then just scratch once they decide what they do or don’t want to do on the day of. I don’t believe there is an extra charge for that.
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Honestly, it feels like it’s a hotel built for people who don’t often stay in nice hotels. 
I think it is lovely for where it is and what it does, but if you compare it to, say, even a Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons, rooms are light on furnishings (but way too big), the bathrooms are builder-grade, toiletry products are budget, and so on. Food and service are very good for the area, but still pale in comparison to a true five-star.
I’m literally editing a review of the new Riding Academy hotel for a client as we speak… I didn’t stay, but common areas look well-thought-out and quite pretty and rooms seem… meh.
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This is correct. They don’t charge for scratches. I think it’s a fine way of doing things; just requires a bit more pre-planning.
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