WEC Ohio getting the short end of the stick?

[averageammy]

As we see WEC Ocala open an additional hotel on top of other amenities, I can’t help but notice that WEC Ohio is starting to become the ugly stepsister. The Paddock club has really gone downhill, stalls are haphazardly patched back together with wood boards and found the mats had not been cleaned underneath the stall my horse was in (for a HOT minute) and a lack of bathrooms for barns K-M.

Am I grateful to have a venue like this in the Midwest? Absolutely! But when you’re paying as much as you are to show there nowadays, it’s just frustrating to see basic concerns still not addressed.

[NaturallyHappy]

That’s really a shame…

[comingback]

We were just there, and in barn K. Not sure about your comment regarding indoor plumbing?

It was our first time there, and we had a great time. Although I will say the Paddock Club was hit or miss in terms of service.

[DiamondJubilee]

We were there last Aug/Sept and LOVED it! The set up was a little different in the summer months as we were in Barn A, which is converted into an indoor lunging ring in the winter months. But I loved the stalls (they were temp stalls but had 2 mats in them), found washrooms all over and we camped there in our LQ trailer for 2 weeks as we did back to back shows, which was a godsend as it happened to be a heat wave when we were there the whole time (100F +). We easily strung up 2 fans in my ponies stall.

I found the stalls clean, the rings were constantly watered and dragged, ring crew were all amazing and in gate people were the best! I thought it was one of the best run, nicest facilities I’ve ever been to. I would go back in a heart beat but the Canadian dollar is just tanking and I don’t think we will be heading to the US this year at all

The Paddock club wasn’t the greatest, so we ate elsewhere. The town was nice and close and we BBQ at our trailer most nights.

I just saw a post that they were adding in the pour in matting in some of the stalls at WEC in some of the barns. So it looks like they are improving things, which is really nice.

[Ponyplusaninch]

I give WEC Ohio some grace. It is much more difficult and much more expensive to update existing real estate structures. Especially structures that are in use practically throughout the entire year. I speak from experience with office rentals, where there is a lot of competition to have the best view, best amenities, etc.

WEC Ocala is still being built out which is to its advantage; it’s a blank slate. For WEC Ohio to pause everything and do all the updates it could have… that could damage a company financially.

Last year they went through the arduous process of replacing all the footing throughout the entire property bit by bit. I don’t even want to think what that cost. This year they’re focused on the stalls and redoing the mats which is great.

Those two items I describe right there make up a very large portion of why a show is expensive, and I’d expect them to be as “best in class” as possible.

The other thing I know WEC Ohio is working on right now is improving the Wi-Fi. I know because I had an extensive convo with management at the office about this. I’m eagerly awaiting that upgrade moreso than food (I will agree Paddock Club isn’t anything to write home about) because my work relies on me being able to take meetings whenever, wherever. And when I can’t do that somewhere I’m located the majority of a day, that’s problematic.

[enjoytheride]

I was there over the summer and didn’t experience any of these things. We avoided the paddock club because it’s usually super busy, and there were porta potty’s near the temp barn but we walked to the permanent bathrooms. With the considerable growth of the Ohio facility, and being built over existing facilities, some things like a bathroom in every barn aren’t feasible.

The cabins and Home away from Homes are always crazy popular.

[oldernewbie]

Comments on some of the above:
Restrooms for K-M: there’s a building next to the outdoor rings to the north of M that has showers and restrooms. Is it as fancy as the main building? No, but it’s always clean. Plus WEC has the cleanest porta potties in the western world!

Barn A has permanent stalls, I think you mean barn T or U as the lunging ring.

Given the fast turnaround between shows, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect that they will clean under the mats of every single stall of the facility. When we went in for a show we always pulled up the mats and cleaned under if needed. Maybe that’s why they are installing pour in mats - wrangling the mats is a pain and stinky too.

The Paddock Club is OK but never our first choice for dining unless we are on a super tight schedule. Plenty of decent places in town, cheaper too!

If you had shown at some of the fairgrounds and backyardigan showgrounds I’ve shown at in my horsey life, you would defend WEC too. Really hard to be nitpicky about conditions there when the “normal” horse show experience around here (SW Ohio) is pretty primitive. YMMV but I always love showing at WEC.

ETA: And I know it doesn’t really matter for this discussion, but if you had seen WEC Ohio when it was Roberts Arena - way back in the day - you would not believe they were the same place. It was quite the dump when they started the big upgrade. Just a little old fart color commentary for the heck of it.

[MHM]

I’ve always been super impressed with the cleanliness at both WEC facilities. It’s like they have cleaning ninjas following everyone around to clean up right behind them.

[oldernewbie]

One more note: I think it’s fair to say that the target audience for Ohio and the target audience for Florida are a bit different. Having just had a visit to WEC Ocala, it’s clear the facility is aimed at a more affluent group of horse people. Nothing wrong with that, but to call WEC Ohio the ugly stepsister is, well, a bit of a mischaracterization. WEC Ohio was version 1.0, and built to a midwestern standard of class. WEC Ocala is probably version 15.0 and is a ritzier take on the concept.

[Ponyplusaninch]

And they just started posting a QR code should anyone care to tip those cleaning ninjas!

I’ve always thought they promoted cleanliness across all fronts: rings, barns, bathrooms, the homestays–never have I had a complaint about hygiene.

[enjoytheride]

It’s hard pressed to find manure on the walkways for long.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

I mean… the team that operates both shows is still HQ’d in Ohio, so don’t think they’re going to let their flagship go down in flames. It’s just older and a slightly different mentality. But by no means the ugly stepsister. WEC Ocala still is a work in a progress, it was always slated to have like 10 phases. I think we’re barely halfway there at this point. So it was always meant to be expansive and inclusive of more than just the hunter/jumper world… ie expo centers, lux shops and retail, etc.

[Tha_Ridge]

I agree. I’ve always really enjoyed my time showing there.

[findeight]

@oldernewbie

ETA: And I know it doesn’t really matter for this discussion, but if you had seen WEC Ohio when it was Roberts Arena - way back in the day - you would not believe they were the same place. It was quite the dump when they started the big upgrade. Just a little old fart color commentary for the heck of it.

Here here…I used to show at Roberts Arena and, trust me, would never say a word about it given what it once was. Don’t forget what they learned at Roberts was and is still being incorporated into WEC South. Great to hear they are continuing to improve WEC North within the constraints of the property and what they started with.

Even back then, sorry as it was, it was better then most of the other venues, footing, spooky rings and all. Always had some decent bathrooms too. And heat.

[kirbydog]

As much as I like the facility, and will continue to go there and support it, the OP has a few valid points. Sure, there are port-a-potties outside of K-M, but no way this old gal is going to use them in January or February! As a woman of a certain age, I really wish they would have them closer.
The layout of the place is a little challenging, if you’re in the back barns. At one show, just for the hell of it, I used a step counter one day. I had a bit over 12k steps. Going from the back barns, and ring to ring, with 7 or 8 horses showing, it was a bit much. And there is no safe way to avoid it either. Golf carts or scooters are certainly not an option!
I’m glad they’re fixing the wifi situation, because it doesn’t help us if they say go on line and look, but the wifi keeps kicking you out. But that is a Wilmington problem, I was told by a local. The whole of Ocala was kind of the same way, last time I was there in 2022
The place as a whole is great though! Good people, good footing, just very pleasant.
We always get an Airbnb close to the show grounds, for many hundreds of $$$ cheaper than the cabins. We are usually no more than 5-7 minutes away

[findeight]

WEC North started as a family farm, the property layout does constrain how the facility can be expanded so its always been a little awkward. WEC South was developed with its current use as a show grounds and regional event/ convention center in mind. Space they got.

[enjoytheride]

I guess if I’m doing the winter circuit in Ohio (which I’m not) I’d expect it to be well…Ohio.

I also rode my electric bike ALL OVER when I was there over the summer. It was a Godsend.

I also think it’s amusing that “bad wifi” is a complaint. I have fond memories of people always playing Chicken as my main show grounds you could only get a signal in the middle of the road.

[Tha_Ridge]

@kirbydog

At one show, just for the hell of it, I used a step counter one day. I had a bit over 12k steps.

Maybe it’s the New Yorker in me, but that’s not that many. Out of curiosity, I looked at my last time showing there and logged between 9,000-14,000 steps every day.

[oldernewbie]

Do you think it was a wakeup call for Roberts when the Champions Center in Springfield came into being? If I’m not mistaken a lot of the shows left Roberts for Springfield at the time. (For the non Ohio crowd, Roberts Arena had a lot of western shows at one point) Then the big transformation happened, Champions Center got a little tacky (is better now), and some of the shows went back to Wilmington.

Of course now WEC North outshines everything in the area, even the Kentucky Horse Park. A bunch of Arab shows left KHP for WEC and now the USDF Finals have abandoned KHP as well.

Horse show venue drama!

[Peggy]

@enjoytheride

I also think it’s amusing that “bad wifi” is a complaint. I have fond memories of people always playing Chicken as my main show grounds you could only get a signal in the middle of the road.

I remember when no shows had wifi bc there was no wifi. Anywhere. If you wanted to know something about your ring you waited for an announcement or trudged up to the ring. Admittedly, showgrounds were smaller then.

And no one had phones either.

We were pirates.