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WEC Ohio winter?

Hunter/Jumper
#1

I’ve been to WEC Ocala and loved it, but this winter will be spending 2 weeks at WEC Ohio showing in the jumpers. I have a few questions if anyone has been:

How is the airflow in the barns? I assume they close the doors overnight, so it smells like ammonia in the morning, but are there fans or something to clear it out?
Are the barns heated?
If it’s just me and one other person, should we stay on property? It sounds like the on-property lodging is for more people but not sure how accessible off-property is. I could potentially also figure out staying with someone else from my barn.
TIA!

#2

The air quality is reasonably good, although it does feel humid/dusty in the middle of the winter. I have never noticed an ammonia smell there although the barn doors are closed most of the time (unless it is mild outside). It is very well heated - to the point of occasionally being too hot. You can control the heaters in your aisle. I would recommend staying on property as it is super convenient. The cabins that are on the same side as the road as the barns are fairly small, appropriate for two people. The Home Aways are across the street and are larger. The cabins are more convenient but the Home Aways are also very convenient. There are a few hotels in town and some Air BnBs as well. The hotels are about a 10 minute drive from the complex. It’s a small town and everything is easily accessible from the facility.

1 Like
#3

The Home Aways across the street that I’ve been in are 3 bedroom/2 bath homes, with a kitchen, full size fridge, sitting area, tables, couches, washer and dryer, TVs in every room, etc., etc. They’re very comfortable.

I don’t know if they have a smaller version of those. The cabins on the same side of the road as the barns look extremely convenient. You would hardly need to put on your shoes to go out and do night check. But I have not seen the inside of those cabins.

2 Likes
#4

The barns are heated, and there’s humidity control. If my horse had his way, we would stay there all winter (we are in the midwest and frequently have days to weeks where the ice and snow is so bad, we can’t do proper turnout). I’ve never noticed ammonia; air quality overall has been quite good.

The homeaways are really quite nice but are expensive if it’s only 1-2 people. There are a couple other hotel options within 10-15 min too if you want something a little more affordable. AirBnBs are a possibility as well. On all of those fronts, book ASAP. They all fill up exceedingly fast.

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#5

They also have a lot of RV/Living Quarter hook ups which might be hit or miss depending on the temps. Some of the cabins have 2 or 3 beds so you can always split them with someone else.

I’ve never had an ammonia smell, most of the people clean their stalls daily and dump everything in the manure bins outside.

2 Likes
#6

Thanks everyone!
And just want to clarify on the ammonia thing- the barn at WEC Ocala would smell of ammonia in the morning before the big doors were opened even though everyone was good about mucking stalls- I guess probably because of the humidity.

#7

oh intriguing! Yeah not a thing in OH. They have a fancy muck system down there, right? The smell surprises me but maybe you’re right re: humidity.

#8

Now that you say that, it could also be due to the mucking system of manure/dirty bedding going into trash bins which get put outside of the barns and dumped into trucks throughout the day. I think I recall that some full bins may get left in overnight (not certain though, my memory is not the greatest lol).

#9

The cabins are adorable and convenient but do not have full-size washer, dryer, or fridges. You cannot prepare food in the cabins so have to rely on takeout (very limited options) or eating at WEC (the food is not good). Just fyi

#10

If you are interested in an Air BnB, contact TJ Campbell directly. They have several houses nearby for rent that are really nice, too.

#11

Lol. I think the Roberts Cafe is totally fine. I appreciate the healthier options, most of the other shows I attend have a BBQ food truck and that’s it.

I’ve only eaten at the paddock club once and it was also fine.

Its not like Wilmington is a hot bed of high class food.

The cabins do have a European style washer/dryer which works fine for a “my horse got green on my breeches and I didn’t bring more than one pair.”

1 Like
#12

Word to the wise, invest in some walkie talkies for WEC Ohio. We’ve had a hard time with cellphone reception in the complex (better luck up against one of the walls, lol), so it’s easier to have walkie talkies to communicate back to the barn rather than relying on phones to work. Signed, someone who learned the hard way by having to very quickly boogie to and from the ring and back a million times in order to relay info the first year :smiley:

4 Likes
#13

And a compass. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten turned around in that place :sweat_smile:

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#14

The struggle is real. Lol.

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#15

The airflow is fine for the horses, in the times I’ve been there’s been no issue with feeling like the closed air is unhealthy in the stabling area. The humans seem to get what we’ve lovingly referred to as the “WEC gunk” after showing there, but maybe we just all spend too much time together. Food-wise, the onsite food trucks are pretty good, usually. Spillway Lodge is a little out-of-the-way place that’s good to go to for a warm dinner on a cold show night. WEC Ohio really is fun! Completely a different vibe than Ocala, but really fun in its own right.

1 Like
#16

Yes, it’s very cozy and the food is good.

#17

There are several new food options in town, though several are breakfast and lunch places. Lebanon is also an easy drive and you can get Golden Lamb and Mi Cozumel there in town as well as some other fast food places in South Lebanon just off the Interstate.

#18

I’d definitely recommend finding an AirBnB. The places that you can rent on property are fine, but I don’t find them worth the price. I can send you the listings that I’ve stayed at and would recommend, if you are interested.

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#19

I have also stayed at the Holiday Inn by the interstate, which is nice. It’s about 15 minutes from the horse show.

It is right up the street from the base for the Roberts shipping company, where a zillion of their trucks are going in and out all day.

Once you know what their trucks look like, you will see them in your travels all over the place. They are everywhere.

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#20

I am a WEC frequent flyer and work from there, as well. They have free WiFi that reaches all the way to the outside rings. I have never had an issue.

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