What will make you comfortable enough to show again?

[RTF]

I will take the year off. Our local rated show is going to do everything possible to make this work, but being higher risk as an asthmatic, I just would not feel comfortable. I do know many riders though that want to get back at it as soon as possible.

[OverandOnward]

Small schooling shows: Plenty of room between day trailers, and a good general protocol for distancing and non-transmission.

Large shows: A population of vaccinated showers.

An elderly relative, hale and with no doctor-forecast expiration date, lives with me. So although I feel robust and unafraid of covid, I must live as if I’m that elderly. If that makes sense.

[MissAriel]

The more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards just doing small, local shows, if any. Get there, tack up at the trailer, ride, clean up at the trailer, go home. They can email me my score sheet.

If everyone were to follow the guidelines, I would feel better about doing a longer show, but I see so many people not following the guidelines, especially at the barn, that I don’t know that I want to pay $$$ for the chance to get exposed or expose someone else if I am an asymptomatic carrier.

We have one series of local schooling shows that doesn’t even pin “classes”. You basically show up for your ride time, ride and get your comments and score sheet. I would be totally ok with doing that. It is pretty cheap, and I get the chance to get off property training and some feedback on where we are in our training.

And, yes, I would be willing to volunteer IF the organization is committed to enforcing guidelines regarding masks, distancing, etc. I don’t want to show up to volunteer and find that they published a bunch of guidelines, but aren’t going to enforce them.

[Shagyas_Rock]

I’m not going to be comfortable until there is a vaccine. This virus is too unpredictable and I’m not a gambler.

[Margaret_Freeman]

@PonyPenny

I am not worried. Face coverings and using had sanitizer and washing hands would be enough for me. Those ShadyLady face coverings are awesome and so comfortable and breathable. People at Thermal were wearing them long before Covid-19 came into focus, especially for sun and dust protection. They are a gator style. They have snaps in the back and come in several colors. They are other similar styles out there. More comfortable that a fabric mask in my opinion.

PonyPenny, I looked up ShadyLady every way I could, and I can’t find it online. Do you have any suggestions about where we could get these? Thanks

[enjoytheride]

I will go ahead and show and I’m fine with it. I sleep in my trailer and bring my own food anyway.

I work in retail where we are shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people every single day, less than 50% of whom wear masks. If I haven’t gotten it while getting stepped on for toilet paper I’m not going to get it at a horse show where I don’t come close to another person. There is a big disconnect between those who are social distancing and staying at home and ordering online and the people who are bored and are swamping big box stores to do projects. We went to lowes which was my first store besides work in over a month and it was terrifyingly busy.

[PonyPenny]

@Margaret Freeman

PonyPenny, I looked up ShadyLady every way I could, and I can’t find it online. Do you have any suggestions about where we could get these? Thanks

Here you go. https://shadyladysunprotection.com/

[Hunter_Mom]

Our barn is holding a h/j show on June 1, and our dressage schooling show June 20. I’ve had a lot of folks reach out to see if the dressage show is a go (I coordinate that one) so I think we’ll have an interest.

Some of the plans I have are to use for dressage are a plexiglass divider for the judge & scribe (we’ll also use it between announcer and judge at h/j), wear masks when not on horses, limit to two in our warmup arena (which is indoors), not offer stabling, have bleach water or Lysol if I can get it spray bottles anywhere needed (bathroom, wash rack, etc.) not allow non-boarders into our main barn, no concessions, online entry encouraged. I’m not sure how it will all work, but we will see.

[AZ_TD]

@mmeqcenter

Testing and vaccines.

Once that’s up and running, all shows really should still have:
Electronic sign up.
Electronic payment.
Electronic check-in.
Frankly, this should be the norm for shows anyway. The horse world is so slow to update to modern technology. Why am I still paying with a check and having to print a form and mail it.
Pick up your number from a table where they’re set out by someone wearing gloves and a mask. Or, just do away with numbers, maybe. There’s only one person in the ring at a time in dressage. I’ve been taught that you confirm your number and test with the judge before you go in so, just confirm your name instead of your number.

If scoresheets are filled out electronically so the scribes can be located away from the judge, it should be very easy to email competitors their sheet.

Electronic scoresheets, source and cost?

[Hawks_Nest]

I have no need to show this year. If I were going to, I would not go to any show that I would have to stable at. So no multi day shows more than 1.5hrs away.

However, while I know I can limit my exposure just showing up, getting on, riding my test, and going home. I can’t say the same for all of the other volunteers needed to run a show. Bit checking, scribing, score running, etc. And what about the safety and health of our judges?

Both my fiance and my mom have asthma, I have no desire to spread the virus to them and since I live with both the safest thing to do is to limit my exposure. So I’ll stay home, I’ll spend the year training and maybe at the end of the season I’ll go to some local shows and happily pay extra for protective equipment for the judges and for my test and/or ribbon to be mailed to me.

[JenEM]

@AZ TD

Electronic scoresheets, source and cost?

Fillable PDF forms are not difficult to create. USDF/USEF could have fillable forms available online within an afternoon since all they’d need to do is convert the existing boxes to fillable ones on existing PDFs. Someone at USEF already knows how to make them, because there’s a fillable version of the Horse Registration form online.

That is a really good example of steps horse show world needs to take to take to get up to date with modern technology. Imagine how nice it will be for scribes to quickly type words into score sheets, and how much easier to read they will be.

[ZELLA]

Testing, effective treatment, vaccine.

[Lucassb]

I love and miss showing but I am in no hurry to do anything “non essential” - my DH has some extra risk factors and there is no way I would feel comfortable exposing him to any additional risk just to show.

Once this situation is somewhat behind us, there is widespread availability and adoption of testing, and a vaccine available I will reconsider showing. Til then I am perfectly happy riding at home (and feeling very fortunate that my horses are in my backyard.)

[AZ_TD]

@JenEM

Fillable PDF forms are not difficult to create. USDF/USEF could have fillable forms available online within an afternoon since all they’d need to do is convert the existing boxes to fillable ones on existing PDFs. Someone at USEF already knows how to make them, because there’s a fillable version of the Horse Registration form online.

That is a really good example of steps horse show world needs to take to take to get up to date with modern technology. Imagine how nice it will be for scribes to quickly type words into score sheets, and how much easier to read they will be.

At the National Finals they have e-scribes and you see your score during the equipment check and the test does not have hand writing on it (you can actually read the comments). Software is available, but I don’t know details or cost.

[OverandOnward]

Another question -

What do you believe show management should do with anyone who refuses to follow the show’s stated covid protocol?

What if that person happens to be a BNT who brought 25% of the entries, without which the show will lose money?

You know, the one who routinely dominates the warm up ring to the point that he/she interferes with other showers. Who doesn’t follow many rules (dogs off leash, motorized vehicles where they don’t belong, trailer blocking others, etc) and show management is always reluctant to confront.

Just wondering. :winkgrin:

[anon68314200]

@PonyPenny

I am not worried. Face coverings and using had sanitizer and washing hands would be enough for me. Those ShadyLady face coverings are awesome and so comfortable and breathable. People at Thermal were wearing them long before Covid-19 came into focus, especially for sun and dust protection. They are a gator style. They have snaps in the back and come in several colors. They are other similar styles out there. More comfortable that a fabric mask in my opinion.

Who makes these? I see many similar online, but would prefer to order from a known company.

[anon68314200]

@PonyPenny

Here you go. https://shadyladysunprotection.com/

Thank you! So these stay up when riding and working? I did not see ear loops.

[Absolut_Equestrian]

@Isabeau Z Solace

Thank you! So these stay up when riding and working? I did not see ear loops.

No ear loops, and no they don’t stay up for me. I snap it to my helmet, or use an extra hair tie to secure it to my ponytail. The fabric is awesome though, and they wash well.

[ShadyLady]

@Margaret Freeman

PonyPenny, I looked up ShadyLady every way I could, and I can’t find it online. Do you have any suggestions about where we could get these? Thanks

Hello! If anyone is looking for more info about ShadyLady face scarves please visit us at www.shadyladysunprotection.com or feel free to email me at info@shadyladysunprotection.com

Please let me know if you are interested in the new “over the ear” option! I can also make fully custom sizes

Stay safe everyone!

[SillyHorse]

@enjoytheride

I work in retail where we are shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people every single day, less than 50% of whom wear masks. If I haven’t gotten it while getting stepped on for toilet paper I’m not going to get it at a horse show where I don’t come close to another person.

A logical fallacy if I ever heard one. You haven’t gotten it because a person shedding the virus hasn’t been close enough to you. YET. Good luck.