Why Can't we have Local Shows Anymore?

[2bayboys]

@LeatherLover

I’ve been riding since 1963 and showing since the 70’s. I guess I’m waxing poetic, but why don’t we have small town horse shows anymore? Is it the liability, the lack of interest. Growing up every town had at least 1 small show a year and the facility didnt have to be fancy. It was just a fun day for the kids on the weekends. What happen to pony races and the things that got us into this crazy hobby?

My father-in-law used to run one of those shows in the late 60s. He was the president of the Ruritan Club and the show was an annual fundraiser. It was held in a flattish field, the club members put up temporary fence and built the jumps (four around the outside, rails and a coop), and there were classes like egg and spoon and plantation hack in addition to the more recognizable pony and working hunters. There were proper printed programs in which local businesses purchased ad space (I have a few saved from his files after he died!) and the show was apparently popular and profitable.

The event was even covered in the local newspaper.

But it would never fly today. Trainers and exhibitors expect the same footing and jumps and year end award prizes that you get at a rated show, just in a one day format and at a fraction of the cost. They want the show manager to be a professional horseman who knows the rule book, not a dairy farmer who was the president of the Ruritans.

[findeight]

Echo what has already been said. Between disappearing venues, lack of volunteer help, skyrocketing costs,(including liability insurance) and unrealistic expectations of the available pool of potential exhibitors most local shows in most areas are dying or already dead.

Varies by region, of course. Also by discipline. H/J shows need more equipment to run, priced a set of jumps lately? Or just plain old, unpainted round poles and plywood, 2x4s and such to build your own? Used to be parents would help out or even have skills and tools, no more.

You can run a mixed breed open show just about anywhere with a ring with just a cheap sound system, a judge and “office” person/announcer. No need to open and close the gate for each entrant, no ring crew. Just flat and in hand classes for a very reasonable entry fee to cover very low costs. Even those are subject to being gobbled up by developers.

Far as a big show complex stimulating local shows? My experience with one opening up nearby was it squeezed local shows out of business by offering everything from poles up. Made perfect sense for trainers to take everybody there so most locals died. Then big place raised rates and got AA dates, still has some shows bottom up but requires a stall, no showing out if a trailer. Think there is still one local series running but trouble filling anything over speed bump height.

[Paint_Party]

@findeight

H/J shows need more equipment to run, priced a set of jumps lately?

We used to help organize an annual charity show that benefited the town’s pet care fund for senior citizens. It was a glorified unrated schooling show, with English one day, western the next. It was widely supported by the community, and local businesses would donate many of the first place awards. The entries were always huge both days.

But we got complaints from some of the charity board members. They grumbled that the rental cost for the jumps cut into the profits for the charity. So the next year we borrowed jumps from local trainers and made some of our own. But they still felt we could make more money by just doing western one day and a gymkhana the next. No jumps and next to no ring crew. Putting on the show was a labor of love, but everyone just ran out of enthusiasm after a few years and the show disappeared.

[Clov3rLily]

If it helps, we have the Harmon Classics and TRHC local shows which are much more affordable and aren’t rated, some of which are at TIEC. Most of the big barns around here participate in all of those. I think a few barns come from around Charlotte too but I could be wrong.

[clanter]

Well not a Local show but we just found out that the 2024 Morgan Grand Nationals raised the cost of stalls from $125 each for the show to $200 for a horse and $300 for a Tack stall.

Really going to be a shocker for the average person who have been filling the classes, We found out as daughter is preparing her dressage horse to be entered that just her stalls will cost nearly the same as a flight to Italy.

One horse and a support tack stall $500 before entering a class.

The Bigtime Barns will not be affected (yet) as they will pass the increases on to clients.

Long term the cost conscious person who takes their horse(s) to such shows will not in the future

[fivestrideline]

Why would tack stalls be more???

In the past, tack stalls were less. Then they were the same as a “regular” stall, which didn’t really bother me.

Is some decorative tear down included in the tack stall fee?

[Texarkana]

I currently live in an area (Delmarva peninsula) with a healthy local show scene.

You could probably attend a local show within a reasonable drive every weekend of the year if you played your cards right.

Compare that to when I lived in Tennessee where we did not have local shows, at least not anything like what we have out east. The few we did have were extremely competitive; basically warm-ups for the rated shows. Or they were western “saddle clubs” that were kind of exclusive.

I think what keeps the local show scene alive in my area is a healthy “middle class” horse community. There are still a lot of working class people who can afford a horse. I don’t know how much longer that will last. We have plenty of land around here, so it’s not that we are competing with construction. But like everywhere, prices just seem to be skyrocketing.

[clanter]

@fivestrideline

Why would tack stalls be more???

we do not have a clue (yet) as to why. We know the show secretary so I expect daughter will get an answer … just trying to calm down from the unexpected sudden cost

[trubandloki]

@fivestrideline

Why would tack stalls be more???

Maybe (just guessing) because though I am sure there is a requirement to remove all of your nails and other hanging stuff, making a tack stall safe for a horse stall is not quick work for the people who run the place. The amount of things people pound into the walls is crazy.

[Grey623]

@fivestrideline

Why would tack stalls be more???

Perhaps they figure that a stall with a horse in it will generate other income through entry fees, while a tack stall is a single payment.

Grey

[Night_Flight]

When I’ve seen tack stalls cost more, it generally seems to be in cases where the total number of stalls is limited, so it’s one way to reduce the demand for extra stalls while still maximizing the number of horses entering classes.

[fivestrideline]

Now that makes sense! I think the prices for stalls (in general) are ridiculous at shows, but trying to maximize stalls available to actual horses makes sense

[trubandloki]

Oh, that is a brilliant reason. Thank you.

[equest]

I feel like part of the reason is the reduction in “middle income” barns and lesson barns. Economic factors and the great wealth disparity have made pricy full service barns the norm where I live (Florida), and there are very few reasonably priced HJ programs left. The pricy full service barns take their clients to the AA rated shows for weeks at a time. So the market for the smaller local shows may be suffering. Here in Florida we can choose between a wealth of expensive AA rated shows all winter season, but there are only a handful of unrated shows and no C rated shows anymore.

[floppyammy]

@equest

I feel like part of the reason is the reduction in “middle income” barns and lesson barns. Economic factors and the great wealth disparity have made pricy full service barns the norm where I live (Florida), and there are very few reasonably priced HJ programs left. The pricy full service barns take their clients to the AA rated shows for weeks at a time. So the market for the smaller local shows may be suffering. Here in Florida we can choose between a wealth of expensive AA rated shows all winter season, but there are only a handful of unrated shows and no C rated shows anymore.

This is very typical of the H/J scene where I am. My barn now pretty much exclusively goes to AA week-long shows. All of the boarders seem to love the week-long, what I call “Disney” experience of these types of shows. I seem to be the only one that really misses the 1 day shows.

I can name at least 5 one-day shows that have disappeared/folded in the last 5 years.

[equest]

Yes. I could maybe budget one or two of the big shows per year but local shows are much more reasonable both financially and time wise. I am an ammy with work responsibilities as well as other travel obligations that require PTO. Not to mention the husband who wants to take a non horse related vacation once a year To me, two day shows are the ideal, but I would probably enjoy a one day show if it was within an hours drive away. Going to a one day show any further away seems like too much work for too little return.

[NoSuchPerson]

@equest

Here in Florida we can choose between a wealth of expensive AA rated shows all winter season, but there are only a handful of unrated shows and no C rated shows anymore.

I have to disagree. Unrated circuits seem to be flourishing in Florida. For example:

HSITP is a nice unrated show series that bounces back and forth between Grand Oaks Resort in Weirsdale, FL and the Alachua County Equestrian Center in Newberry FL.

Horse Show Ventures runs an unrated show series in Pensacola.

The Greater Orlando Hunter Jumper Association has shows at Clarcona Horse Park in Apopka.

River City Hunter Jumper Association has a new unrated circuit in the Jacksonville area.

Fox Lea Farm, in Venice, while better known for its rated shows, also has an unrated/USHJA Outreach series.

Those are just the ones I can think of right off the top of my head. In addition, lots of barns run their own local shows that are open to outside horses, as do various local clubs.

I’m not saying that there aren’t hunter-jumper show deserts in Florida, but I recently spent way too much time conducting an “If I move back to Florida, where do I want to live search” and was pleasantly surprised at the wide availability of local/regional unrated horse shows.

[Annie10]

Those are all excellent show series in FL, however, HSITP and Fox Lea are really not any more affordable than rated series.

[NoSuchPerson]

That’s a shame. HSITP used to be a great, very reasonably priced, local show for me when I last lived in Florida.

[Annie10]

There are a lot of fees and stuff it ends up pretty pricey by the end of the weekend