For those curious about USA "big" shows

I've always found how the US run their big shows fascinating- is it correct that a lot of competitors travel with their trainers barn, and they stable together? My impression is that the barn trainer gets the final say in the management of the horse at the show. Can a trainer compete a horse earlier in the show, then the owner hop on for say an amateur class?

I'd also love a bit more info into how barns decorate the stable areas, I've seen pictures of potted plants, mulch, tables with wine and cheese, and beautiful drapes in barn colours. ?
 
ycbm said:
Emily, to be honest, I find that really unacceptable. I am pleased that in the UK we would reduce the number who can qualify, and only place ponies that behave as a lead rein should, instead of the rules allowing the drugging ponies.
.
Click to expand...

Hey @ycbm an interesting thing came out this weekend related to this. Over on the Chronicle forums we have a member who is (or was) a USEF official. (I think, barring that she just knows the rules COLD) So anyway she came in and explained that in fact, per the way the rules are written, the leadline and hunt teams though exhibition classes ARE NOT contested outside of the drug rules, according to how the rules are written. Now what is enforced to this point is different, but they absolutely could drug test the ponies and the hunt teams horses.

I thought that was a very interesting development. But I doubt we'll ever see the drug testers chasing after the winner of the leadline. I do agree that we can improve on this substantially, but as Americans, I doubt that would happen.
(Less money and more skill RARELY ever supersedes more money and less skills)


Lyle said:
I've always found how the US run their big shows fascinating- is it correct that a lot of competitors travel with their trainers barn, and they stable together? My impression is that the barn trainer gets the final say in the management of the horse at the show. Can a trainer compete a horse earlier in the show, then the owner hop on for say an amateur class?

I'd also love a bit more info into how barns decorate the stable areas, I've seen pictures of potted plants, mulch, tables with wine and cheese, and beautiful drapes in barn colours. ?
Click to expand...


@Lyle I have been trying to find a great place for pics of all the amazing barn displays I have seen, but so far the best I found is this Pinterest link and a Plaid Horse Blog article and I have seen a lot better ones myself. I will endeavor to grab some pics when I am showing this year, but in the meantime check these out:

https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2019/...remium-stall-setups-provide-temporary-luxury/

https://www.pinterest.com/mileyholtzman/show-stall-decorations/


Em

PS: Rode Cudo for his first ride/hack of 2022 yesterday. Spoiler alter: He's still a Star!!!!;):cool::D
 
Michen said:
Blimey. I assumed if it did move myself and pony to Colorado that would be the end of anything competitive but this makes it crystal clear!

I will appreciate our low key little local shows so much more.
Click to expand...

£12 to enter and you get a rosette and some sweets ?

madness isn’t it
 
Is it possible / allowed to enter these shows as an individual? Do you HAVE to have a trainer come with you and be part of a barn?
 
US H/J Land is insane. I give you: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/...rugs-in-show-ring.html?searchResultPosition=3

Growing up, I had zero exposure to it. The US is large and diverse, and a lot of horse ownership there isn't wildly different to the UK, and in dressage-land, USDF sort of works like BD. Then one summer, I was working at a dressage barn in upstate New York. My Dad had an old uni buddy who was living with his family in Connecticut, not far from the NY border, and they'd bought their first horse for their daughter, and I guess Dad told his pal I could be a helpful source of horsey advice. I popped across to CT for a visit, and they took me to their barn to meet their pony. They'd obliviously stumbled upon one of these meshugenah H/J barns, and it was like fallng through a looking glass. Although their pony was a lovely wee kid's pony -- kind and patient -- he wasn't one of these daisy-cutting six-figure show ponies. Apparently the trainer was quite dismissive of him. They were pointing out various ponies, saying, "He's worth $200K," and describing some of the things their trainer did to get these horses and kids into the ribbons. The sh*t you see out here.... Dad's friend and his wife were a little bit uncomfortable with some of it, but they knew as much about horses as I did about nuclear physics, so they didn't feel like they could question the trainer.

I said, "This stuff is bad. Really bad. You need to move your pony, like yesterday." They did. A couple years later, I trailered Gypsum to CT for a hunter pace with the daughter, and they were at a normal, sane barn, and both kid and pony were doing well.

I am sure not all H/J barns are as dodgy as that one. I hope not. I hope they don't tranq their horses, deprive them of water as punishment, or tie their heads to their girth if they've run out of a jump and then leave them standing like that for two hours.

At uni (in Western Mass), we had a boarder (livery) who was apparenltly very successful at what they call Big Eq. You have to jump large fences while looking good, and the prize money is substantial. She rode her horse in all the headgear. Chambones, market harboroughs, I don't know...It was a bondage fest. There were so many straps running around his poll, around the bit, between his front legs, that you couldn't say what they were, but they sure pinned his nose to his chest. Poor thing always had a wild look in his eye. I don't like judging other riders... we are all on our own journey.... But I judged her. I cringed at the horse's sad face every time I saw them.
 
Last edited:
Cragrat said:
Is it possible / allowed to enter these shows as an individual? Do you HAVE to have a trainer come with you and be part of a barn?
Click to expand...

I go on my own. Not a big deal. You don't need a trainer that goes to the shows. You can have a trainer who doesn't go with you, or you can just take lessons or you can go with a trainer. They don't all go all out and spend a ton on the fancy mulch and decorations etc.

Re: the trainer who had "Humble," (in the article @Caol Ila posted) it was a massive reaction for a ton of us Americans who couldn't believe this. It was insane. I am not what I would call well entrenched in the hunter jumper world and I was absolutely horrified for my friends who would never use drugs on their horses but competed in hunters and specifically pony hunters. I was shocked and have never touched any Magnesium product but I know so many who do. And it's just hard to believe what some folks will do to horses for a rosette or prize money, or just to fit into the "show scene" at the top level.

Em
 
What is the "horse hunt team" class, I watched your vid, looked fun but how is it judged? Style?

We have the option with my OH's job to potentially move to the states but this was one of my concerns - the cost of competing or even horses in general as I think the industry is a lot more expensive than here in the UK! I dont think I could even afford to buy a horse there in the first place, let alone compete it!
 
Fascinating stuff. I do believe that my older horse has secret dreams of being a H/Jer. He's very happy to trundle around in a slow canter jumping things carefully (see here - and he'd happily do it slower and in a longer frame if only i'd let him!). Bet he'd be worth 5x as much in the US market as he is over here...
 
MagicMelon said:
What is the "horse hunt team" class, I watched your vid, looked fun but how is it judged? Style?

We have the option with my OH's job to potentially move to the states but this was one of my concerns - the cost of competing or even horses in general as I think the industry is a lot more expensive than here in the UK! I dont think I could even afford to buy a horse there in the first place, let alone compete it!
Click to expand...

@MagicMelon The answer is in the prize list:

CLASS 74 HUNT TEAMS - HORSES Teams of three, shown over a course in the ring, one to follow the other at a safe hunting distance. Combined ownership permitted. Judged on performance, suitability, manners, uniformity and appearance as a team. Jumps approximately 3’. Horses and/or rider may only compete on one team. Ponies not entered elsewhere in this show may compete if ridden by an adult. If the horse is not previously entered in the show, please bring Coggins papers for presentation at time of entry. Post-entries ONLY, accepted until 5:00 pm Saturday. Entry Fee $120 per team paid at time of entry. Trophy and Three Sets of Six Ribbons
Click to expand...

As to affording a horse..... we have A LOT of horses. It's a big country and there are bargains to be had here. The following pics are all horses that cost under $3k

Em

JAS_3962.jpg21125379_10154953841067759_5093327888546172083_o.jpg411111_449698771707871_516740711_o(1).jpg10295476_10204645388395620_3800222809916767298_o.jpgRadnorJmp2(5-3-14)0313-(ZF-9360-73152-1-001).jpg
 
@jnb @CanteringCarrot We actually just had an outbreak with EIA in the last month. It was awfully sad. As the linked article says, the horses that test positive either are euthanized or quarantined from all other horses for life.

https://equimanagement.com/news/eia-confirmed-in-multiple-california-horses

In a multi horse positive exposure I have wondered if multiple positives could live together, but I am unsure as to the answer.

But everyone who goes to a show (of most any discipline) in the USA must have an annual Coggins test to show that their horse is negative. Also it's wise to have this on hand whenever you are shipping in case you get pulled over. It's useful to show you're not transporting a diseased animal. In fact at the Kill Buyers sales, all the horses on site have coggins test papers, or the vet at the sales, if the horses are there a day or so, will pull blood and submit. It's a big thing that you need to be negative for.

Em
 
My $1,900 off the track Thoroughbred and I competing at one of these larger "A" rated shows:

21994125_830112631380_4957966989311598131_o.jpg
21994267_830112656330_3738132621029562791_o.jpg

No trainer, did all the grooming and work myself. Maybe not as common as those who travel and show with a big barn/trainer, but we're out there. That said, when I was competing a couple years ago, I could only do one (maybe two...) of these big shows a year, because a week is easily $2,000-3,000 in fees. These large scale production ("big box") type horse shows have multiplied over the last couple of decades because it's easier for a big training operation to essentially set up shop at Tryon, or Kentucky Horse Park, or Traverse City, or Vermont, or Wellington, or Ocala, etc...for 3-12 weeks at a time than to take a small amount of clients to smaller one-day or weekend long local comps all year long. These big shows and the big circuit also means more training and care fees, which means higher revenue.

I miss the days of hauling to a local, one-day rated show and working out of my trailer, then heading home to sleep in my own bed. Being over here in the UK has been refreshing, especially at my current yard as they started hosting one-day BD and BS affiliated competitions again. Been nice to see some real talent popping in for their rounds and then heading home, without having to drop thousands of quid and taking off four days of work. :rolleyes:
 
SibeliusMB said:
My $1,900 off the track Thoroughbred and I competing at one of these larger "A" rated shows:

View attachment 87200
View attachment 87201

No trainer, did all the grooming and work myself. Maybe not as common as those who travel and show with a big barn/trainer, but we're out there. That said, when I was competing a couple years ago, I could only do one (maybe two...) of these big shows a year, because a week is easily $2,000-3,000 in fees. These large scale production ("big box") type horse shows have multiplied over the last couple of decades because it's easier for a big training operation to essentially set up shop at Tryon, or Kentucky Horse Park, or Traverse City, or Vermont, or Wellington, or Ocala, etc...for 3-12 weeks at a time than to take a small amount of clients to smaller one-day or weekend long local comps all year long. These big shows and the big circuit also means more training and care fees, which means higher revenue.

I miss the days of hauling to a local, one-day rated show and working out of my trailer, then heading home to sleep in my own bed. Being over here in the UK has been refreshing, especially at my current yard as they started hosting one-day BD and BS affiliated competitions again. Been nice to see some real talent popping in for their rounds and then heading home, without having to drop thousands of quid and taking off four days of work. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

This only serves to make me want to come to show in the UK more!!!!! Super frustrating to know I won't be able to. But the costs to ship Cudo there and back are more than a bit prohibitive. :D:p:cool:

Just know I would love to set up shop for a year there and show BS and maybe even in mainland Europe. That would be so fun for me.

Em
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top