Have the days of the have a go fun show disappeared?

[Ddraig_wen]

Sat having a chat with a livery last night and we started going through what local and not so local shows are around our way. It looks like most of the grassroots have a go or have a try shows have all but disappeared.
One riding club show has closed post Covid, another has become a prebook your combination etc and high price on the day because they prefer pre entries. We've lost another two shows that were great for getting youngsters out.

It feels like showing is getting more and more serious. The club tht has closed and the one who have changed used to be great places you could take your child for a day on their safe as houses non show pony and have some fun. Now it seems that if you want to do that Mr Biggles will be against fully prepped and produced show ponies and you're likely to come away disheartened and your child discouraged.
We've both got novice horses to bring out this year and she wants to take her grandkids out for a couple of fun days out with their very safe but not flashy pony. It seemed so sad that going through the list of shows we know some will be full of producers (welsh medal shows), one is known for fixed judging ( I can probably tell you who will win the first show and it isn't for another month), then there's ones who are marketing themselves as more serious showing shows now.

Is this the same all over the UK? Has the fun disappeared from showing? How do we get people interested if all the shows are serious shows?

 

[usaequestrian]

I'm in the U.S, but I see this as well, unfortunately. A local uni hosts shows every two weeks, and it's mostly little farms with some showy, some not showy horses and ponies. If you work hard to ride well, you'll place, but if you underestimate the horses around you, you'll be last. However, it's a fun environment for everyone, there's a food truck and heated viewing arena, and I usually like to sit back and watch some rounds with my friends.
But there are some shows and farms where you have to get EVERYTHING right just to be in 5th place. They're too high-strung and everyone's judging you. Those I only go to if I've been working hard and feel really good about my riding.
So yes, I think some fun shows have disappeared, but there are still some laid-back shows if you look hard enough.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Sadly I think those days are long gone. I came across the below photo from approx 2000 of me on our childhood Dales x pony Dolly whom we dressed up in all manner of things and did the local fun show. Below she is obviously a ballerina but I think the horse sized yellow polka dot bikini was a highlight. Especially as I had to hold her knickers up when we were trotting round the ring!

I also won my first trophy on her in another class, not sure if it was first ridden or family pony or similar. Such great memories and ones that you just wouldn't get today. My local shows with similar classes are now all show ponies, older adults or ponies with their head hoiked into what is supposed to be an outline and crying youngsters who haven't done very well.. Gone are the days of the common but practical family pony and grinning kids who are just happy to be out.

 

[sjdress]

We took my nieces to their first ever show at the weekend, a local show with classes like prettiest mare, best mane and tail etc and found ourselves up against hoys ponies and horses entered for Windsor!

 

[Surbie]

I'm in the process of organising exactly that for my local RDA in July and we are hoping to have lots of people come. Without hijacking this, I'd love to know which classes were the most fun - basically so I can pinch them for our one! Fancy dress is a given...

 

[ycbm]

Sadly I think those days are long gone. I came across the below photo from approx 2000 of me on our childhood Dales x pony Dolly whom we dressed up in all manner of things and did the local fun show. Below she is obviously a ballerina but I think the horse sized yellow polka dot bikini was a highlight. Especially as I had to hold her knickers up when we were trotting round the ring!

I also won my first trophy on her in another class, not sure if it was first ridden or family pony or similar. Such great memories and ones that you just wouldn't get today. My local shows with similar classes are now all show ponies, older adults or ponies with their head hoiked into what is supposed to be an outline and crying youngsters who haven't done very well.. Gone are the days of the common but practical family pony and grinning kids who are just happy to be out.

View attachment 88411

The matchy matchy legwarmers on you both ??

 

[maisie06]

Sat having a chat with a livery last night and we started going through what local and not so local shows are around our way. It looks like most of the grassroots have a go or have a try shows have all but disappeared.
One riding club show has closed post Covid, another has become a prebook your combination etc and high price on the day because they prefer pre entries. We've lost another two shows that were great for getting youngsters out.

It feels like showing is getting more and more serious. The club tht has closed and the one who have changed used to be great places you could take your child for a day on their safe as houses non show pony and have some fun. Now it seems that if you want to do that Mr Biggles will be against fully prepped and produced show ponies and you're likely to come away disheartened and your child discouraged.
We've both got novice horses to bring out this year and she wants to take her grandkids out for a couple of fun days out with their very safe but not flashy pony. It seemed so sad that going through the list of shows we know some will be full of producers (welsh medal shows), one is known for fixed judging ( I can probably tell you who will win the first show and it isn't for another month), then there's ones who are marketing themselves as more serious showing shows now.

Is this the same all over the UK? Has the fun disappeared from showing? How do we get people interested if all the shows are serious shows?

All the little shows here in Sussex seem to have disappeared:-( You can no longer just go and have a fun day out with the non flashy family pony, you need a decent level show pony as it's now all about Qualifiers and classes are SOOOOOOO expensive. Grass roots dressage is going the same way too.

There used to me a wonderful show over the Hants border at Cadnam in the New Forest, classes for everyone and were only about £5 per class, no idea if that's still going though.

 

[SantaVera]

Yes long gone,a neighbouring village ran a fun show untill around 5years ago when a local producer brought his top class show animals to gain experience,spolit it when he won all the time.

 

[maisie06]

I'm in the process of organising exactly that for my local RDA in July and we are hoping to have lots of people come. Without hijacking this, I'd love to know which classes were the most fun - basically so I can pinch them for our one! Fancy dress is a given...

When I ran a grass roots riding club we found handy pony classes very popular! Best mane and Tail, Best bay/grey/dun etc... stable kept and field kept classes. Child handler

 

[Mustard]

I used to chair a local riding club, and we were truly grassroots, but had members over the years who went on to ride at a high level in all disciplines, including an international showjumper. We closed because people stopped coming, and we couldn't get enough helpers to run anyway. I thought it was really sad.

 

[asmp]

Our riding club runs a novice dressage and clear round show twice a year where it’s great for beginners and those who wouldn’t normally give it a go. In the clear round you can have all the poles put on the floor if needs be! Unfortunately though, it is only for adults.

 

[marmalade76]

Very sadly, I think those days have all but gone. We used to have shows round here every weekend during the summer, sometimes more than one. Now there's only about two or three and they're run by the PC.

I loved these shows, you could drag your pony out the field and do the clear round, gymkhana & handy pony or if you had a horse, you could show, WH & SJ. When my children were little, the three of us would do all the gymkhana age groups on the same pony & come home with armfuls of rosettes having spent no more than £20 (and that would have included ice creams!)

 

[usaequestrian]

Someone will have to bring them back eventually..

 

[Nasicus]

Yes long gone,a neighbouring village ran a fun show untill around 5years ago when a local producer brought his top class show animals to gain experience, spolit it when he won all the time.

Oh that's just crappy. I mean, nothing to say they can't do it, but it's how a lot of these little shows get killed off now a days. Take away the fun and excitement of the regular (and majority of attending) people having a chance to win and they won't come. If they won't come, shows won't get enough entries, not enough entries means not enough revenue and not enough revenue means bye bye local show.

 

[tda]

I'm in the process of organising exactly that for my local RDA in July and we are hoping to have lots of people come. Without hijacking this, I'd love to know which classes were the most fun - basically so I can pinch them for our one! Fancy dress is a given...

Best 6 legs ?

 

[Smitty]

I reckon I used to hack to a gymkhana/small show every weekend just about late 60s/early 70s. So sad these are no more. Drum jumping, bending, walk, trot and gallop, chase me charlie, musical sacks/poles etc, I was a dab hand at cheating at all of these ?

There is one lovely show that I know about where I live with youngstock, showing from 12.2 up, M and M, hunters, RoR, jumping, handy pony etc etc. I have to say it is never ad well supported as the things I went to all those years ago ..

 

[usaequestrian]

I think the way to go is, if you can't find a fun show, do your own favorite activities, or if you have the facilities, start your own show.

 

[Glitterandrainbows]

There still up and running down here near Leeds

 

[ester]

When I was a teen most villages had their own show in a field, they did get fewer - often in preference to facilities but a few have made a comeback recently

 

[Chuffy99]

Think how many Jill went to in the Ruby Ferguson books, I dreamed of hacking to a show and tying my pony up under a tree?

 

[Tiddlypom]

.

I'm in the process of organising exactly that for my local RDA in July and we are hoping to have lots of people come. Without hijacking this, I'd love to know which classes were the most fun - basically so I can pinch them for our one! Fancy dress is a given...

Handy pony! I used to do well at this!

I remember moving a full size stuffed dummy from one oil drum to another while mounted.
Open and shut a gate.
Jump into a little square, halt, turn on the forehand, jump back out the same way you came in.
Walk over a tarpaulin.
Duck under a washing line pegged out with clothes.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I think the trouble is also that these days people care too much about winning.. I vividly remember that in most fancy dress classes we did there was this woman who has a beautiful fresian and a very well made costume of half bride half groom, she won everytime. It didn't ever hamper our fun, and we never stopped entering. Same with the championship class which I qualified for when I won my trophy.. I went in but it was so hot for porky, unfit Dolly that I pulled out (or was asked my Aunty to pull out, can't remember) and we called it a day. I think I was about 6 or 7.. It really was about fun, not about winning.

 

[humblepie]

I was thinking the other day about all the local shows that disappeared - used to help run a couple back in the day. There are a handful of low key shows around still which have fun classes - a couple of show centres run them as opposed to being the village show. Back in the late80s/ 90s the village shows by us as well as having fun classes would have some pretty serious jumping classes, so the open would be a good 4 foot course and there were a number of us who dabbled affiliated and local as well. We were all pretty much of a level playing field though. We had one chap who had an ex Sanyo/Harvey Smith horse but he was very much a beginner and so it was all good fun. He would compete HC for experience. You will get professionals taking horses out for experience and I think they should compete HC if it is a low level show.

Like one of the others, in the 70s I had a pony who was a chase me charlie master and another who was a star barrel jumper. All good fun.

 

[nagblagger]

In December a local riding club had a fun in-hand open show, longest forelock prettiest mare etc, they expected about 10 people - it was packed !!
There were the obvious show ponies but the judge was fair, tape measure in longest forelock etc, a small cute non show pony won the prettiest mare, and my hairy moody mare cob came 2nd!!
It did bring back memories from childhood..hopefully they will do another as it was so much fun and friendly.

 

[chaps89]

I'm in the process of organising exactly that for my local RDA in July and we are hoping to have lots of people come. Without hijacking this, I'd love to know which classes were the most fun - basically so I can pinch them for our one! Fancy dress is a given...

Pretty sure some of GBECs shows have more fun classes that you could maybe look at for ideas?

 

[chaps89]

A few years ago you could still do sunshine tour qualifying classes for ‘prettiest mare’, ‘handsomest gelding’ and ‘best mane & tail’ classes.
No idea if people spent the money to go the sunshine tour for those classes but definitley aimed at the fun day out! And actually it’s a lovely atmosphere and much more grass roots there but still gives everyday riders something to aim for I found.

(The Hickstead amateur sunshine tour, not the fancy pants pro SJ one!)

 

[muddybay]

Down here in the South East there's still quite a few small local fun shows!

 

[honetpot]

Our RC does them, but you need a virtually free flat field to host it on, and at least eight committed people to set up and run it giving up at least two evenings before and after, plus judges and their stewards on the day, oh and I forgot First Aid. Our shows are very reasonable and popular, but we have had no extra helpers, not even for the morning gymkhana.
The bigger shows the people are usually running it for a bigger organisation, or show centre that has to make money to cover the greater cost. I will volunteer for any show but no longer the ones run by show centres, where free workers are part of their business model, they do not even pay mileage.

 

[blitznbobs]

Having been involved with riding club for many years - the problem is getting people to help set things up and put things away. Its usually run by 3 or 4 people who don’t get paid and to run a show takes a lot of people. Some people will help, most wont and then the most annoying people say they will then dont rock up on the day. From my local experience committees that run these events are old (in their 70s often) and the younger members that come on board dont seem to want to do the nitty gritty of cleaning up and roping rings, fastening jumps back together or standing in the pissing rain all day long to organise these events… land to do them on is also hard to find and the big equestrian centres charge large sums to do anything which makes these ‘day out ‘ shows for little ones harder to justify… i dont think a lot of people have the time, inclination or gumption to get things going again… which is very sad.

 

[millikins]

Pretty sure some of GBECs shows have more fun classes that you could maybe look at for ideas?

GBEC have no shows planned this year. One of the local riding clubs has none planned as far as I can see, the other has one. Even Cranleigh's off.