Starting to look forward...thinking of putting on a summer show

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Moobucket

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So for the first time ever, I am thinking of putting on a horse a dog show at my livery yard. Weather permitting we should have enough off road parking for horses boxes and trailers. We have a great arena so was thinking of having a dressage test, gymkana games for younger ones, a jumping course, and an area for horse and dog showing. I know I will need to get comprehensive insurance for it, and get permission from my local council re traffic etc. Does anyone have any other advice re pricing? Do you cover costs? Is it the norm to give all proceeds to charity? What kind of things work best?
 
what about talking to your local riding club about pricing - it does vary from area to area? I'm vice-chair of one. We charge £8 per class for non-members, and don't aim to make much - just enough to run the club, but sometimes we do charity shows and can often get sponsorship then too from local businesses. we've just raised a few hundred for a local cancer charity. Rosettes, toilets and judges add up to a surprising amount.
Weahter is a problem too - we had to cancel several this year.
 
I would suggest you check out the insurance costs as your first priority. From what I've heard, insurance for privately run shows like this can be pretty steep. You will also have to consider first aid provision for the event, which will also come at a price. Once you have a rough idea of your costs you can start working out how much to charge for your classes. You could maybe try and get some sponsorship - eg from farriers who visit the yard.
Also check what other events are on in your area at that time and make sure you don't clash with anything as this could affect your entries.

Hopefully you will have plenty of help from fellow liveries & friends as it will take a team to run something like this. I don't know how much experience you have of running events but if you are new to it maybe it would be a good idea to run a yard show first, just for liveries, before trying an open show. That way you'll find out about any problems and be able to work on these before the big event.

Best of luck with your event.
 
Ran a decent size local show [ began with 29 horses and a few years later got to 100] for a decade or so.
remember , you ll probably only hear complaints rather than thank yous !
look after your judges- but chose them wisely....and try to get people with no involvement with the entrants.
try to run to time,allowing 1/2 hr per class minimum.
if you can get individual class sponsors - do so, it saves a lot of money!
get lots of rossette company price quotes. rossettes to 6th is nice. get some specials- they always come in handy
jumping classes need a lot of helpers to put poles back up.
Working hunter classes take forever to judge,with jumping rounds then conformation.
if you re not sure of classes or format go watch a few local shows and see what works- at local level things like bonny pony, tack and turnout,family friend will all get good entries.
Inhand classes before ridden ones. Try not to clash rings with similar classes, so place [eg] youngsters against veterans , or cobs against lightweights.
Best of luck! The worst thing for me was not being able to show at the shows we organised!
 
Have a look around at what local shows to you are charging and what their prizes/ rosettes are like. Research is key. Chat to locals, find out what shows they like and why and what's not popular. Contingency planning is key. Have a theoretical answer for every problem you can think of- what if a judge doesn't turn up? What if a generator fails? Could an ambulance access every area of your venue? Trust me, it will get you thinking and you will have ideas should a problem arise. With regards to cost, make sure you know exactly how many rosette sets you need, how many specials and clear rounds, sashes and trophies, judges gifts/expenses, first aid cover and every other cost you create as this will give you an idea how much you should charge to cover costs. It's great fun but does take time to build up a following and as had been mentioned people will moan if you get it wrong and sometimes say if you get it right. Good luck x
 
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