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What Matters? “From the Ground Up” Matters.

It is the observation of Annie Dillard that painters work from the ground up.  So do builders.  First, and most important, is the foundation.  There are no truer words written that if a house has a weak foundation, the house itself will be weak and subject to outside, challenging situations. This column and many other pieces of communication from the ASHA over the past several months have talked about the Horse Show Task Force.  The purpose is to figure out ways that the ASHA can help shows from all over the country to better succeed, from the ground up—one- and two- and three-day shows, charity shows, open shows, and multi-breed shows. For it is true, that if we don’t successfully introduce new people to our breed, then we will not stand strong.  To help do so, the Task Force split into a number of subcommittees.  Two of those committees were the Underrepresented Regions Subcommittee and the Marketing Subcommittee.  Each of those Subcommittees did surveys of people who live and work and volunteer and put on shows.  They surveyed the people who exhibit and the trainers who attend.  And the results between the surveys of the two subcommittees were remarkably similar. The Underrepresented Regions group surveyed nearly 150 people, professionals and amateurs both, in the Western region (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington,), the Southern region (Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Arkansas), and the Southeastern region (Alabama, Florida, and Georgia).  From those surveys, the subcommittee led by Helen Roy and Sandy Currier came to four prominent conclusions about What Matters in those underrepresented regions:

    People want to have FUN at horse shows; People want to fee INCLUDED at horse shows; People want to be REWARDED at horse shows; and People want a horse show to be an EXPERIENCE.

Accompanying the conclusions were a number of possible recommendations:  modified ways to earn Champion points; creating “Best Practices” Guides; promoting new disciplines such as Hunter Country Pleasure; providing grants and promotional support to grass roots, “ground up” shows; and facilitating ways for established trainers to help new or small training and instructing programs, to name a few.The Marketing Subcommittee also did a survey.  It sent an open-ended survey to the Managers and Show Secretaries who oversee many of these smaller shows throughout the country.  And the results were remarkably similar.

    Make Shows a Fun, Full Weekend Event outside of the time when you or your horse happens to be in the ring; Rethink and Suggest Class Schedules to suggest how a horse show could be organized; Find Ways to Support Shows Monetarily through prize programs, grants, subsidies, and sponsorships; Share Information about how to promote; create templates for registration; simplify entry paperwork.

As you can see, there were many similarities between the two survey responses.  The common denominator is FUN.  People want value for their money.  In the course of a one-, two-, three-, or even more day show, you or your horse is only going to be in the ring a very small percentage of the total time.  Yes, we love to watch our horses and friends, but there has to be more value than that.  We need to rethink the equation in this time of constant entertainment, available everywhere, on a machine we carry with us always.  We have to compete AND entertain.  We have to realize that simply competing is not value enough.  These aren’t the “good ole days” and they aren’t coming back.  We have to save our shows by helping them to create a value for the people who pay the bills and the people who work the shows. Or else, shows will disappear.  And, of course, there are not Show Horses if there are no Shows.  Or, the corollary, if the Shows aren’t FUN or ACCESSIBLE.  We, as an association, have created the Horse Show Task Force to help make this happen. You, as members, can help make this happen by supporting your local shows or offering to volunteer at your local show.So, like the painter and the builder, let’s lay a firm foundation.  Let’s help build those foundations for the shows and value that form the backbone of our industry and invite new people to have the Fun we all know they can be.