PasoVoice.Com :: Prioritizing how competitions are produced

Roseanne

I saw a polo game on TV from Wellington and their was silver service at the reserve tables. I went to a reining horse competition in Ocala and there were no decorations anywhere, but lots and lots of people. I wonder what the public perception is at our paso competitions?
Even though we always buy a table, because we know the shows will not go on if they don't get that revenue, I sat in the stands at Spectrum one time and overheard a lady ask "what are all those tables down there?". The reply she got was "that's where the rich people sit".
How can we find a way to get our competitors to come to our competitions without spending $30,000 on fluff that is only for people who already have horses?
On what day will an arena full of strangers take priority over how close a persons stall is to the entry gate?
Can we sell horses first, and stroke our egos later? What do you think?

caliber · Site Admin

WOW! great view Roseanne! and very interesting observation and something to consider!

I know one thing, we must change the show strategy... the present one has not been very appealing to first timers.

Although, the Piedmont Show has a good setting! Tables are spread by sections, guests can seat right up front feeling Welcome!

Roseanne

And the Asheville show is usually one of the more friendly environments for first timers to come into. But is there anything else we can do at the shows? Should every person who leaves the show walk away with a plastic Paso in their pocket? Or maybe we are on the wrong track - maybe the shows are only an issue once you get into "the system" and understand the cost vs. yield part of it.
But one thing is for sure, even with the fresh view that Mr. Smith is going to provide, ungreased wheels barely move. So the PFHA has to look at some ways to keep the regions alive financially. My hope is that he declares "martial Law" to get rule changes through the system quickly.
We are already looking closely at this issue in the IPHF so that we don't design systems that aren't financially feasible. But we need everybodys ideas to work with. The time for ranting is over, we need solutions to blaze a new trail.

caliber · Site Admin

I agree Roseanne, here is what we decided to do last year at the PIEDMONT SHOW after seeing so many new faces and no direction of introduction nor guidance from our end to any of them to the breed.

Rita Magaha did an outstanding job promoting the show. Saturday night they had almost a full Pavilion, was it profitable? I don't know since I am not part of that region, but I can tell you this, 3 new comers where introduced to the breed and now they are PROUD PASO FINO OWNERS.

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I also agree with your very important statement..... Ed needs all of us in order to make a change....

In my opinion the first step and direction we all should take as members is, change our voting system to assure accuracy and to insure that PFHA will take the direction that will focus on the members and for the members need.

The Constitution could be change, and if we all work together on this, it will happen!

BFF

Hello! We are a new farm we bought our first Paso in Jan '08, we now own six (with one more on the way in March). What sold us on the Paso's was simply the ride. We were able to attend a couple of the PFHA shows including Nationals and, I agree there were not a lot of spectators. I'm not sure what the answer is but, I do know when people call us about buying horses, (we also have Friesian Sport Horses) most of them have never heard of Paso Finos. I would think if we could just market the horses more, get the horses out there and get people on them the horses will sell themselves. It worked for us Very Happy

caliber · Site Admin

BFF! Welcome to Pasovoice! and thanks for sharing. On behalf of PasoVoice we will like to WELCOME you to the breed..... congratulations on your acquisitions.

Saludos!

Kerry W · Site Admin

Should we spend less on the venues and more on advertising locally? I have often wondered, if other breeds with similar numbers, hold their shows in such fine facilities. Don't get me wrong, I love the comfort of the indoor arenas, but have we put our money in the best place, in order to promote the breed?

Roseanne

I agree with both of you, many people have never heard of a Paso and we need to prioritize spending to market at local levels where horse people are.

One way we can accomplish that is for our competitors and breeders to agree to come to shows that are smaller and less elaborate. The trainer will go anywhere they think someone will watch them ride a horse -if their clients will pay them to do so. But the trainers do not have the funding to go to shows that their clients don't want to attend. So everybody wants the biggest bang for their dollar -so we have to put on larger shows instead of many many small shows like they do in Puerto Rico and Colombia. If we can decrease our expectations and down size the events we can have more events and give more people the opportunity to see our horses. Even in the smaller regions people expect a big deal - when the big deal should be the horses

BigJ

I see three elements needed for success: horses, friends, and a welcoming atmosphere where everyone mixes. Glitz is thin icing; it does not make the show.

In TN the shows are well attended because it is TNWH country like Colombia is paso country. The "arenas" are many times a soccer field or a roped off circle with a few bleachers on the perimeter. I have always had a good time at the shows. The air is electric with anticipation and friendliness. Go to a paso show and we have already been bored for most of the day, are worn out, alienated, ready to go home.

I go to working cow horse competitions where the attraction is watching a horse run a pattern and then work a cow. It's never too boring even for an all day show. Here's the kicker, they don't last ALL day.

Selling tables at a show is for the benefit of the region, not for the national office to promote the breed. Frankly I can live without dinner in the dirt, a catered dinner or the stallion exhibition. Nice, not required. What I come to see are horses. If I can't get to them, then why bother? Why are the exit and entrance gates so crowded now? It is about the only place an average person can actually smell and HEAR the gait. Watch the guys all line up at Perry, GA along the rails behind the tables, for the same reason. Or better, watch the trainers at the tables climb up to be with some buddies at the railing or the entrance gate, or the exit gate or in the stadium seating. Wink

Most of the time the tables are empty. I know because I'll sit there plenty of times knowing that the only time the payers show is for "the" classes. Newcomers want to know what the fuss is about...one day I'll find where the table buyers are hiding and have them explain why they pay for exclusive rights to be near the horses but show absolutely no interest in the show, horses, or classes except for a few "special" ones.

There's nothing MORE strange than to have limited seating for dinner in the dirt and the rest of us watch in the stadium seats because there are only so many tickets available and if you don't know about it you are out of luck. Talk about being "exclusive". That will turn off a newcomer at a show.

Go to any other "average" show, you know the ones like our regional shows, and anyone can get up close to experience the excitement of competition, hear the pros comment on their horses, intermingle with the trainers, exhibiters and owners. At our shows, we get to watch them from afar.

I'm not sure anymore why regions have to have so many tables and why they are so expensive. For the accomodations? For the entertainment? For the free food and booze? For the party? What? I am not suggesting to entirely wipe out the idea, but to find a balance. People come to be with horses and people not to get finger sandwiches and watch at artist attack a chunk of ice.

At every Mundial I've attended I've paid for premium seating except the last one in Jacksonville. It was affordable for an individual and the seats were sold out. I'm not about to pay thousands of dollars to have the table unoccupied 90% of the show. I will and have paid a few hundred to be ring side when the competition is hot where I can see, smell and hear the horses. Special events deserve special seating, but are our regional shows attracting that type of interest on any level? Who has all these expectations? All I want is some gut wadding to eat, a few friends to joke with and/or a few good horses to watch. My butt can complain, my head can hurt, my eyes burn, while I sweat in the humidity for a "reasonable" amount of time.

Seems to me regions don't want $50 anymore when they can nab one for $5000. 100 for $50 or 1 for $5000--which promotes? However, even at polo fields the average person can bring a lawn chair, a picnic and get a ring side seat.

EDIT: Horse exhibiters are no longer willing to pay for travel expenses to go to shows. Show management encourages this attitude by paying 4-5 judges for a weekend (cha-ching), for an armful of ribbons (more bling), for cush seating in AC. I go and watch an empty arena where there are more judges, ring masters, ribbon girls, gate keepers, and stewards than there are horses.

I go to a cow horse competition in Mariana, FL meet folks from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama. There is no food, no climate control, no back brace seating, no fancy ribbons, where the number of animals in the arena are greater than the number of people in it.

I'd like to know who regional show management is competing against? The Grand Prix jumping circuit? The Olympics? The PRCA National Finals? Because most dressage, H/J, reining, pro-rodeo circuits ain't that fancy.

Roseanne

" horses, friends, and welcoming atmosphere" we all need to pay attention to that!
Now all we need to figure out is how to bring in the regional revenue if we don't make the glitz?

pasosx3

Hi, I'm jumping in quickly here with a few quick thoughts and observations regarding how to get non-paso people to come to our shows and stay and want to come back again next time.

1. Describe to them what they are seeing! Educate them about the horses while they are in the Ring. Confepaso shows do this, the judges explain their placements, etc. Very educational for new and veterans. Still room to do more tho.

(Why not do a brief demo prior to the Fino Classes where a pro rider rides a Fino horse while someone, an expert, narrates? Or, why not utilize multi-media video screens in the Arena and have a pre-recorded demo playing during breaks or before the class, etc? This demo could be done for Performance and Pleasure horse classes, too. The video could be produced or "owned" by the Assoc and shared with any Region).

2. Better Judging! Quit pinning horses just because they showed up! Excuse or refuse to pin horses that don't meet the breed standard for the class. Example: I took my sister to her very first Paso Fino Show many years ago, I won't say where. (She owns a TB, never had ridden a Paso). We watched a Performance Class, a Fino Class and a Pleasure class. She innocently asked me during a Pleasure Class, "What's the difference between the Pleasure and Performance?" I couldn't tell using the examples in the Ring because there were Performance-looking horses in the Pleasure Class! And, they are required to do the same old boring stuff, go around a circle and over and back on the Board.

3. Make the horses do the figure 8's and serpentines in addition to the Board and ring work! That's how you really "see" the horse and his training and conditioning. I think the Judges are lazy when they don't require those things. And, when the judges do ask for it, it is so obvious who has worked their horses to do it and who has not.

4. Totally change how the Pleasure horses are shown! I, personally get up and leave or start chit chatting with friends when the Pleasure horses are shown. The way they are shown, which is so similar to the Classic Fino classes and Performance classes (going around the ring, and over the board) shows me absolutely nothing of what I want to see in a Pleasure horse! I expect the Pleasure horse to know how to corto and largo and walk (nicely), now show me how he is truly "a pleasure to ride" ie. manners, standing still while mounting and dismounting, mounting from the off side, maybe even (gasp) cantering or (gasp gasp) galloping, etc etc--all of those things I might want my horse that I ride for pleasure to do.

Ex. In confepaso the Trote y Galope Geldings are shown differrently. They do the Trote and the galope, figure 8's, serpentines, and Board. Then the rider is required to dismount, mount and gallop down the arena, and, I can't remember, but I think they have to maybe dismount again. Anyway, the purpose and intent is to show that the Gelding is a true working ranch horse and thus they Show it doing things it might be expected to do. I love watching the Gelding classes!

I also wouldn't rule out having ALL the Pleasure Classes shown on one day and ALL the Fino Classes shown on another day. That way those people who are only interested in Classic Fino can plan their time better and the same for the Pleasure afficionados. I find that potential Fino buyers are not usually potential Pleasure buyers and vice versa so why not separate them. An offshoot to this would be to tailor some Clinics to those different days as well.

5. Make up a Schedule with Times for Classes! Have you ever gone to a Dressage Show and seen their Schedule? It is down to the minute of who is in the Ring and when. Now, I know with our Show format it would not be possible to be that exact, but come on, can't we get close to an estimate? In this day and age of computers and databases, can't we add up the numbers of entries in a class and "guestimate" a length of time for the class? If the judges made first cuts and then did the figure 8's etc, it should be able to go on some kind of schedule.

At one show, I had some friends who wanted to see a particular class and were only in town for a brief period of time that day, but were flexible as to when they came to the show grounds. I wasn't able to give them any idea of when that class would "go" and of course, they missed it. Also, I've had to leave because the Shows have run so long into the evening.

6. Print and announce the names of the horses, age, sire and dam, the owners, the Breeder, the Trainer, and the Rider and perhaps the stall number and barn! Again, they do this at Dressage Shows. I don't think Dressage Show personal are any smarter than we are so why can't we do this too? This is valuable information for the horse shopper to have. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a horse in the Ring and wanted to know more about the horse and talk with the owner or trainer, only to not have a clue even what the name of the horse was.

Also, this information really helps give credibility for the Pro's who seem to toil in anonymity because of our system.

Well, this was written rather hastily but these are a few of my thoughts as to how our Shows could be more "user friendly". (JMHO)

Roseanne

There are several points you made that are already being addressed at this first IPHF show. We plan to provide a printout of the entered horses per back number with the schedule of classes. The horses are announced with all the information on the big screen when they come into the arena to compete. The Pleasure horses will be judged basd on Pleasure criteria because that is one of the beefs coming from one of the founding members of the organization. The judges scores will be posted on the arena screen while the judge is discussing the placements at the end of the class. The only problem with timing the classes is the time is based on the number of entrants in each class and the more there are and the closer in quality they are the longer it takes. The dressage format is a time based event so it's easier to say how long it will take. It's the same for jumpers -they have a specific time to do their thing. The IPHF has pulled the most prestigous classes out of the regular schedule so they happen at a specific time in the evening. I think we're on the right track but we're still working on it!

Roseanne

And Pasosx3- you are absolutely right about the diagonal geldings - what awsome animals -hopefully we will see more of them now that the IPHF will be including diagonals in their competitions.

We used to have a troche gelding on our farm that worked as a pony horse for our schooling horses. We always took him to the big trail rides in Ocala because my husband could rescue any rider that needed help when he was on that gelding. It's almost like good sense is bred into them!
We had a couple of troche gallope mares here training over the years and they were truly amazing also. They feel like alot more horse than my little fino fillies, but they were very well behaved and gentle to handle. I hope to have one just for me one day.

caliber · Site Admin

Roseanne

To overhaul any system things must be done rapidly. One of our issues with rule changes is not enough education about the changes needed and the second is a rule change process that gets bogged down, watered down, beaten down to the point that no change occurs due to the time spent on the issue at hand.
Many many many people represented at meetings by directors from regions never have any input to the decisions being made. With the technology we have today that doesn't need to happen. The membership at large needs the opportunity to submit methods for change and vote on them at large. Enough with the political meetings, enough time has been spend spinning our wheels. I think it's obvious from what Ed Smith has said in his meetings he understands the changes that need to be made but one person can't do it in this system. Every region that is out of cash needs to be involved.