With the cancellation of the Brawley Farms Horse Show, on top of the Hood River Classic, I felt a ‘Sky is falling’ pang of panic in my gut. But, rather than speculate, I decided to get on the phone and start asking questions. This article is a summary of those conversations and my best attempt to put those thoughts into perspective. After discussion with show managers and event organizers around the region, it appears that the Northwest horse show industry is making the best of a difficult season which may, in the long run, improve our shows.

With two of the region’s best-known hunter/jumper shows cancelling, it seemed reasonable to start with that discipline and then move beyond to dressage and eventing.

Several factors came to light. The poor U.S. economy has definitely been a factor this show season, yet people are still showing. Some felt that the decrease in gas prices (from summer ‘08) helped offset other losses in the economy, yet people were trying to save money by showing locally, spending less on hauling fees, motel rooms, and dining out.

Show managers agreed that our region has gone from having too few hunter/jumper shows to too many. With people trying to save money, and an abundance of shows to choose from, competitors are attending shows that are convenient, more affordable, and catering to the clientele.

Lynn Everroad managed the Hood River Classic since its inception 17 years ago. “It was a wrench to let go of it,” she said. “But the little, independent shows can’t compete.” Lynn and her show board met in late 2008 and made the decision to cancel the show. The struggling U.S. economy, combined with an abundance of local shows, made the show too high-risk for the team to go forward.

“The people who came to this show really loved it,” Lynn said. “But it’s a lot cheaper to show locally, without hotel and travel expenses.” Unfortunately, by cancelling the 2009 show, the Hood River Classic has lost its long-term land lease agreement. The corporation was formally dissolved and there are no plans to reinvent the show in 2010.

In contrast, the Brawley Farms show was cancelled late in the game, when entries were too sparse to cover the cost of running the show. Judy Brawley felt that several factors caused a drop in entries this year. She agrees with other area show managers that there are too many hunter/jumper shows for competitors to support. In addition, the Brawley Farms show was moved from their traditional July 4th date to later in the month. “We moved the date trying to accommodate clients, some of whom had trouble with the July 4th date, and also to accommodate the Team NW shows. In the end, I think it hurt us in that people expected the July 4th date.”

Some speculate that footing was another factor in the drop in attendance at both the Hood River and Brawley Farms shows, which are held on grass. Both shows worked hard to improve their footing over the years. Unfortunately, grass that wasn’t well cared for has given grass footing a bad reputation. “A lot of those shows were held on pocked-up pasture—before people got more sophisticated.” Judy said.

“We specifically put in fields just for showing,” says Judy. “The fields are cut, manicured, fertilized, aerated, and filled with sand plugs, where necessary, to optimize the grass surface.”

“In truth, good grass is so much more forgiving than sand,” Judy explains. “When watered correctly, the root system of the grass expands, swells, and produces a spongy, forgiving surface.”

Trainers agree that footing is a big factor in which shows they will attend with their clients. With expensive horses and demanding show schedules, many trainers want enhanced footing, such as sand, rubber, and other combinations. While the popular Bend hunter/jumper show is held on grass, it has a reputation for being state-of-the art grass and as a destination location.

With fewer hunter/jumpers showing on the grass, fewer riders understand the art of using caulks (or studs). Caulks need to be used correctly, to suit the conditions—which can change according to the condition of the surface.

Dianne Johnson, who manages hunter/jumper shows throughout the region, feels that—with the exception of the Bend show, which was sold out—shows are down little bit. “Instead of seeing 15 trainers; I’ll see 12 at a show. And they’ll take fewer tack rooms.”

“Talking to people around the country,” Dianne says, “all hunter/jumper shows are down. Here in the Northwest, I feel there are too many shows. We’re saturated. It’s too much of a good thing. With shows every weekend, it’s hard to support all of them.”

“People are still showing,” Dianne says, “but are doing less. Cutting back a little bit, picking and choosing. People are being more particular. Footing has become paramount in their decision-making.”

“I still think our region is doing well,” Dianne says, “We just need to get back to a little more reasonable perspective. People shouldn’t be discouraged—it’s still a great sport that people of all ages and ability can participate in.”

Shelley Campf, co-owner of Team NW with Mike Gallaway, agrees that footing has become a deciding factor for many competitors. “Footing has to be all-weather or all-purpose,” she says. “The cost of keeping the animals healthy and sound is too important.”

“Management is also becoming more of a factor, as it should be,” Shelley emphasizes. She cites the Evergreen Classic, which had over 500 entries last year. “The schedule and staff were too stretched,” she says. “This year, 340 attended and it was marvelous. It was an amazing event and people will be back next year.”

Shelley feels that having lots of options will be good for the show industry, in the long run. “However, horse shows shouldn’t cripple each other,” she says. As a result, she’s planning to meet with other show managers this month to develop an ‘ideal’ show calendar. “We’ll make a handshake agreement to decide which shows to make the big focus, taking into consideration the demographics of the hunter/jumper community. “We need to take into consideration what it makes sense to do in relation to the bigger shows, such as Spruce Meadows, and make our shows in sync.” (Indeed, the eventing and dressage communities have used this approach for years and it has proven to be very effective.)

Shelley is also seeing more trainers choosing to show locally, to minimize costs for their clients. She feels the ‘career horse people’ (those who actively show) are still out there competing but feels the number of beginner show people has definitely dropped.

“Purse strings were definitely tight early in the year,” Shelley said. “Since then, things have relaxed and are inching their way back to fairly normal.”

Shelley maintains a positive attitude about the Northwest horse industry. “I’m excited for 2010,” she says .“These times are great equalizers. Rebalancing is good for the sport. As horses prices have lowered, more people have an opportunity to enter the sport.”

Next on my agenda, a call to Luigi Menghelli, Chairperson for Area VII of the United States Eventing Association (USEA). Luigi reports that the region’s eventing community is doing well. “I believe we had 156 starters last year and are at about 148 this year.”

The eventing community has clearly benefitted from the oversight of the national organization (USEA), which tries to help regions space out their events within a reasonable period.

“New events are welcome if there’s a space in the calendar,” Luigi says. “But the schedule is well thought-out. Some events make more sense in the spring, to bring horses along. Others are better in the fall, geared toward preparing for the Championships.” For events that have problems attracting competitors, such as this year’s Happs event, the area council gives suggestions and feedback.

While fewer hunters and jumpers are competing on the grass, running cross-country is a significant part of eventing’s draw. As a result, event trainers are well-versed in the use of studs and good cross-country schooling includes choosing the appropriate stud for the conditions.

The best cross-country courses are well maintained, mowed, and conditioned, especially around jumps. “Competitors return when they’re happy with the footing,” Luigi emphasizes. “Recognized course-builders are also a big draw in our sport.” Like the hunter/jumper industry, eventing is market-driven. “If you provide what the market needs, you will be more successful,” Luigi says.

In terms of running events, “You run as lean as you can,” Luigi says. “Try to keep entry fees as low as possible, while making enough to maintain your course, your footing, and present an immaculate facility. It’s a balancing act.” At his own facility, Inavale Farm, Luigi and his wife, Caroline, are trying to organize earlier in the year to do more of the work themselves, instead of hiring contractors. “We also try to make use of materials on hand, when possible. We choose contractors carefully, and try to involve sponsors—their involvement is crucial.”

To touch base with the Oregon dressage community, I contacted Rose Newman from the Oregon Dressage Society (ODS). Rose says, “The majority of ODS shows have been close to last year’s numbers but have taken longer to get there. Shows that had lotteries (for classes) the last couple of years took until closing date to fill this year—and some shows had to extend their closing dates.”

“A large amount of ODS League shows and school shows are not filling this year,” Rose says. “I haven’t heard of any canceling, just cutting back hours—and a lot of the judges have been nice enough to cut their fees.” In addition, it’s been harder to get sponsorship money. “It will be interesting to see how ODS Championships and Regionals do this year,” Rose notes.

Corinne Stonier, also from ODS, feels that award fees are consistent, and perhaps even higher, this year than last year. (award fees are paid per ride down the centerline.)

Corinne notes that although one show has gone from a USEF/USDF fully-licensed show to an ODS League Show and another show USDF/USEF show is going away completely in 2010, several shows were added in 2008 and 2009.

In the Seattle area, Equestrians’ Institute puts on several of the largest dressage shows in the region. President Rebecca Chatfield reports that “E.I. seems to be thriving despite the economy. Our membership is higher now than in 2008.”

Show manager Kellie Larsen says that what’s been really interesting about this year’s shows is how they have filled. “Usually entries are huge at the start, then trickle down. This year, entries trickled in to the point that we cancelled or cut back hours on judges—then rehired them at the last minute.”

E.I.’s show managers extended show closing dates and were flooded with entries at the last minute. “People didn’t want to commit too far out,” Kellie says. “The early season shows filled more slowly, then picked up steam.”

As a result, the early-season L’Aperitif show was approximately 85% full. The later Beaujolais and Champagne Classic shows were filled to capacity. “Not every day was jam-packed full,” Kellie said, “but they were full. Much more than expected.”

Kellie attributes long-range planning to some of E.I.’s success this year. “We sat down last fall and made some changes that helped us.” The format of several shows were changed, from three-day shows to one day, plus two-day shows. “This was mainly due to the economy,” Kellie said. “People like being able to do one weekend and knock off several qualifying scores.” In addition, instead of having to purchase a three-day stabling ‘package,’ competitors were able to purchase just as much stabling as they needed.

Donida Farm, an important E.I. venue, also worked on improvements to footing and stabling, as well as an expanded vendor area—all of which made shows more attractive to competitors.

“E.I. also works closely with other area shows, to avoid conflict in scheduling,” Kellie says. “For example, we talk with DevonWood, Donida, and Whidbey before we set our calendar.”

In general, the numbers are down a bit in the Northwest show world, but not alarmingly so. In the dressage and eventing world, where calendars are managed with some cooperation across the region, there is less calendar conflict and individual shows/events are faring well enough to make a reasonable profit while satisfying competitors’ needs.

In the hunter/jumper world, the lack of an organized calendar has created a buyer’s market for competitors, where they can pick and choose according to location, footing, and other preferences—squeezing out some shows as there are fewer competitor dollars to go around. While the competition may result in some healthy rebalancing, the process is not without its bumps and bruises.

The Hood River Classic was a part of Northwest history many of us will miss. The summit of Mt. Hood in the background made it an unforgettable setting. The smaller, independent shows, with their unique venues, offer our horses different sets of challenges and benefits that makes them worth supporting. In addition, many of the smaller shows offer a more intimate atmosphere, encouraging camaraderie and the social side of horse showing.

For some, there’s always next year. Judy Brawley assures us, “We’re planning to go for it again. We’ll return to the July 4th date and hope people want to come and have fun.” Indeed, many show managers will be evaluating this year’s hard-earned lessons and offering clients the best show experience possible. So, despite a gloomy forecast, this year’s show season is not a disaster. People continue to show their horses, although with less extravagance—choosing fewer shows and managing expenses more carefully. But the shows do go on, as does our love of them.

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