# Information on 2012 Congress for ASPC



## muffntuf (Sep 29, 2011)

its official...there will be a vote on three venues...DesMoines, Tulsa, and Murfeesboro WILL be offerd as a choice for congress....ballots will go out to all peoole who showed at any of the last 5 years congress...ballots go out by Moday due the 15th..PASS IT ON!!!!

Okay folks - three venues made the ballot.

Information will be sent with the three locations - please read and weigh all information when voting.

I encourage everyone to vote for Des Moines for the location for Congress, it is as central a location on the list.

If you have any questions - call your BOD member!

SO please look for your ballot - vote!


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## Davie (Sep 29, 2011)

I"ll take Tulsa any day over Des Moines, I did not like the facilities at Des Moines. The RV parking so far away, having to pay to use your own golf car on the fair grounds. The RV park did not have any level ground. Only one motel close to the fair grounds. Almost 10 miles to the nearest Walmart, only limited access to chain-restaurants such as Outback, IHOP, Applebys, Red Lobster, El Chicos, no close grocery store, etc. Having to take the horses two block to the arena without covered walkways in the rain was a trainer's nightmare.

The Tulsa facility is completely covered no matter what barn you are in. You have one close motel on site but several more within 5 miles. Excellent RV parking and facilities, level and completely paved with full hookups including sewer that can accomodate any size trailer. Many very nice restaurants to eat within 5 miles of the facility and a full service grocery across (east) of the facity and a Walmart Neighbor Mart to the south for folks who like to do their own meals on site. A Lowes just east of the grounds for stall construction.

Nice clean restrooms in every barn--most barns have at least 2 showers with a large restroom/shower facility in Barn "B" (Ford Dealer's Barn). Large Laundry facility in the Race Horse Barn along with the RV park.

In inclement weather all barns have roll down doors to fully enclose the barns, excellent warm up arena's, plenty of electrical outlets in the barn areas, water at each end of the stalls.

Negative, some distance from RV park *IF USING*the main arena, but understand the show will be in the old collisum which has been renevoted and expanded (where pinto worlds used to be held) so will be much closer to the RV park (within a block and a half).

I will be voting for Tulsa and I hope a lot of you will also. If you have ever shown at the "R" Nationals you already know how wonderful the facilities are.

A long-term contract with Tulsa for the Congress will allow the Congress to grow to the degree that a "TOP--NATIONAL CALIBER" show should be. I hope you will all conside Tulsa a a serious site for future growth of our Shetland Congress.

PS--the geographic center of the United States in just north of Wichita KS so if we are looking for that "CENTRALLY LOCATED" place to have Congress --Tulsa is the place.

Some of you will say --Well she only has a 2 hour drive -- big deal. I would prefer Tulsa even if I had a 12 hour drive. That is just my 2 cents and my travel time to Des Moines was 11 hours.


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## muffntuf (Sep 29, 2011)

No the geographical center is Nebraska actually. Not Kansas. We went over this last year.


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## disneyhorse (Sep 30, 2011)

Geographic center of the U.S.

I still fail to see how Ohio/Indiana/Iowa/etc. is the "MIDDLE OF THE UNITED STATES." This is because people who live THERE, do not live on the west coast or in the south.

Iowa IS better than Illinois or Ohio, but it still is further east than center.

Science is science. Say what you will about where will make the most money, or attract the most Modern ponies, but I am tired of everyone who lives in the northern midwest claiming to the rest of the country that they are "in the middle."

Andrea


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## muffntuf (Sep 30, 2011)

Andrea out the three choices the BOD is giving us - Des Moines is as close the center (they say the center is Lebanon, KS - near NE border) as we are going to get. Tulsa is second. The TN location is way east.


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## Leeana (Oct 1, 2011)

Can't wait to get my ballot. This is a no brainer...


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## SweetOpal (Oct 5, 2011)

muffntuf said:


> Andrea out the three choices the BOD is giving us - Des Moines is as close the center (they say the center is Lebanon, KS - near NE border) as we are going to get. Tulsa is second. The TN location is way east.



Yes Des Moines is 23 miles closer to the center than Tulsa is, however I don't consider that a big enough distance to make up for the month earlier on the show, and ending our show season a month earlier, and how about putting 16 ASPC/AMHR shows out of business....Seems that 23 miles is going to cost the rest of the registry alot of money!


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## disneyhorse (Oct 5, 2011)

Those are good points, Jennifer. I think a lot of people would prefer a later Congress... although at least people don't have to qualify like AMHR Nationals so at least there's that, which could have made things a lot more difficult. Are there really 16 ASPC/AMHR shows that month? I know our Area show is usually the first week of July, but I'd imagine that would be moved if Congress was so early? Hmmm...


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## muffntuf (Oct 5, 2011)

Jennifer - those horse shows will not be out of business! They can have shows after Congress.


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## Minimor (Oct 6, 2011)

While I am in favor of Des Moines as the location, the 2012 will almost certainly mean that our July show will lose its ASPC classes and revert to being AMHR only--kind of too bad when there are so few ponies in this area and this was one good opportunity to promote them--and especially when we had interest from some new pony exhibitors for our 2012 show. Our facility has no dates available after July 7th so changing the date isn't an option.

Murfreesboro is just too far east to be fair to the west coast exhibitors, and I simply don't see how ASPC can afford Tulsa--overall it is more expensive (figure up the per day cost of each show!)

Des Moines--too bad someone wouldn't check out late September dates. Late September would be an ideal time for Congress and I know there are many pony people who will agree with that.


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## SweetOpal (Oct 6, 2011)

muffntuf said:


> Jennifer - those horse shows will not be out of business! They can have shows after Congress.



Im sorry I find this a totally ignorant comment....If its so easy to move thier shows, then why can't Des Moines just give us different dates. Do you not realize that these shows have already more than likely booked thier facility as they have done so for years? And that they have put deposits down in most cases? So if our association is having such a hard time locating a facility with the dates we need, you don't think the little local club would have the same issue?

Please keep in mind all area shows would have to be scheduled before July 2nd, per our By Laws. So now the 8 area shows will need to make sure they are before July 2, how many of those will have trouble moving thier shows that were already approved by the committee??


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## disneyhorse (Oct 6, 2011)

I think the idea behind a National level show... is kind of to have it as a "year end" show. The local shows are for practice... setting yourself up against the other horses and tweaking as you see fit (maybe you need to check your pony higher or lower, change up shoeing, and lots of times I've gotten advice on my go from the Judge) and then move on to the Area show as a final check before making the commitment to a National level show (which for many means further travel, more expensive fees, and a longer show to attend). That way, if you have a large-ish show string, you can pick your best to take all the way to the National level.

A lot of "big" breeds have their National shows in September and even October.

Having Congress before half your other local shows just doesn't make sense to me.

Andrea


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## muffntuf (Oct 7, 2011)

I am not sure, but I am hoping they made allowances for the Area shows to be after Congress, at least that was the question posed to me and the talk I heard. Not for sure about that.

There are a lot of breeds that have their Congresses and Nationals in the spring and early summer, you qualify the prior year.

It is a huge paradigm shift for us - but with two national shows in our registry - it makes it hard to schedule these that gives preparation time not only to exhibitors but to trainers who do both.


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## SweetOpal (Oct 11, 2011)

muffntuf said:


> I am not sure, but I am hoping they made allowances for the Area shows to be after Congress, at least that was the question posed to me and the talk I heard. Not for sure about that.
> 
> There are a lot of breeds that have their Congresses and Nationals in the spring and early summer, you qualify the prior year.
> 
> It is a huge paradigm shift for us - but with two national shows in our registry - it makes it hard to schedule these that gives preparation time not only to exhibitors but to trainers who do both.



There is no allowances in our BY LAWS to make whatever changes we feel necessary. This is why the registry has been sued repeatedly, because we don't follow our own rules, that WE put in place. Also in the past the date of congress was always in AUG, it was never in JULY so there would be no reason for a paradigm shift due to the fact that the dates in AUG would be the same as they ALWAYS had been.


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