coconut classic in okeechobee, florida

[TDPFarm]

[SIZE=12pt]Many people responding to these posts seem to think FL just procrastinated the time away or waited until the last minute… [/SIZE]

Just for one moment, consider this:

Your prize horse suffers an injury, gets ill or God forbid dies...You need to pick another horse and qualify it...Doesn’t mean you “waited to the last minute,” that is just life happening…

A Youth needs to change horses because the economy forced them to sell theirs, a “borrowed” horse gets sold by the owner, their current horse becomes too much for them to safely handle or a mare turns out to be bred…Doesn’t mean the parents didn’t do their able best to have their “youth qualified early,” that again, is just life happening…

This kind of thing happens anywhere there are animals to be shown. It doesn’t matter how many shows there are, where they are held, how much they cost, etc…

 

[hairicane]

Another thought I had about lack of entries for your shows. Im not trying to criticize your methods but I have had my horse shown at your shows for at least a year now. That means your club has had my address and name all that time and I have yet to get even 1 show premium. How can u expect to pull in entries when u dont even notify people (that are supporting your club with entries) of upcoming shows? Would be a good idea to make sure u update your mailing lists. We all want u to be able to continue holding shows.

 

[MinisOutWest]

Well, the show department went back to their email and re-read it. they said the email they got was from a member of the club, not the show manager or secretary, so as of right now, it IS NOT CANCELLED as of noon today. if I hear differently from the show dept, I will let you know. sorry for the confusion.

 

[Nosuthastomasp1]

This is Pat Coffey- Secretary of MHCSF, and Prez Tony Lopes has asked me to send out some more info to all of you. It's been a long time since I posted on here, but this event requires that I put my own two cents in, so some of this is from him, some from me, and I'd like you to feel free to contact me first to get more info..... my club email is [email protected]. I'll IM/AIM with anyone who finds me online, too!

First of all, thank you all for coming together to try and make this show happen. It was a very tough decision, not a spur of the moment, but those of us who were at the meeting had to make it.

I won't reiterate what Treasurer Nancy Lopes wrote, since she hit so many of the important topics very well, but if you didn't READ hers, go back to it now, please.

What she didn't go into detail on was that altho the facility is very nice, and relatively expensive, it IS NOT the biggest expense! We also have THREE judges at EACH show. Think about those numbers for a minute..... Even if you only count the four shows that MHCSF sponsors alone, that's TWELVE judges! There are about seven judges who live in Florida, so at LEAST one has got to come from out of state for every show. The hotels here aren't super-expensive, but add up when you have to pay for the judges, show manager, and steward, and there's probably $1000 just in rooms. And don't forget the fees for the manager and steward, which cannot be done by volunteers from the club. The few workers that have been paid (that COULD be covered by volunteers) free up the "regular" volunteers so they may show their horses and support the club financially. Their showbills usually add up to more than the labor expense incurred, so it is worth it in the long run, BUT it would be even better to save that money and have other volunteers step up, as some have offered to do recently. Postage and printing for the showbills is another $200. Plus advertising, insurance.... and much much more.

I send out emails to nearly 100 members and interested folks. I believe all our members (with internet) are on the list, and I ask in the emails for them to spread the word to those not online. Do any of you recall how many times I've asked for volunteers before the shows? I keep the emails, I'd love to go over them some time with some of you who say you didn't know we needed help!

We've gotten some great suggestions recently about money makers.... it's great to come up with the ideas of contests and raffles, but we've had these ideas before, just didn't have the manpower to make it happen, maybe now they will. You know who you are, and we thank you for not only the ideas, but the offers to organize them! Keep the ideas coming... we try to discuss all of them AT THE MEETINGS.

Now I won't reiterate what Director Linda Kern wrote so eloquently, but again, if you didn't READ it, go back to it now please.

Our meetings are announced, and pretty regular, so if you want to really have some input and find out how heated some of these decisions are, ATTEND!

We will be discussing a request from a supportive member at the next meeting that we move the meetings around to give different locales a chance to attend. You must realize tho, that the REGULAR attendees (officers and directors, plus a few others), may already be travelling up to 1.5 hrs. To make it worth having a meeting even farther away we must hear from enough folks who will attend a meeting in their area. And PLEASE don't plan to make it a gripe session, plan to attend with constructive and realistic ideas.

I feel really badly for those folks who might not be able to qualify those last horses/youths for Nationals/Worlds. Some of us who attend, volunteer, and show on a regular basis have NEVER been able to go to Nationals, let alone Worlds. We do it to share (show off?!) our minis and to support the club so that others may qualify and compete. I certainly hope you all can go, and I wish you the best of luck, but PLEASE don't put the entire blame for not being qualified on the few dedicated people who do so very much for you throughout the year.

That was probably more than two cents, so I'll step off my soapbox now and see if any of you have more ideas.

Thanks for your time!

Pat

 

[caribe]

Thank you Pat Coffey for your additional words of explanation. Anyone who has ever put on or worked at a show knows how difficult it is and how costly. The Okeechobee Agri Civic Center was chosen because it is central to our area and its covered so we show when it rains and we show when there's too much sun (never thought I would say that but I appreciate showing in a covered arena) and it is a safe facility for our horses and children.

I for one, appreciate the fact that Nancy Lopes, Pat Coffey, and Pat Tyner has tried to point out in a clear and non inflammatory manner why and how the hard decisions are made. I appreciate also the 2 or 3 people from out of state who also have spoken up and tried to explain how clubs and shows work. All of our directors and officers work full time as well as take care of their families and farms and train their own horses, the same as everyone else. Yes, we do need help, yes, we do want input and we do want your money.

I hope that everyone who wants to show at our Coconut Classic Show will come forward now is your chance.

 

[Sun Runner Stables]

Hey Linda- Whitney here-

We are happy to help out now in our off season- Pat and Jesse know that if they really need us just to shout, but I wanted to put it up here for the rest of you-

Once the big horse shows get started I cannot afford to take the weekend out to show my minis, as our horse shows pay many of my bills.

I have always enjoyed the shows put on out at the AG center, and are thankful for the hard working people who are taking time out of their lives to make my weekend and horse show enjoyable. I was rather surprised at the cancellation, but as it didn't directly affect myself or my horses as of yet, I wasn't overly concerned until I realized how many kids may miss out thanks to conflicting schedules. Everyone of us procrastinates, or has had bad things happen-

Heck I just bought my stallion and am lucky enough to be getting him to Regionals, and we had planned on using the Coconut classic as a back up if he didn't qualify for Worlds, knowing there was a chance I wouldn't be able to get him qualified to show.

In light of the struggle, I have already decided to bring both of my horses currently show fit, and bring my retired show gelding out just for fun and to support the club.

This is a great group of people, and I hate to see us all at odds, or to have others rant at the lack of previous show prep or show attendance.

I hope this can all be resolved in a matter that supports and helps out the club and benefits it's members in their goals.

 

[garyo]

I have not received a return telephone call or email from Roger or Donna or an answer to my email to Pat Coffey and as of this afternoon Jen from Hairicane nor Keely knew an answer. Please forgive me if I should already know this, but... Is the show on or off? I thought the last instructions we were given was that a final decision would be made this AM.

Ruth

 

[Whitestar]

Although I dont know all the details of this incident,This whole situation can be a learning lesson for all. I have helped organize & run some of the first AMHR shows in our area. . There was sooo much work to be done, months before, weeks before days before, plus afterwards & there were sure alot of people wanting to attend the show, but a whole lot fewer of them willing to work it. So many people in our club were so excited about having a local show, both to show for fun & points, but they wouldnt have time to help out the day before to set up...because they had to clip & bathe their horse & that day of the show, no... they couldnt help because...well they wanted to show. So it ended up with with the same bunch of us running the club, as officers, putting on the seminars, putting out the flyers & newsletters & running the shows for years before a lot of us got burnt out & stopped doing it. After a few years, it was decided to hire professional to run the show, was that an easy decision??do we spend the money or not? But it was clear that the few of us working it couldnt continue to do that much work, still speak to each other after the show & want to put on another one each year.

I can promise you that very few clubs have huge bank accounts & after you send out the show bill, you wait with a stomach churning sensation until the entries roll in & you have enough money to pay the bills. Add in the crappy economy & it makes it even harder. If the entries are not there, what do you do? Especially if there isnt a huge amount of money in the bank to cover what you know is going to be a loss? Look at the big picture, should they go ahead & hold this show if they know it is going to be a loss that they will have to absorb, maybe pay out of their own pocket, just so your kids can qualify for Nationals? The first show of our club I put the expenses on my credit card because I really felt like it would be successful. Lucky for me & my family it was...but what if it wasnt?

Maybe everyone that is a member of a club should have to volunteer so many hours at a show or beforehand before they can show? Make it fair on everyone? Even the kids can help police grounds, or hand out ribbons or be the go-for the office. Once you have really volunteered at the show, I can bet you have a new appreciation for what goes into putting one on. If you have attended other shows & have pointers, attend the meetings & give your advice then, during the planning stages, but come with a full report of what the changes are, how they can be made to work, & what you can do to help make a difference. Dont wait to be asked to sponsor a class or send in your membership. If you really care about the club, see what you can do for it, instead of waiting to see what they are going to do for you.

Hope the club can manage to pull this off & people are willing to support it either through entries or maybe just sending in sponsor dollars to help cover what could be a loss.

 

[allaboutminis]

well is it on or not

 

[keely2682]

is the show on or off????

 

[garyo]

Good question Keely, I thought they were going to make the decision on Tuesday

 

[Thunderhead Ranch]

MHCSF dosn't have the funds? What about us? Rarely does one get hit with this type of "personal" financial loss. For all the people that have confirmed with AMHR that this show would qualify them for Nationals, so they went ahead and sent in their paperwork and non-refundable show fees (to make the deadline), made their horse hauling reservations, hotel & air reservation, car rentals, stall fees. Many of these are non-refundable or come with very steep fines. Nationals often replace family vacations and now with lost funds many families havn't any other options. The biggest faux pas MHCSF made was waiting so long to inform people of the situation. I think we all see ourselves as a large family, some getting along, others not. If this situation had been unveiled in a more timely fashion I am sure we all could have pulled together to find a solution to save our own butts, (possibly each of us making a donation) and pulled off this ever important qualifying show, or at least been aware of the situation and not have locked-in money for Nationals. I can understand a club getting in a tight situation, but to take so long and wait until near deadlines to inform people was simply wrong. MHCSF has totally underestimated the power of the AMHR/AMHA families to have either helped with the stiuation, or have now been devastated and turning their backs on the MHCSF.

And for those people that criticize others for not qualifying sooner... for many Nationals is an unattainable dream. Learning mid-year you may be able to afford it puts fire under you to do whats necessary to qualify. Also many families have prior obligations the same weekend as shows, or medical situations that conflict with the show schedule. Just because your life maybe more of a breeze financially, health wise, or with an open schedule does not mean thats the case for others. Try being a little more understanding.

 

[keely2682]

what did amhr say about exemptions regarding this show?

also cancelling this close i would assume the club would still have to pay the judges

(or at least airfare and cancelation fees for the judges)

if i understood the figures right judges were costing almost $4000?!

the club will take a loss with or without putting on the show

wouldn't it have been better to hold the show and ask for help from members

 

[gigrc]

I was told that the Club needs $4000 in donations to make this show a go.

That is a lot to pull together in 2 weeks!!

I was also told the club had a choice to cancel the August show or October Show.....

Why didnt we know all this a month ago??

Now they say we won't know if the show is on or off until Monday....

And then..... I get an email saying the show is on!!

this is so confusing!!!! And very frustrating!!

 

[twelveoaks]

the president of the club is out of town he is the ONLY one that will say if the show is on or off

i talked to him this am and told him of the rumors of the show being on . when the decision is made you (if on our e mail list)

will be emailed the decision or i will post it on here

twelveoaks

 

[hairicane]

MHCSF dosn't have the funds? What about us? Rarely does one get hit with this type of "personal" financial loss. For all the people that have confirmed with AMHR that this show would qualify them for Nationals, so they went ahead and sent in their paperwork and non-refundable show fees (to make the deadline), made their horse hauling reservations, hotel & air reservation, car rentals, stall fees. Many of these are non-refundable or come with very steep fines. Nationals often replace family vacations and now with lost funds many families havn't any other options. The biggest faux pas MHCSF made was waiting so long to inform people of the situation. I think we all see ourselves as a large family, some getting along, others not. If this situation had been unveiled in a more timely fashion I am sure we all could have pulled together to find a solution to save our own butts, (possibly each of us making a donation) and pulled off this ever important qualifying show, or at least been aware of the situation and not have locked-in money for Nationals. I can understand a club getting in a tight situation, but to take so long and wait until near deadlines to inform people was simply wrong. MHCSF has totally underestimated the power of the AMHR/AMHA families to have either helped with the stiuation, or have now been devastated and turning their backs on the MHCSF. And for those people that criticize others for not qualifying sooner... for many Nationals is an unattainable dream. Learning mid-year you may be able to afford it puts fire under you to do whats necessary to qualify. Also many families have prior obligations the same weekend as shows, or medical situations that conflict with the show schedule. Just because your life maybe more of a breeze financially, health wise, or with an open schedule does not mean thats the case for others. Try being a little more understanding.

Right on!!! I, like many of the non well off mini horse owners, have had the worst year ever financially this year. I never know for sure till the last minute if I will have the cash to go to shows. Just because I am not well off I dont deserve to be able to qualify to go to Nationals? I dont think so. If all the little people like me that show our horses when we can afford it got fed up and quit showing entirely in the state of Floriia I quarantee you every mini horse club would fold quickly. We deserve respect just like everyone does, walk a mile in our shoes before u judge us!

And by the way my horses ARE already qualified for nationals but if the show does get held I will be there to support the club! I live 5-6 hours drive away so I cannot really be a club member, cant always get there, but I will show if one is held.

 

[gigrc]

It is going to be really sad.... for everyone.... if this show does get cancelled!!

There is going to be a lot of sad children, upset parents and mad members.

 

[Thunderhead Ranch]

Well, if Okeechobee is canceled, is anyone going to Ohio Aug. 9 to qualify? Maybe if we all pulled together for hauling, etc. we could make it work for a lot of people. Any opinions/suggestions out there?

 

[keely2682]

i can't believe the weekend before the show there is no definate

its hard to make other plans when nothing is for sure here!

 

[keely2682]

the president of the club is out of town he is the ONLY one that will say if the show is on or off

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

i can understand the show committee or board making a decision TOGETHER

but the say of only ONE person determining this seems illogical to me