VERY EXCITING AMHA WORLD SHOW NEWS!

[HGFarm]

I think it's wonderful and a big step... a good thing that may encourage more people to show, even if just on a local level.

 

[Millstone Farm]

Unless something changed AFTER the vote on this rule, the way it was initially presented in this post is incorrect, I believe.

The rule is 2 different shows and 6 different judges, not 4. You will have to attend at least 2 shows with 3 judges each.

Also, you MUST show in EACH class you wish to compete in at the World Show (a bonus for the local clubs). The rule is different than the AMHR rule in this way.

This rule might increase participation in the local shows - that was an argument that was made prior to the vote. When you live in an area where shows are few and far between, the point was made that many exhibitors feel frustrated competing against professional handlers, getting seconds and thirds with small classes, making qualification via points very difficult. The discussion during the meeting brought this up.

 

[Julie/Azariah]

Unless something changed AFTER the vote on this rule, the way it was initially presented in this post is incorrect, I believe.

The rule is 2 different shows and 6 different judges, not 4. You will have to attend at least 2 shows with 3 judges each.

Also, you MUST show in EACH class you wish to compete in at the World Show (a bonus for the local clubs). The rule is different than the AMHR rule in this way.

This rule might increase participation in the local shows - that was an argument that was made prior to the vote. When you live in an area where shows are few and far between, the point was made that many exhibitors feel frustrated competing against professional handlers, getting seconds and thirds with small classes, making qualification via points very difficult. The discussion during the meeting brought this up.

Ray brought the proposal in to the Board Meeting on Sunday, re-written. So the way it is stated in the first note here is what was passed.

At the general meeting Ray was told to write it out and bring it back in written form to the BOD Meeting ~ which he did. Each Board Member was handed the written proposal, there was a lot of discussion, and the concern for the Local Clubs was discussed. At this time, this is a Standing Rule for 2011 only... it was not voted to be put in the rule book.

We are trying it this year to see if it helps our World Show attendance. We are encouraging folks to continue to support their local clubs. We hope that it will also help local shows because some folks didn't go to them because, in their minds, there was no way they would qualify for worlds. MANY people travel 6+ hours to "local" shows ~ the most "local" show for them...I am one of them... If I drive 5-10 hours to a show and spend all of that diesel money.... you better believe I am going to enter more than just one class for each horse.

There are also folks that are going for year end High Point Awards...They are still going to go for the points.

We are in the midst of really tough times... I think those that typically show will show...and....we may get some new folks at shows too.

It is a trial, and I think very worthwhile trying, lets not decide how it is "going to be" until we get out there and see what happens.

Get out and support your local shows! But most of all... get out and have fun with your family and your horses. THAT is what showing is all about. Maybe this will allow some new families to see what the AMHA World Show is all about!

 

[Charlotte]

lets not decide how it is "going to be" until we get out there and see what happens.

 

[ionafarm]

It is the long range picture that I am concerned with - not the immediate issue of not enough partcipation at Worlds. Causing our local clubs financial grief because this proposal was not well thought through could cause a club to collapse financially due to lack of participation at a given show - if the local clubs go broke there won't be local shows --- back to square #1

I sincerely hope that people will continue to enter multiple classes and support their local clubs, but in tough times it is not wise to EXPECT it. Likewise, the need to participate at Championship shows may also have people cutting back on this show if they have already "qualified" by going to 2 local shows and showing a couple of classes and getting qualified to show in any class at Worlds.

Again the reason it works for AMHR is not necessarily just for qualifying for Nationals, but also the added bonus of racking up those HOF points -- if you get pretty close to getting a title like HOF on your horse your are more likely to continue to show it rather than just park it at home for the rest of it's life, if all it would have taken was one or two more shows to be able to have the HOF added to the credentials of the horse.

Well, I replied to this once, but it seems to have disappeared, so I'll try again. Sorry if this is a duplicate. I am in complete agreement with Mountain Meadows. I am the treasurer of our club and very aware of the economics of putting on shows. The club is dependent on the income from shows to support our other activites. If we take a big hit, we will have to cut back on the number and/or qualitry of the shows. We have no ability to borrow money, so we can only risk what we have in our treasury. The club has to function within its means. We can't cut our expenses for this year, as contracts are already signed. If we don't have sufficient money in the treasury at the end of this year, we can't put on shows next year. I sincerely doubt that we will be able to mintain the attendence at shows and changing the rules now has put us in a precarious position.

I also think this will reduce the fun of competing. What does it mean to win a class when some of the horses are only there to walk into the ring to qualify? This happens at AMHR shows, and there is not much of a sense of accomplishment. If you don't have to qualify by showing against horses that are properly prepared for competition, you really have no sense of whether your horse will be competative at the Worlds.

The major problem with getting horses to the World Show is the time and expense, not the points. If gas gets to $5 a gallon, qualification will not be the issue that keeps people away. Personally, we will save a lot of money under the new rules, as will likely will show less. So, from a personal perspective, it may be a good thing. However in the bigger picture this change can create serious problems.

This change will likely increase the number of horses at the Worlds, but at the expense of local clubs and shows.

If you kill the roots, the plant will eventually die.

 

[wcr]

There are pros and cons to every situation but I think AMHA has made a good decision. In this economy everyone has to think outside the box to stay alive financially. There are different levels of showing and not everyone shows to qualify for the world show and attends. For many people the goal may be to just show a breed show after participating in open shows. Travel expenses and gas are going to feature largely in the decision to show. I live in Oregon and going back to a world show is a very expensive undertaking that isn't possible every year, not to mention the time to drive there and back and time for the show.

Just to say that not everyone shows with the world show as the end goal. That said, it also may entice people to go to a world show if all of a sudden they realize they have qualified for the show. I remember that they changed the qualifying for yearlings several years back and they saw an increase in participation at regionals.

To say it is going to hurt regionals may be premature. If I am seriously showing my horses but can't afford to get back to the world show, then regionals will be the end goal.

This rule is for this year only and before we start running around like Chicken Little, The sky is falling, Maybe we should just sit back, continue with our personal showing plans and watch how it plays out.

 

[wildoak]

I also think this will reduce the fun of competing. What does it mean to win a class when some of the horses are only there to walk into the ring to qualify? This happens at AMHR shows, and there is not much of a sense of accomplishment

There was a time I agreed with this sentiment, but the quality of AMHR horses showing now - at least in our area and certainly at Nationals - has really come up leaps and bounds. A top ten there means every bit as much to me as a World top ten. Yes, there are some horses locally who are not Nationals material but not what there used to be. It seems to me to have long term benefits for the association - more people participate, have fun, and ultimately come back next time around better prepared and with better horses if the show bug bites them.

I think gas prices will be the bigger villian impacting horse shows this year. We budget for it and keep showing, but it seems to take a bite out of show entries every year. I will actually show & qualify a few more horses this year. That gives me a choice towards the end of the season as to what I am taking to World/Nationals. Sometimes they just don't come together as quickly and may have been shy of qualifying point-wise but could be ready for the big shows. It's a one-person show around my barn lol, and they just don't all get where I want them to be by spring/early summer.

Jan

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Good for AMHA.

I do see the concern some have for the local shows losing out over time, but in all honesty the trainers and people that DO compete at the World shows are the ones most likely to NOT attend more than the required 2 shows. There are people that will do the minimum to qualify and stop showing. Their choice.

There are also people that show locally and never have aspirations past showing locally or maybe regionally. These people will attend the local shows regardless. Many cannot afford the expense of going to the World Show and/or are perfectly content showing locally only.

 

[R Whiteman]

I

do see the concern some have for the local shows losing out over time, but in all honesty the trainers and people that DO compete at the World shows are the ones most likely to NOT attend more than the required 2 shows. There are people that will do the minimum to qualify and stop showing. Their choice.

It is those very owners and trainers that will attend the World show that provide a great deal of the income to the local shows. When they needed to qualify every horse with points, they had to attend most of the local shows with a variety of horses to get all their client's horses qualified in time. They can now do that in two shows for the whole clinic population. Does it make sense to spend your client's money if it is not needed? Losing several major trainer at a show can make or break a show. What happens to the other shows on the circuit that trainers no longer need to attend? I guess we will all have to wait and see.

Ron

 

[ClickMini]

Thanks to the folks that linked me back to this conversation. I don't know how I missed it the first time around.

Here's the other side of the coin...I started out my first year in the ring showing AMHA, and was able to earn some terrific year-end awards from my local club by competing at all of the shows. I had a blast! I took a couple of years off from showing for personal reasons, then when I came back to it, I was guided into the realm of AMHR instead. I have had fun showing AMHR, but I have ALWAYS wanted to show AMHA again. This year, I am really excited to show at the local A shows, go to the Western regionals (new experience!) and the World Show too! Which I have not ever even been able to attend to watch.

I am competing at the local shows for the FUN of it, showing with my granddaughter and her horse Alladdin, for whom I hold no ambitions except for having as much fun as possible, and for my competitive ambitions. People who like to compete, well, they want to compete! I have my schedule mapped out, am working the horses, teaching my granddaughter through playful hours in the arena, and will be attending as many club shows as I can. And since I have a comfort level that I will qualify, I am making the plans to go to the World Show too! I am really looking forward to it. This is definitely not doom and gloom all the way around. There may be a few folks that drop off, and there may be some that add on. I'm betting it will even out.

The key to the local club's show success will be promoting the year-end programs, their show high-point awards, youth programs, futurities and gelding incentives, and providing some fun family activities at the shows. That has been the appeal all along, IMO. Not everyone is showing to qualify for the big shows. And those that are I am betting aren't going to be held back from their true love...competition at EVERY level!

 

[ClickMini]

I would also like to add that, for at least the performance people, it is absolutely KEY to have your horses show regularly over the summer to have them tuned up for the big show. I don't see that ending. I work with a pretty big name trainer, and she certainly has no plans to drop off any shows.

I am a little concerned over our first show of the year because some of the bigger trainers DON'T go to that one. If it is to survive, I think it will have to either 1. move to another facility, or 2. really play up the angle that it is the show for EVERYONE, down to the most beginner, and provide mentorship or some other type benefit to those new folks coming in.

And Ron, I will be there this year for the first time since I showed Alladdin there as a rank newbie. At that time, I knew nothing and nobody. It was a very fun show, I won because there were no other under 30" stallions, and I became intrigued with the idea of driving after seeing people out driving the "fun" cones course. I am really excited to come for the show, I have my hotel reservations set, and am doing my best to drum up some other folks to attend with me.

See ya there! And yeps, I'll be trying my best to beat ya!

 

[valshingle]

ATTENTION!!!

This proposal is up for a BOD discussion and vote this weekend. It has not been put into effect.

Please contact your directors, or any directors that you want, to let them know how you feel.

I personally feel this proposal is very much needed given the current economic situation, especially with the rising fuel costs.

Apparently, some negative feedback was given to the office and that's why they are reconsidering it.

 

[R Whiteman]

Perhaps it is time to reexamine the purpose of the World Show. This rule may or may not increase the number of horses that show at the Worlds. But it does effectively lower the standards required to attend. It basically opens it to anyone that wants to come and that in some ways makes it just another horse show and if you have enough money, now you can attend too.

Isn't the Worlds supposed to be about showing the best against the best? This rule certainly will provide an opportunity for many more horses to attend the World show that previously did not qualify. It does not insure that the show will maintain the quality of entries that it currently enjoys.

From a financial point, it potentially increases the "also ran" populations in each class. This is a term used in horse racing for horses that ran in the race but didn't place. It is the "also ran" population that pay most of the bills. Is it the intent of this to rule encourage people to attend the World with horses that may never have place in a local show so that AMHA bills can be paid?

I think it is time that AHHA take a hard look at why those that did qualify for the World in the past didn't or don't go to the World show. The answers could reveal a much better solution.

As I see it,

Ron

 

[Robin1]

Probably a dumb question but. Are they going to do this like AMHR where if you show in an amateur class , you can enter ANY amateur class, same with open classes??

I think this is great and will bring more horses out.

Robin

 

[MinimotionW-S]

IMO a small percentage of people that show miniature horses actually go to Nationals or World. The people that really want to go have already found a way to go. This will allow people to come to World that don't have enough horses in classes & shows in their area to go. On another note, exhibitors enter more classes in shows that are supported by strong clubs with good Year End High Point programs as well as High Point awards at the shows. Our club members participate in State Fair Shows just to get points for Year End awards. Another consideration is the offering of a "flat fee" at Local shows. The East Coast Miniature Horse Club's Spring Fling show in NC offers a flat fee & several High Point awards. Our show is in April. We expect as many entries as always because of what we offer as a Local Club!

As a previous post mentioned,the BoD is voting to clarify this trial this Saturday. March 12. Contact your Director to let your wishes known.

 

[Julie/Azariah]

Yes... in my understanding, this item will be up for discussion this weekend at the BOD meeting. I have had many positive replies and some negatives. Both sides have very good points. I am representing the membership on this board and the executive committee (Director at Large) and it is NOT an easy position to be in. This is an important item... and though it is only being put in place for 2011, there are some things about this proposal that could have effects beyond 2011. Our board heard discussion from folks that were at the 2011 AMHA Annual meeting and voted accordingly. Please understand that if and when this is discussed and a decision is made, it will be after careful consideration by ALL directors. We need to consider the concerns and needs of the membership AND our organization. Your BOD is made up of people from all levels of membership (from trainers, to amateurs, to breeders...)from all areas of the US. Please trust that our decisions are thought through and discussed. We will never be able to please everyone, and can only hope that we are lead to make the best decisions for AMHA and its members.

 

[ruffian]

"I also think this will reduce the fun of competing. What does it mean to win a class when some of the horses are only there to walk into the ring to qualify? This happens at AMHR shows, and there is not much of a sense of accomplishment. If you don't have to qualify by showing against horses that are properly prepared for competition, you really have no sense of whether your horse will be competative at the Worlds"

I so disagree with this statement. There is certainly a huge sense of accomplishment when you place Top Ten or win at AMHR Nationals. There are typically over 1,500 horses, some of the best of the best, and just because you don't think some horses deserve to be there, others do.

On the flip side - what fun is it to place top ten in a class of 8 as I've seen at AMHA? Or would you prefer to win a class of 50? I've seen AMHA numbers drop year after year, and in our state lose AMHA shows completely because of the point system. If there aren't enough horses in the local classes, the horse couldn't get the points to go to Worlds. So after a while folks said why bother.

As a form AMHA show manager, I can say truthfully that it isn't the "big trainers" who make or break a show. They may bring 10 horses, but they go (typically) in 1 or at most 2 classes with each horse. Each has a stall. So they may pay for the stalls rented, and a few ribbons, but not for the judge and grounds. You need the "little guys" at a show to make a profit. The family who brings 3 horses and enters 20 classes. This is where the profit is!! It's great to say that "such and such big name trainer" shows here, but you HAVE to get the littler guys into the ring. Make it attractive for them to show. This change in AMHA's qualifications will help both locally and at Worlds.

 

[Julie/Azariah]

"I also think this will reduce the fun of competing. What does it mean to win a class when some of the horses are only there to walk into the ring to qualify? This happens at AMHR shows, and there is not much of a sense of accomplishment. If you don't have to qualify by showing against horses that are properly prepared for competition, you really have no sense of whether your horse will be competative at the Worlds"

I so disagree with this statement. There is certainly a huge sense of accomplishment when you place Top Ten or win at AMHR Nationals. There are typically over 1,500 horses, some of the best of the best, and just because you don't think some horses deserve to be there, others do.

On the flip side - what fun is it to place top ten in a class of 8 as I've seen at AMHA? Or would you prefer to win a class of 50? I've seen AMHA numbers drop year after year, and in our state lose AMHA shows completely because of the point system. If there aren't enough horses in the local classes, the horse couldn't get the points to go to Worlds. So after a while folks said why bother.

As a form AMHA show manager, I can say truthfully that it isn't the "big trainers" who make or break a show. They may bring 10 horses, but they go (typically) in 1 or at most 2 classes with each horse. Each has a stall. So they may pay for the stalls rented, and a few ribbons, but not for the judge and grounds. You need the "little guys" at a show to make a profit. The family who brings 3 horses and enters 20 classes. This is where the profit is!! It's great to say that "such and such big name trainer" shows here, but you HAVE to get the littler guys into the ring. Make it attractive for them to show. This change in AMHA's qualifications will help both locally and at Worlds.

Especially the last paragraph of your statement is, I think, why it passed in the first place. Most trainers horses are there for halter in one or two classes...or driving... one or two classes... Many people are there to enjoy showing their horses in multiple classes.

If this rule stays in effect I am not sure how it will affect the local shows. I know there is a lot of concern from some of the Local Clubs.

But... I do know, for me, it has no bearing on how much I show. I hope that ALL local club members, and AMHA members who typically enjoy local shows CONTINUE to support their local clubs by attending this year. Local shows are FUN... and not everyone who comes to a local show has the final goal of competing at worlds. But.. maybe this standing rule will encourage some people who never thought of attending Worlds to go and experience it.

I know that MOST people who usually attend Worlds will find a way to get there, it takes sacrifice of a lot of TIME and MONEY, but those who are determined to go will go. Many of those who cannot attend the World show don't make the trip because they cannot afford to use the time or money for a horse show... but for some, it has been that their horses didn't qualify...

There are so many angles to look at this and I look forward to the discussion at the meeting...

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Well, I hope it passes. If you fill the classes, even with horses you may not think "belong" there for some reason or another, you will finally be able to perhaps make Worlds break even, if not even profitable. So what if Susie Creamcheese brings her horse who really doesn't have a chance. She shows, is THRILLED to just be there even if she doesn't place. Maybe Susie will learn, buy a new horse (perhaps even from YOU!) and go on from there.

At least give it a try for one year. See if it works before deciding it won't. AMHA really has nothing to lose at all. And maybe a ton to gain.

 

[Sheri Stutts]

Yes - I think this is a great idea that will draw more entries to the World show. Plus you don't have to qualify the horse for each class you want to enter at the World. If you qualify in halter - then at the World now you can enter driving, obstacle, color, hunter. etc.without qualifing in each class. This will help the show with entries. If you like this plan then you need to notify your AMHA director. There is a group that is trying to stop this even though it was voted on and passed at the meeting.