AMHR Nationals Hurting Hunter & Jumper Exhibitors

[Yaddax3]

Very disappointed to see all the Open Hunter, Adult Jumper, Golden Age Jumper and all Open Obstacle classes will be held on the final Sunday of AMHR Nationals.

The Hunter and Jumper classes annually are among the most popular classes at Nationals, with 40 and more exhibitors in each class.

The move to Sunday will cost the association many exhibitors and thousands of dollars in class fees. Why put popular classes on that final Sunday? The association wisely decided to have both Liberty classes earlier in the show, presumably due to fewer horses showing on that final Sunday when one of the Liberty classes was held.

To our Board of Directors: Is it too late to reconsider the Sunday schedule?

 

[BSharpRanch]

Possibly they did that move to encourage more people to stay?

 

[Minimor]

Just my guess--they put those popular classes on that day to encourage more people to stay. The more popular the classes--the more likely that people will stay to show in those classes.

 

[Yaddax3]

Many people will not stay. As proof, I offer the drop in exhibitors in Liberty when moved to that final Sunday. Liberty is the largest class when held during the week. When moved to Sunday, the number of exhibitors shrinks considerably. There were 26 horses in Liberty Under on that final Sunday in September. When held during the week, that's a class that has had 70 and more horses.

Most of the people taking part in Hunter, Jumper and Obstacle are amateurs. Many take vacation time from work to show. After a week or two of vacation time to compete at AMHR Nationals, it is difficult to show on that final Sunday and be at work the next day, a work day.

 

[Performancemini]

Not speaking of just Nationals, but any shows in general-most of the time we don't stay for those classes because by then we know we will be tired and just want to get home. It's a disappointment when we choose to go home and skip these because we would like to participate, but sometimes we just decide we need to get on home. The thing is-there has to be classes that are at the end. So how do you choose. No matter what is chosen to be at the end will disappoint somebody. It's like anything. Maybe the board and committee could change it up every other year or something?

 

[Flying minis]

They Open Obstacle has been on the Sunday for the last two years - and is considerably smaller than the Amateur obstacle (especially the overs). . . I was also disappointed to see the hunter / jumper classes on Sunday. Usually we are done by around noon and can leave for our 11 hour drive home, still getting home on Sun night. Now I'm fairly certain even if the additional classes are light on entries, we will not be out of Tulsa in time to get home Sunday. I think we will have to stay over another night and leave Monday. Luckily, this year my schedule allows it.

At the same time - there have to be classes on the last day. If the last day was Saturday, we'd still have this discussion of what classes should be on the final day, and whether exhibitors would stay / leave. With a two week show, most people are ready to get home as soon as they can, and no matter what classes are held the last day, they will generally be smaller.

 

[Flying minis]

One thing I will commend the committee for though is getting the schedule out so early! Especially with the change on Sunday, it is very helpful for me to see that this early in the year so I can plan my work accordingly. So a big than you for that : )

 

[Minimor]

I think maybe some people do forget that point made above--that some classes always have to be on that last day of the show, and someone always has last day classes that they wish were earlier in the show. It's not fair that people who show in H/J and Obstacle have to wait until the last day, but is that any less fair than if the driving people have to wait until the last day to show? Some of the driving exhibitors surely don't show in H/J or obstacle, and some of them do have youth that show the first day of Nationals--so is it fair if they have to be there for the entire show and wait around through all the H/J and obstacle classes so that they can show in their final classes, the Stakes?

The show committee (and/or BOD...not sure exactly who decides on the class schedule?) has a tough job, trying to come up with the best schedule that suits the most people and attracts the most entries. No matter who has to show on that last day there will be someone who complains that it isn't fair because they cannot stay for that day. If the Sunday classes were mixed into the show schedule throughout the entire show--so that there were no classes at all on Sunday--then yes, this same discussion would apply to the Saturday classes. Added to that there would likely be discussion on how fair is it that one class and not another is put last thing of the day so that someone has to be showing into the early morning hours when the show goes very late at night.

The show could be shortened (and it would seem that way would suit more people) by adding a second show ring and running classes consecutively in the two arenas--the show would go faster, but then there would be complaints that someone has to choose one class over another because the two run at the same time in two different arenas.

There is no simple answer and I agree with the above--it's great that the show committee got the program made up in good time so that people have more time to plan and decide what they will do about time away from home, if they can enter all the classes they want to or if they will have to head home early.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Here are the class numbers from last year comparing to Amateur vs open:

Amateur Halter Obstacle, Under - 53

Amateur Halter Obstacle, Over - 23

Amateur Obstacle Driving, Under - 19

Amateur Obstacle Driving, Over - 11

Amateur Versatility, Under - 28

Amateur Versatility, Over - 27

Amateur Hunter, Under - 60

Amateur Hunter, Over - 29

Amateur Jumper, Under - 28

Amateur Jumper, Over - 20

Open Halter Obstacle, Under - 30

Open Halter Obstacle, Over - 16

Open Obstacle Driving, Under - 18

Open Obstacle Driving, Over - 14

Open Versatility, Under - 24

Open Versatility, Over - 23

Open Hunter, Under - 46

Open Hunter, Over - 31

Open Jumper, Under - 25

Open Jumper, Over - 19

Loss Halter Obstacle, Under - 23

Loss Halter Obstacle, Over - 7

Loss Obstacle Driving, Under - 1

Loss Obstacle Driving, Over - 3

Loss Versatility, Under - 4

Loss Versatility, Over - 4

Loss Hunter, Under - 14

Loss Jumper, Under - 3

Loss Jumper, Over - 1

GAINED Hunter, Over - 2

So honestly will we take a huge loss if we moved everything to Sunday? Obstacle has been held on Sunday for a few years now and yes your Under halter obstacle took a good hit but not real terrible. Your other classes didn't get huge losses with exhibitors either. Now your Hunter classes again not a huge loss, your Hunter, Under wasn't as big of numbers as Obstacle but still a slight loss. So will numbers drop, yes, but they have in the past and I'm sure if Obstacle was real low in numbers in the past would have moved it but they have kept it there because people stayed and showed just like they will in the hunter and jumpers. The only classes I see may have a significant drop will be your versatility classes.

You cannot make everybody happy, no one is going to like showing on the last day but someone has to. I think this will go well, and if it doesn't they can change it next year. The only solution would be to either cut the extra driving classes we have and show the performance classes on Saturday morning and afternoon and your Stakes Saturday night and have nothing on Sunday but the registry will loose a lot of money or have another ring going for individual performance classes which can be done with us having Open Halter judges and Open Performance Judges. But I feel like if Obstacle can make it on Sunday so can your jumping classes. I am also an exhibitor in these classes and had stayed every Sunday except for last year and showed, so I understand.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

My thoughts were to run the obstacle and hunter/jumper classes during the Futurity classes. Judges are different, no clashes there. Most people who show those classes typically don't have a futurity horse. And since most of the Futurity is babies, definitely no clashes there!

 

[bullockcorner]

Where IS the schedule? I can't find it on their website. I have never known it to be out this early, and like Flying minis, am grateful I can plan my vacation time early.

 

[HGFarm]

minimor- my thoughts exactly! Someone is always going to get 'stuck' on the last day of the show... there is no way to avoid that.

 

[MiniNHF]

Where IS the schedule? I can't find it on their website. I have never known it to be out this early, and like Flying minis, am grateful I can plan my vacation time early.

I had a hard time locating it as well but it is here: http://www.shetlandminiature.com/member-services/forms.html

 

[bullockcorner]

Thanks! Found it.

 

[Jean_B]

My thoughts were to run the obstacle and hunter/jumper classes during the Futurity classes. Judges are different, no clashes there. Most people who show those classes typically don't have a futurity horse. And since most of the Futurity is babies, definitely no clashes there!

Hmmmmm.....I really think this idea has some merit. Yes, there are upwards of 65 babies in each of the weanling futurity classes, and about half as many in the yearling & 2 year old futurity classes, but for the most part, the people showing in Futurity would not be in jumping or halter obstacle. Yes, I can think of several folks who do both, so maybe some of them could chime in?

 

[maryann]

I am very dissapointed as well with the decision to move the more popular classes to The last day. We will probably not get to stay which means we will probably leave two of our horses that usually compete in these classes at home. I am pretty sure I am not the only one in this boat. So with these being open classes I would think this will cost the registry on this show. Many of the Amatures that show in the open performance classes will have to stay longer or just not get to show in open. Sad!

 

[Flying minis]

I hope that they are not done entering exhibitors into the class listings - or that there will be a lot of post entries in these classes, as right now the class counts are horribly low : (

I'm hoping (since not all information is available) that they are still entering information, and more will show up as they continue to put it into the system.

IF the youth class counts are correct - it's going to be a BIG youth show!

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Yes a lot of youth this year, which is good.

Remember you can post enter your classes even the night before these classes, so they will get bigger. The only classes you have to pre-enter in is the youth and futurity.