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Lewella

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I received this from Tracey Slagle earlier today! Anyone who would like to see Congress moved to the newly expanded AIR CONDITIONED Lancaster Events Center in Lincoln, NE let your Area Directors know! You don't get any more Central in the US than Lincoln! (The geographical center of the lower 48 is just outside of Lincoln in a corn field). The Events center is very willing to work with us and really wants a show to host the Congress.

If anyone wants to see the new facility layout email Tracey - she has a PDF file she can send you!

"The center will be done by June 1, 2008 and ready for a congress show in 2008 and they have the dates tentatively reserved.

In Pavillion I there can be a warm up arena and have 250 stalls. In Pavillion II there are approx. 400 stalls and Pavillion III there are 400 stall and if we want a warm up arena then there would be approx. 200 stalls.

I sure hope you all pass the word to other exhibitors that have been here to write a letter of support to me or a director. If you have any questions please contact me. Tracey Slagle"

Tracey's email is [email protected]
 
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oooohhh Thank you Lewella!!! I will be e-mailing her for sure. I would like my first Congress to be more attainable... as I am on the west coast...

Andrea
 
I just mapquested it that its only 12 hours from here. Gordyville was like 6 hours or so. Im not complaining, 12 hours is not going to keep me from not attending congress.

Personally, i like the gordyville set up. Does this show location have a website?

Since its a brand new facility and just built (or going to be finished/built), will the prices of Congress such as stalls/entry fees ext go up?

Ooops just seen Tracys email. Will email her for show grounds layout
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Leeana... what's an extra SIX hours???

MapQuest says Gordyville is TWENTY-NINE hours away from me!!! There and back, that's a LONG way for my poor ponies to haul. I WISH it was twelve hours away!

On the other hand, Lincoln NE is only TWENTY-ONE hours away. Sounds better to me.

Lincoln is the same "distance" as NATIONALS so that would make having ponies or minis about the same, rather than only being fair to the pony people on the east coast side of the country. That's honestly one reason I stuck with the minis, it wasn't "Well the old pony people don't want to be fair, and we have to have it that way for them or they won't come."

Nationals for AMHR always seemed in the best interest for EVERYONE.

Andrea
 
Disney i was by NO means complaining, just trying to make a point that i will attend no matter what the drive and i dont think 12 hours is bad at all, just stating how far it is for us Ohio people
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I've been to shows at both locations and IMO Lincoln is about 100X nicer than Gordyville and plus all summer/fall I kept hearing about all the horses that got sick after being at the Gordyville facility. (a couple of mine included) but never heard that problem about Lincoln. For us the distance to either isn't much different but I'd definitely prefer to go to Lincoln. Next year I hope to attend Congress and my vote is for Lincoln as the location.
 
This sounds like a perfect place for congress. We went to the ST. Louis congress, but never Gordyville. It will be a little farther for us but sounds like a great set up.
 
Last I heard they were also still looking at the new facility in Indy. The pictures I saw of Indy were beautiful. I would think a firm decision would have to be made soon? Its getting awfully late when you consider what it takes to move a show to a new facility.

Horses getting sick had nothing to do with Gordyville. That virus was everywhere before congress. Gordyville did bleach the arena etc when they heard there was a virus going around. I really dont know what more they could have done. I know in Ohio every single show I went to were sick coughing horses. Also I have a friend whose horse came back sick after amhr nationals. Whenever you get a lot of horses together this is going to happen unfortunately.
 
I guess for me it wouldnt really matter. I would love to go, but it isnt in my cards to do so..........but with any luck my horse will still make it.
 
Hi,

I would first like to say that I hope someday we can find a place to hold Congress that would make all concerned happy
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: But that will more than likely never happen in my life time
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As for Lincoln I have heard good things ,
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: and then I have also heard how Dirty it was , There is a lot more that goes into selecting a show site besides being Centrally located
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: A big one is COST !! We saved right at $15,000 on the facility at Gordyville from the facility at St.Louis. And for a show that has not made money in a long time that is something that must be considered. I think one of our big problems with Congress as to it's revenue is that Shetlands tend to be more Specialized in what they do. For example : Joe Blow takes Fred the Mini to Nationals , He shows him in Halter, Country Pleasure Driving , Roadster, Liberty , Obstacle driving, Obstacle Halter, Jumping, Hunter, Showmanship, Youth classes in all these divisions.. :new_shocked: :new_shocked: Believe me it does happen and more than just one .. Now you take Joe Blow takes Annie the Shetland to Congress , She shows Halter and maybe ONE driving class , and the stakes Maybe,, If she is a Road Pony that is all she does, So therefore we have a show with a lot less class entries than a Mini show with the same number of horses... And all those extra classes that people enter is where our revenue comes from to pay for the show..
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I do believe Dennis gave the job of looking into a new facility to Bud and a couple of more board members, Tere Haute ,In and one other but it was not Lincoln that I remember.

As Chair of the Classic Committee and a Board member I would like for you to write or email me if you have some idea's or the name of a Facility that you think might work so that we can put the proper people looking into them, so that they will know all the info to bring back to the board. I am always open to suggestions and welcome any and all that you have to give..
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We also have to remember that the Modern Committee might would like some suggestions also as they are half the Congress also.. And not to forget the Show Pony Committee , so really this involves more than just a Few folks,

Belinda Bagby

Chair Classic Committee

Area V Director
 
I would LOVE for it to be in NE as that is a bit closer for us but life doesnt go according to Lisa very often
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I am hoping to attend Congress this year but I will say with both Congress and Nationals being so far away it does make many have to choose one or the other It would be interesting to see if moving it more central would increase attendence and the profit of the show. But I can see how that would be a gamble as well.

We have a facility here in ID that is doing its best to become a national level facility with over 500 stalls (more can be put up) a jumper and CC course, indoor and outdoor arenas indoor washracks ect but.. ya i know who on earth from the East coast would want to come to ID LOL

I am guessing this will be something discussed at convention? But then againI have never been so who knows what everyone discusses I am just glad to be going
 
Rotating is almost impossible. Remember the time of congress is also the time other breeds have their big shows so to get the same dates and rotate just becomes a nightmare. Alot of facilities have to be booked years ahead. We are just lucky that the two being looked at now are new so the dates arent all booked yet. But I did hear indy was booking quickly.
 
Belinda's right. We're not going to find ONE facility that's going to make EVERYONE happy. And she's right when comparing the minis to the shetlands. Currently, ALL of the minis on my string (all client horses) are All Around horses. They compete in EVERYTHING. My shetlands do halter and maybe Liberty if I feel like it. I will say that in St. Louis there were a lot more youth so those youth classes were extremely full with horses competing in multiple classes each.

Making the Congress profitable is going to take more exhibitors exhibiting at it(and entering performance classes). And that's going to take increasing our membership with SHETLAND owners. I'd really like to see the registry spend more time and money advertising the SHETLAND than the mini. Everyone and their brother knows what a mini is and does, but so many people are still in the dark about our AMERICAN shetland.

My vote is Lincoln. I've heard good things about the facility and it's centrally located. And yes, being central isn't the only concern we have but it will attract a more variety of exibitors from the US. If we're already losing money on it, then move it to attract MORE people (especially people with KIDS). It sounds as if we're going to lose cash on it anyway, lets cut our losses and encourage others to make the trip by meeting them halfway.

Ok, off my soap box.
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The move to Nebraska wouldn't work for us since we do the AMHR Nationals also with 6 horses and only two horses for Congress, too much of a long distance haul with doing the Ohio World Show at the mid to end of July and then the trip of roughly 20 hours to each Congress and Nationals and for the amount of days being away from work and the farm, one of the big trips would have to be dropped since we show both of the equine.

See what comes out of the decision about Congress first before we make our decision of our shows to attend in 2008.
 
Why not combind nationals and congress?
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I have shown at the Lancaster Events Center for three years in a row now. IMO it is the nicest facility that I went to this year. As a person that stays in their trailer at Congress in Gordyville and has to use the "facilites" I can tell you that the showers are not very good and neither are the restrooms, they are hot and they are dirty and at least on our side of the barn, two of the toliets were continously overflowing. The Events Center has very nice large extremely clean restrooms and a totally seperate shower facility with locker room, changing area and it is all air conditioned. It also has a very good concession stand and the grounds are close to a lot of hotels and eating places. Lots of parking, lots of RV hook-ups but they do not allow plugging in to the barn like Gordyville (which is the only place I go that allows that anyway). The warm-up arena is larger and safer than the one at Gordyville. I cannot remember if they have hot water in the wash racks or not. I normally show up there in July so I use cold water. That I can remember, there are two washracks on the side of the barn where I normally stall and there are three to four faucets on each side so 12 to 16 ponies can be washed at one time. There may be more washracks on the other side of the warm-up arena but I have not looked over there before. The main show arena is air conditioned and is large...the road ponies can really show their stuff in the ring. If I am remembering correctly the stalls are the same ones that Gordyville uses. There is concrete around the outer edges of the stalls and I THINK that the actual alleyways are packed clay. I remember washing white ponies and not worrying about their legs getting dirty on the way back to the stall but I remember painting hooves at the end of my stall area.

I did look at a cost sheet on the place earlier this year and the arena and stall rental was cheaper than most all of the arenas in Texas. I attend multiple judged (three to four judges) shows that are ran by clubs in the area and I know that they are breaking even on cost and their shows are not as large as say our Daffodil Dandy Show down here in Texas. I know that mainly it will come down to cost and available dates but I would really love to spend a week at a show where I was not pouring sweat when I got out of the shower and/or cleaning out a dirty shower before I can use it. As far as being dirty, I would have no idea how that rumor would have got started. The Events Center, dirt and dust-wise is certainly no different than where I am stalled in the back barn at Gordyville. The stall curtains we took down at Gordyville were dirtier than from St Louis year before. I have several new clients that attended Congress this year and they were all really disappointed in the motels in Rantoul (AC went out, could not get clean towels, etc) and lack of anything but fast food places to eat, especially if it was after 10 at night (these people have small children and did not want to eat at a bar in Gifford) and lack of electrical outlets in the back barn. I had 18 ponies at Congress that were entered in 52 classes so we were busy all week and having a fan and an air conditioned place to cool off would have been very nice.

I hope that whoever is responsible for the Lancaster Events Center will send a cost sheet and a presentation for Convention or prior to Convention for the committees to look over. I know that a decision will have to be made very soon. I also think that in order for Congress to grow we will have to move to a facility that offers more stalls and better amenities than Gordyville. I have shown for 15 years at Gordyville (not just Sheltand but National Snaffle Bit Assc and AQHA) so I am not against the place, I just think if the ASPC National show is to grow and bring in and keep new exhibitors we need to be at a nicer facility.
 
Hello

I agree with Leah that the location in Lincoln is NOT dirty and don't know where that comes from. I was also stalled in the back barn at Gordyville and that was definitely dirty. (I must say that I feel the facility at St. Louis was the dirtiest I have EVER seen and I absolutely despised that location. :no: )

In Gordyville we nearly always have problems with the electricity. This year I didn't notice all the electric going out in the back, but probably in the past it went out BECAUSE all the trailers are allowed to plug into the barn or at least that is part of the reason. The RV park at Lincoln is nice and they have someone that lives on sight or at least they did. Plus the trailers plugging into the barn might be nice for the people staying there, but it definitely is NOT nice for those of us who don't stay in trailers. There is many times a big mess around the barn and hard to get into and out of sometimes. Plus there is not a lot of room to drive through and the parking there leaves MUCH to be desired and the area around the trailers is often wet and littered with junk and tents. :eek:

In Lincoln the parking lot is nice and it is an actual parking LOT. There are many restaurants and hotels to choose from.
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: Not only that, it is MUCH more centrally located. The complaints about Congress not making money are one very good reason to consider making the move to a more centrally located facility. Obviously some type of change needs to happen to bring this event into the black financially I think that is VERY possible. The pony contingent from Area V has increased over the past few years. I think you would have even MORE ponies from our Area as well as farther west if the location moved. I brought 4 ponies from Texas and entered them in approx. 30 classes. I have been told that many people in & around the area of Illinois/Indiana have said they will NOT move. I think you will see growth if it DOES move - just maybe from a different direction. Don't get me wrong, I hope everyone comes to Congress, but obviously SOMEONE is going to have to drive a good ways to get there. So why should THAT be the reason NOT to move????
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The wash racks at Lincoln are nice, the concession stand is really great. It is actually one of the nicest facilities I have shown in out of our area. I don't know about the cost, but I have heard it is very affordable considering the facilities. It is at least worth looking into and I feel the board (and especially the individual directors) would be remiss in their duties if they overlook this opportunity - especially in light of the fact so many of members seem to WANT this facility to be considered.
 
And one other thing I wanted to add - I feel you are going to see many more ponies - classic at least - that are going to be all around ponies. Versatility is one thing we love about them and I believe the one big attraction to shetlands is their versatility. People want to be able to do more than one class with a pony. That is the criteria for getting on my trailer . . . the ones that do the most get first choice to get on the trailer. I am not going to haul ponies or minis at these prices all over the country for one halter class.

I think you are going to see this more and more and IF you truly want the Congress to grow that opportunity will be there for the exhibitors. That is where your numbers are going to come in. How much more money is a pony going to bring to the show if it goes into 5 or 6 classes as opposed to one? The versatile pony is the pony you want to cultivate for the shows if you want to make a profit. Otherwise you can't put enough stalls in the barn to make the kind of money you need.
 
This isn't a new facility but a PUBLICALLY OWNED facility that is expanding (via funds raised by a local bond) to attract shows like the Congress. Our dates are available and from what I understand they have us penciled in and are willing to just about bend over backwards to make it an affordable proposition for the ASPC to move Congress there.

Area VI and the Great Plains Small Equine Assn - both small clubs - have used the Lincoln facility for years to host PROFITABLE shows! In 2006 when our Area VI National Show (hosted by the GPSEA club) went late on Sunday the facility let the club rent the barn we were using for just $100 until noon then next day. The GPSEA club split this between the bunch of us that were laying over until Monday and we paid a whole whopping $1.50 per pony for the extra nights stall. How many facilities are going to work with you that way? I'd wager not many!

There are EIGHT washracks per barn and each washrack holds two ponies very easily so SIXTEEN people can be washing their ponies at the same time in EACH barn.

The facility is AIR CONDITIONED! The main arena is completely air conditioned as are the restrooms, locker room, show office and concessions. Part of the expansion plans included making some changes to the already excellent concessions and adding bath and shower facilities for the RV area. Another plus to the RV area - water hook ups!

Oh, and electricity in the barn - there is a drop down plug in for every block of four stalls. We've never had any issues with power no matter how much stuff is plugged in!

As many of you know I'm a barn camper and usually rent an extra stall at most shows and stay in the barn. I've slept in stalls at Gordyville and Lincoln. I'll take Lincoln any day of the week! It is not even half as dusty as Gordyville. The parking lot is paved so no dust blowing in from outside like Gordyville either.

My guess is the detractors that say the facility is "dirty" probably haven't shown there in many years. When this facility was first built they did have some problems with the arena base but when it proved ot be a problem they removed everything and started over from scratch. As Leah said the aisles are a nice packed clay and the area around the exterior walls is a nice wide concrete aisle.

Another big plus to Lincoln - this is a facility that attracts SPECTATORS!

And it is big enough that Congress will be able to grow for many years ahead with no worries about space!!
 
Thanks for the good post(s) DMK. I also think the ponies are going to be growing (I think they ARE growing) in popularity. The minis have grown and improved so fast in the decade I'd shown them, and I think other people, like me, will "graduate" to the ponies as they get more skill from the minis. You just can't go back to driving minis after driving a nice Classic (and ESPECIALLY after driving a Modern!), they seem so tiny and silly.

The ponies will grow as people double register those minis, as another venue to show them. People with AMHA/AMHR registered horses already show in both registries, so it's not hard to see them showing their ASPC/AMHR horses in both registries, too. Particularly if they have a taller one that might not measure in AMHR, they will still be able to get a nice show record on it for breeding, promoting, or resell value.

The minis have grown so popular and the Nationals so large, it only makes sense the ponies will follow suit.

BUT not everyone is in Ohio/Illinois with the ponies any more. People ALL over the country are in love with the Shetland and want to enjoy and promote them. It's an AMERICAN shetland, not a MIDWEST shetland, after all. I really would love to see a centrally located Congress, no matter which of the central states it would be in. And a NATIONAL level facility with air conditioning and clean safe stalls.

Andrea
 

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