Ribbon returns - would you be interested?

[ruffian]

Had friends from the "Big Horse" world over yesterday and started talking about showing. They show Quarter Horses, and they have the option of turning their ribbons back in for money off their show fees. For normal ribbons, it's like 50 cents or a dollar. "Big" ribbons (champion etc) they get $1 - $5, depending on the club.

I think this is a fabulous idea, we turn ours back anyhow, but it sure would be nice to have this Option at shows!!

Clubs - Managers - what do you think? Would you support something like this? Of course this is only at the show and if the ribbons were in pristine shape.

 

[targetsmom]

New England Pinto does this too. Think it is a great idea - you can keep the ones you want and get credit for the rest. It is a bit easier for our shows because the ribbons are not presented in the ring so it is probably easier to keep track. They are handed out after the classes and someone checks off on the list which ribbons are picked up. So you don't turn them back in, you just don't pick them up.

 

[minimomNC]

Several clubs give coupons worth $1 to $.50 for the placings, you can use them usually on any vendor at the show, on your show bill or turn in for that color place ribbon. Once we started winning more ribbons than we had room for, we gave back everything except Grands or Supremes, those are hard to come by. I think its a great option to cut expenses for both the clubs and the exhibitors.

 

[Sandee]

I know it would be work for someone from the club but I'd like to see the ribbons handed out and then returned after the class for the credit. New people and kids especially like to get ribbons and trophies so it's nice to be able to "accept" them in the arena. Then they could be returned after the class is out of the ring so they don't get dirty/wrinkled etc.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I like to take the ribbons and hang them on the stalls and then return them and most of the time keep the championship ribbons. In these hard times the clubs needs to be smart on their ribbons and how to bring in exhibitors. I say give out some nice hanging strip ribbons and your championship and stake classes give out the real nice rosette championship ribbons. If you want to give out something special give something extra special to the youth. If exhibitors return so many ribbons then give them some type of credit towards their next show that year the club will be hosting. May also help bring exhibitors back to the shows if they have credit.

 

[wingnut]

I'm still too new to showing and I love my ribbons too much to give them back, LOL! I do know some in our small club who do "turn back" their ribbons. And because our shows are funded by those class fees, I wouldn't want anything in return if I did turn back a ribbon.

 

[disneyhorse]

I've always donated my ribbons back, sometimes even the Grands. I would kind of love to get money back, but honestly don't mind donating them back because clubs do struggle...

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

We give ours back. There's a big box right outside the outgate and as we exit we just drop them in there. We do tend to hang onto championship ribbons if it's that horses' first ones. Other than that all get dropped. Sometimes we do hang them on our stalls but at the end of the show we drop them.

 

[sassy1]

For several years now, most of our smaller Shows and a few of our bigger Breed and Agricultural Shows have run 'Ribbon Raffles'.

The competitors return their ribbons and receive raffle ticket/s for each ribbon and they usually are given a couple of extra tickets for Champion ribbons.The prize is usually a bag of feed, a saddle-blanket or some horse product (all of which has usually been donated).

 

[disneyhorse]

Sassy1 that's a great idea!!!

 

[Sandee]

I second that!

 

[Performancemini]

I have turned some back in. Didn't actually think that the club's would use them again (Duh! right?- oh! so that's why the year's not on them!). We usually only keep 1-2's and the Res. and Ch.'s, etc. Even so, those usually end up stored in a bag. (I need to make one of those 'ribbon quilts'! or 'framed collages'). If club's offered a "reward" for returning them it would be nice, but I would be willing to return them anyway (as long as I HAD the option to keep those I wanted to!).

 

[Jill]

I love my ribbons... Especially the ones I refer to as "the good ribbons". I display them and really enjoy having them

 

[ruffian]

Wow Sassy1 thats a great idea!!!

 

[ruffian]

Sassy1 That's a great idea - Love it!

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

Our club gives a coupon you can redeem at the show office for I think .25 cents for each ribbon. That way the ribbons are out and get wrinkled or dirty. Great idea.

 

[Davie]

I turn most of mine back in unless they are a 1st, Reserve, Grand, or Stakes win, especially on a horse that is showing for the first time. Our club give us .40 cents a ribbon when we turned them in at the office--it is in the form of a credit to be used towards the next show entries. Must turn in the credit slip with the next entry for credit. Really like it. If the grandkids are showing then I let them keep them.

 

[stormy]

Considering when all is totaled up my ribbons cost me several hundred dollars each you will never get them out of my hot sweaty hands!!!

 

[eagles ring farm]

Great idea Sassy1

When we were showing Pinto a few years back on a regular basis. They had a little tiny tack shop set up in 1 of the stalls just little things shampoo, curry combs, braid bands, vet wrap etc. you could turn your ribbons in there for a value of 50 cents each and trade for any products you wanted. We always turned in our ribbons except champion / res . champion or overall weekend awards It came in handy also for people at the show who maybe needed something they forgot as you could also purchase from them without ribbon turn in