Shows and clubs in western Pennsylvania

[mydaddysjag]

Now that Im too old for 4H and looking into getting back into showing, I would like to find a miniature horse club in my area. I know of Tri state and keystone miniature horse clubs, but the meetings are both pretty far. Keystones meetings are about 5 hours from me, and I believe tri states are 2-3 hours. I would love to be able to find a mini mentor, my previous mini mentor was Eileen Braccio, who had midas for training and she taught me a lot, but I need a "refresher course" and maybe even someone I can tag along to shows with. I cant afford to drive hours meetings (Need to save up gas money for driving hours to shows) So, if there is a mini club in my area that I don't know about, please let me know. Im actually in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, which is about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh.

Im also looking for shows within 2-3 hours from me, I believe there is at least one at the westmoreland county fair grounds, and one in butler, but i'm not sure, and don't know the contact info, date, or any details.

If you know of anything in my area, please let me know.

 

[Ladsmom]

I am only about a half an hour from you, and I too would like to find a club. I heard that they are not having them at the West. Fair grounds any more, but that I am not for sure. I am not sure if there is club there or not since their are breeders in Latrobe and Ligoneir. Hope we find one.

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

There is not a miniature horse club in this area. There is Tri-State Miniature Horse Club that does put on two AMHR rated shows a year, one in Meadville and Randolf Ohio, Kathy Porter is the one involved in those shows.

We have resigned from the fairgrounds as superintendents & will no longer be putting on the Westmoreland Fair Miniature Horse Show due to our own interests in attending more ASPC Shetlands shows and attending the New York State Fair like we did previously and planning on traveling to the Darke Country Fair that runs at the same time as Westmoreland's and they offer premiums plus have points awarded for both registry's in the ASPC/AMHR.

Scott and myself totally handled the show of 30 classes held at Westmoreland for 6 years and had very little help putting the show together with going to various local business for the premiums payouts and merchandise to be given away for prizes, which was a total over $1300.00 in CASH alone every year.

It got to be too time consuming and demanding to continue with our busy show schedule with traveling with the ponies and miniatures and both of us working full time jobs, having a 72 acre farm with Texas Longhorns, shetland ponies and miniatures..... so something had to be cut and it was being superintendents of the fair and it was not a paid position either. The only things that the fair did was provide the payment of the trophy's and ribbons and take care of the judge and payment of the judge, the rest of the other work was up to the both of us to do.

It wasn't very easy to do the prep work for the miniature show including writing the sponsor letters, making mailing envelopes, postage, class listings, making the offical showbills and get sponsor sheets printed off, premium envelopes printed and stuffed with cash to be handed out, getting the prizes picked up and organized, getting the trophy's ordered, ring prep, concession stand, photographer, entry booth with getting people to help there in registrations, getting a announcer and paying for that ($275.00), getting help in the ring passing out ribbons and whatever else came up unexpected.

Very few people do know what all does need to happen with putting on a show even if it was a FUN show, and you always have a few issues with people that something that they didn't like, just like any other show and you couldn't please everyone 100%.

Every year we had people attend from West Virginia and Ohio attend along with some top breeders in the Pa area (Hidden Timber Ranch, Mini Ridge Farm, Star Lake Tack and many more breeders), with usually around 65 to 85 horses entered, and around 185 entries. Some of the people seemed to really appreciated all the time and effort that did go into the doing the show and some didn't ..... and I basically just had enough of all the work involved and decided to concentrate on our promoting our own horses more and decided it was time for us to give it up doing the show all together.

We were involved with putting the light horse and the draft horse show as well, it was not only taking care of the miniature show only. We had been in charge of all the equine entered and stalled of the 10 day fair as well and handled all placings to be turned into the fair for payout doing the bookwork.

There are no FUN shows left in the area and it is a shame, that is how we got started in the beginning with Foothills Horse and Pony Club. There will be alot of dissapointed people and kids as well with the show no longer being scheduled at the fair, perhaps someone else could take over now that has more time than us, but the meeting has been held already for the 2009 fair schedule, they will have to address the fair board for a show for 2010 in later 2009.

There is plans in the working of the new equine facility at Westmoreland Fairgrounds and I do hope for them to hold a AMHR/ASPC rated show there once they do have the facility built and it will be run by the appropriate show managers and stewards.

I just want to make things clear why there will not be a show at the Westmoreland Fair and why we are no longer involved as being superintendents of all equine at the Westmoreland Fair any longer. It was fun at times ....and everyone had a few laughs, but it is time for us to move on.

Thanks

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

I had a call from the fair livestock superintendent today and he had mentioned that if we ever decided to put on a miniature show on at a later date down the road that we were more than welcome in doing so and they would support us. At this moment they are going to have a 2 day 4-H round up instead on saturday and sunday of the first week of the fair, since there will be no miniature show scheduled.

Perhaps if someone else would have interest in doing so, they could take over. Its just too much for us to do anymore and very time consuming with our schedule during the show season. Just a thought since there is no fun shows around in Pa any longer.