I also wish they could move amhr nationals around and congress but its just not feasible. Having helped put on local shows I know how hard it is to get the dates you want to go with the facility etc.
someone emailed me and said why do we have to cater to the older pony people. we do because they are the ones that stuck with the ponies for years and years even when they werent so popular. And some of them have been around long enough that they were vital in establishing the breed. Without them who knows what would have happened to the Shetland Pony. So yes out of respect to them I do think the National show should be where they want it.
OK, this goes back a few years, and jumps species
: but FWIW when I showed dogs we did have a travelling Specialty (the equivalent of the Congress). It did take lots of advance planning and regional clubs did play the host (our club hosted twice). If I remember right, it was determined 7 years in advance which club would host, and it gave them lots of time to find facilities and prepare. Of course, the faces of the entries really varied from year to year (although those of us that were die-hards found a way to get there no matter the location) but as the sites rotated, small breeders from all over the country had a chance to show at a specialty where they otherwise may not have had the opportunity if the show was in the same location year after year. Granted, dog specialties are not nearly as facility-dependent as the pony Congress (we slept in the van with up to 10 dogs at a time). But it's food for thought. Obviously it would take rule changes, votes and such.
I would not think twice about hauling my dogs 1,200 miles or more to a specialty, but hauling horses is so much bigger of an ordeal (for them and for me). For me personally, a few hundred miles is a total stresser with horses (heck the 12 miles to vet stresses me out)
: Even if it was an 8 year rotation, at least then I know I'd have a chance of someday having it in my own backyard. For me, St. Louis, Gordyville and Tulsa may as well be Miami Beach. I'll doubt I'll ever have it in me to haul a horse to any of them.
While I do have enormous respect and gratitude for the fanciers who've saved our breed, I also think it's important to keep looking ahead. So while we don't know what would've happened yesterday without those folks, we have to remember that we have a tomorrow to plan for with a whole new set of members.
