Monthly Column by Carol Dean-Porter |
BEHIND THE SCENES
AT THE HORSE SHOWS
Most people arrive at a show, and never give a
thought to the planning and the many hours of preparation that are put into making a
successful horse show.
Many months of work go into putting on the event and making it look effortless!
The show manager starts the process a year or more in advance, securing the dates from the
various organizations, renting showgrounds, hiring officials and purchasing awards. As the
time for the show draws near, the manager must print the premium and send out to potential
exhibitors, organize the office staff with computers and programs and oversee each step of
set up at the showgrounds itself.
There are many "unsung heroes" who keep the horse show running smoothly and
seamlessly.
The Paddock Steward keeps exhibitors updated as to the show schedule and make sure entries
arrive at the ring in a timely fashion. The Paddock Steward also has responsibility for
creating and posting fair and equitable Orders of Go in the rated jumper classes, ensuring
that riders with multiple horses are not scheduled too closely together. The Paddock
Steward must be prepared to make adjustments quickly in case of tack failure, injury to a
horse or rider in the schooling area or other unforeseen possible delays to the class. Most
experienced Paddock Stewards know the individual exhibitors on sight, and can tell if
someone is not yet prepared to enter the ring in their scheduled spot. In these cases,
Paddock Stewards can quickly inform the other exhibitors to speed up their warmup time. In
case of delay, in the ring, such as a fall, the Paddock Steward can warn the next entry of
a possible delay in the schedule. The Paddock Steward informs the judge which entry number
is on course, and in the case of back-to-back run classes, which class the exhibitor is
currently competing. This can be quite complicated with the judge frequently holding
multiple cards open.
A professional jump crew can make course changes quickly and efficiently, following the
course designer's plan of measurements and jump placements. This is an physically taxing
job, with predawn set-up times and after dark ring tear-downs. The crew checks fences for
loose rails after an entry has a hard rub, even if the rail does not fall down. If a horse
stops and slides into a fence, the jump crew is capable of replacing the jump in the exact
position, measuring height, width and angle from the course designer's chart. The jump is
ready to be retried immediately upon the judge's signal for the horse to return to action.
Tractor and water truck drivers keep footing soft, damp and even for all the horses.
Without them, deep depressions develop on the take-off and landing sides of jumps. Ring
maintenance is invaluable for keeping all the horses sound and the exhibitors happy.
The show secretaries are the ones who check entries in and out, add and scratch classes,
update the computer lists, process drug forms and affidavits, prepare bills and collect
fees at the end of the show. They are highly appreciated by the exhibitors for their
cheerful efficiency.
Next time you go to a show, be aware of all the people who work so hard to make the event
a success!
Carol's
Monthly Columns
