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Post by Redsky on Aug 20, 2012 10:26:42 GMT
Agree totally melons! She did a fab job keeping that ring running smoothly and I saw her help many competitors who didn't have a groom to hand, and I did indeed tell her she had done a good job on the few times I spoke to her.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2012 10:56:31 GMT
LOL Nursery - that wasnt me dressed as a chilli pepper !!!! It was my sons friend Nick  I will post a piccy later Sam, Nick and Jasper coming 3rd in the Performance to music - made our whole Equifest experience worth it - smiley Sam is worth millions to me |
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Post by sunnylynn on Aug 20, 2012 11:05:57 GMT
LOL Nursery - that wasnt me dressed as a chilli pepper !!!! It was my sons friend Nick I will post a piccy later Sam, Nick and Jasper coming 3rd in the Performance to music - made our whole Equifest experience worth it - smiley Sam is worth millions to me Well done, I think you were fab, LOVED the costumes ;D. My daughter was Jessie...bless her she'd practiced that test over and over at home and got it foot perfect but on the day, Charlie (pony)had fallen asleep and she didnt get a chance to warm him up before going in so she couldnt get him to go! The rosettes were lovely tho  |
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Post by Pink_Princess on Aug 20, 2012 12:25:15 GMT
it was my first year at Equifest, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I will agree stables being that far away from parking was a bit to much and as 4 year olds first big show it was a long way to keep checking on her - I was also a little disappointed to arrive early yet still be at the back stabling, but i was not on my own with that and we did get moved closer.
Stable managers and security were very help full.
The revised schedule caused a few issues as we had a few horses and not enough grooms per horse, so organised so could groom for each other. But worked out ok in the end as some rings were running late.
I found a couple of the confirmation judges voiced there opinion a little to much - not always constructive, this happened to a couple of friends who were left quite upset.
But I had fantastic judges - who couldn't of been more helpful, my mare can be nappy yet they both rode her and gave her a chance being a youngster - Katie Jerram in the training class was fabulous as always, really pushed her on and didn't just bring her back on bad behavior and the confirmation judge was so encouraging - A fantastic opportunity for a young horse in that ring.
Overall A very enjoyable week and will definitely go back.
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Post by satchmo on Aug 20, 2012 13:52:56 GMT
It was our first time at a show that large and the first time either horse had stayed away. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! A huge well done to the organisers, it must be a mighty task.
We arrived at 2.30pm on tuesday and we're parked and stabled very quickly. We had booked hook up early so our parking spot was quite close to the blue stables but i do feel for those who were parked some way away. We were lucky with the stables, they faced straight out onto ring 4, i wouldn't have wanted to be in the ones behind as the alleys were narrow and became muddy and flooded. The mud and flooding was caused i feel by people insisting on leaving taps running whilst they twoed and frowed with their water buckets and by a couple of people who hung their buckets on the taps and when full either pulled the tap over or knocked the tap head off, a little common sense wouldn't have gone amiss. We found the blue stable team to be a little harrased but as long as you were calm and polite to them they were extreamly helpful, there were many occasions you passed the office and saw people screaming and shouting at them. We ordered hayledge and it arived at the stable within 3hrs of arriving and the man was very pleasant. I recieved some fantastic feedback in one of my classes, the confirmation judge gave me great trimming advice, took time to tell the other judge what he had said and then the lady steward asked me to wait outside the ring after the class and took 2 minutes before the next class to give me some invailuble advice on my boy. I wish i knew her name (novice coloured pony thursday 8am if anyone knows who she was i would love to thank her properly). I was so grateful that they took the time in such a busy show to offer such advice as there are many judges and officials at far lesser show who won't give you the time of day. I wish i had done the training class but felt a little intimidated when i read in the schedule it would be audiable, i watched the class and kicked myself, it was nothing like i had imagined. We found all the competitiors we came in contact with very nice. We are really looking forward to next year, all in all a very positive experience.
The only two things i would comment on is:
1) someone should be checking and cleaning the shower/toilet block behind the blue stable managers office. Toilets full of water and the showers were filthy.
2) Walk way around rings 6, 7 and 8. It became quite eye opening at times with cars, bikes, horses and people. People were sitting on the grass banks with children and people riding right up next to them instead of riding on the walk way. One spook and you would have had a very serious accident.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2012 13:58:43 GMT
satchmo - the reason horses were walking on the grass - is that they were all wearing massive studs - which are very hard for the horses to walk in on tarmac |
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Post by satchmo on Aug 20, 2012 14:51:43 GMT
Lovepink: Fully appriciate the stud issue, my point is this, when people are sat on the grass looking into ring 7, especially with small children it was alarming to watch riders litrally riding hooves width behind them when there was enough room to ride round them on and still be on the grass. One pair inparticular were riding along 2 a breast, chatting away and scimmed the bag of a family sitting down. These people were not sat on the edge of the tarmac but sat quite close to the ring fence! I have no objection to riding on the grass but horses are horse and as we all know kids are kids and on that small walk way you had horses and ponies, children, bikes and cars, had an iccident occured someone would have got seriously hurt. Both our boys are quite placid but at a busy show like that we were very mindful that anything can happen and tried our level best to avoid endangering ourselves or others x |
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gem86
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Post by gem86 on Aug 20, 2012 15:03:57 GMT
I think a lot of the responsibility has to lie with the spectators. At one point on my way to the dressage ring (on the grass walk way between ring 5 and the workers ring) there was a group of people laying down on the grass, right in the middle of the walk way! I said excuse me and got the filthiest look. I'll just walk over them next time. With studs in |
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Post by horse14 on Aug 20, 2012 17:18:18 GMT
My first time here this year had a fab time and so was happy with my
Placings.
I can't really say but by the sounds of it the stable back to how they were would be
Better we were parked right down by the gate where u come in and was a very long walk
It was her first time stabled so I was worried all nite and would like to be closer to check on her
More.
The only thing we had a proplem with was someone had there genarator on till 12.30 at nite! When we had
To be up early the next day and we had a 1 year old lucky he slept through it!
We got our stable straight away but had to wait a fair few hours for savings after someone loaded them all onto a
Lorry and stole them the day before we got there but the blue team were fab and sorted it out and got our shaving for
Us in the end.
No proplem with showers,toilets either showers were free when we went for one and not one toilet I went in didn't have paper
All in all apart from the walk to stable I enjoyed it and will love to go back again x
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Post by fruity on Aug 20, 2012 17:58:16 GMT
Had an great time - massive thanks to Jenny, Betsy and the crew for all they did
I also lurve the hunter and evening performace steward, always on it, but with a smile and a little banter as well - he was great! Thanks too to all the judges and stewards who persevered in the rain on Wednesday - that really was the pits!
From a hunter perspective, across all four days solid and consistent judging, excellent riding from ride judge.
thoughts the showers by main ring were much improved on last year
I'll hold my hand up and apologise to anyone I rode close to on the grass, but yes, my fella had huge pointy studs in. But to the he lady laying sunbathing in the warm up area on the edge of the hunter ring, that was stupid!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2012 19:42:52 GMT
I found my son Sam lying on the floor at one point - I told him to get up as it was dangerous! Its a horse show not a beach ! Things like that are not the fault of equifest - everyone has a responsibility to act in a manner to ensure the safety of themselves, their family and others. |
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Post by fruity on Aug 20, 2012 20:05:25 GMT
Couldn't agree more lovepink. Don't blame equifest at all; they seem to have gone all out to build and improve on last year and really showed. Good on them for listening and trying
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2012 6:41:46 GMT
Thanks fruity - Betsy and her team are always open to positive ideas on improving things and they definately did their best to change things for the better from last year. Obviously there will always be more problems and more improvements to be made - but how could there not be, with that many horses/people/dogs all in one place |
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Post by showjumper2012 on Aug 21, 2012 11:08:24 GMT
Well after a fantastic time at Equifest last year, i cant say this year was the same!
If complaints where actually taken into consideration then i certainly would have put one forward.
This year i wasn't able to do any of the showing classes as "my enteries wasnt recieved" according to Equifest. Before the closing date of catalogue enteries i faxed mine over, but then however arriving at Equifest to be told they had no recored of them and therefore wouldn't allow me to enter. I could understand this if I hadn't sent in my enteries, but due to the fact i had, Equifest just hadn't recieved them I though was rather bad on their part for not allowing me to still enter the classes. Meaning our time was cut short and money wasted on paying for the duration of the stables as it wasnt needed.
This clearly spoilt my time at Equifest this year, & i can deffinetly say i will not be going next year!
The stables where terrible aswell, and need managing much better.
Overall i was very dissappointed this year at Equifest, so will be looking forward to going to different shows next year.
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Post by delfachhighwayman on Aug 21, 2012 13:51:33 GMT
Well after a fantastic time at Equifest last year, i cant say this year was the same! If complaints where actually taken into consideration then i certainly would have put one forward.O This year i wasn't able to do any of the showing classes as "my enteries wasnt recieved" according to Equifest. Before the closing date of catalogue enteries i faxed mine over, but then however arriving at Equifest to be told they had no recored of them and therefore wouldn't allow me to enter. I could understand this if I hadn't sent in my enteries, but due to the fact i had, Equifest just hadn't recieved them I though was rather bad on their part for not allowing me to still enter the classes. Meaning our time was cut short and money wasted on paying for the duration of the stables as it wasnt needed. This clearly spoilt my time at Equifest this year, & i can deffinetly say i will not be going next year! The stables where terrible aswell, and need managing much better. Overall i was very dissappointed this year at Equifest, so will be looking forward to going to different shows next year. Did you not think it was weird when you hadn't received your numbers and confirmation? Surely you would have rang before to find out what was going on? |
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Post by molliesmum on Aug 21, 2012 18:50:26 GMT
Once again had a great time. Very impressed by the show office, who were so helpful when I needed to change some classes to accommodate my LR jockey wanting to go to a birthday party on Saturday! I loved my first ever evening performance and even got to canter down the centre line - wow!
Big classes meant later ones being quite delayed, which wasn't great with a very young LR jockey having to wait around until late afternoon, but that can't be helped as the show is going from strength to strength and is so well supported.
Distance between the parking and blue stables did cause problems. I was on my own with 2 ponies. In previous years this was no problem whatsoever but this year the distance to carry their tack back and forth was exhausting and I missed 3 classes because I couldn't do it quickly enough.
Thanks to Betsy and her team for another great show
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Post by bumblebee on Aug 21, 2012 19:59:30 GMT
Have to agree the distance between the parking, stables and rings etc was madness. When I did my entries I was expecting it to be similar to last year and thought that one class of 18 between two of my classes would give me time to take one pony back to the stables and get another out (inhand so dont need working in) - WRONG!! Had to run both ponies back and still nearly missed our class. Not good in 30 degrees heat either!!
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Post by teabag on Aug 23, 2012 20:15:29 GMT
People complain about low entries and 'isn't it a shame' Then you get huge entries and you moan!!!! I had a fantastic time judging at Equifest for the first time, and hope I am invited back again. I particularly enjoyed the Rescue class, and thought it was very sad to see a video being played with abused and neglected horses on  the judge even had a tear in his eye. 3 of the Rescued Pumphill ponies were in the class, and some of the before pictures that havnt been published of those ponies were horrific!!!!! Well done to everyone involved in Equifest, I simply loved it xxxxx I was so pleased that there were rescue classes this year, and proudly exhibited my mare in both the in hand and ridden sections - they were the highlight of my week, and despite us having shown all over, these were the 2 classes I really went for. Hopefully they will have them again next year xxxx |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2012 6:39:17 GMT
Rescue classes are a lovely idea I bet there were a few teary stories - more of that type of class is a positive move x |
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Post by welsha on Aug 24, 2012 19:16:49 GMT
I know space was very very limited but could anything be done to create more working in space around the flat rings. It became a bit scary at some points when there were lots of little first riddens trying to work in amongst hunters, m and m large breeds and an in hand section D stallion, not to mention people lunging amongst them too. There only appeared to be the one working in area near to the centre rings and it was extremely congested. I saw quite a few littlies too scared to ride in there
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Post by bumblebee on Aug 25, 2012 20:58:46 GMT
I saw quite a few littlies too scared to ride in there I'm 22 and have a show cob and still nearly had a meltdown in one of the warm up arenas as it was so crowded!! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2012 20:24:08 GMT
Imagine being in the dressage collecting ring - with a horse in harness in there !! Owner Shouting verbal abuse about horses needing to be better trained - to accept their warming up in there too ....
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Post by sarp on Aug 28, 2012 20:37:21 GMT
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igloo
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Post by igloo on Sept 9, 2012 21:53:28 GMT
How did they get away with practice jumps alongside roadway and not enclosed? People had to sit on the grass as no seating is provided , most shows put a few benches out but then Equifest is not intended for spectators . The lucky ones are the ones young enough to sit on the floor !
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I will post a piccy later 
the judge even had a tear in his eye.