Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2012 19:44:07 GMT
I was upset this year, as we didn't do equifest for the first time in 4 years. However, we felt that last year there was just too many entries, and hoped that this year there would be more WHP (M&M) classes, to warrant the entries! We were disappointed that we couldn't get 2 classes a day, so couldn't warrant going, as it just wasn't worth a very long trip down for 1 class a day, and even then we were filling up with classes we didn't feel we were ready for.
Previously, we have had to limit our classes at Equifest, as there was just so many workers opportunities! We were disappointed when we saw they had been cut down dramatically this year.
We love Equifest, and were saddened we had to miss it and go elsewhere. So please, next year, remember the workers are just as popular as the riddens, split the classes if there are too many entries, please find a way of getting more novices/little courses in, as it really is a lovely show!!!!
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Post by barclaybob on Aug 21, 2012 9:03:48 GMT
Thanks Betsy and team for another brill equifest!
My only moan is about the stables being far to far away from the parking in the blue area! Please can we have it back to how it used to be :-)
Also I have to agree with the mark sheets. How can classes be judged with so many entries without writing anything down at all!
Other than that though we had a fab (if not tireing time) and will be back next year!
Next year though I will be doing 1 class per day and no more than that :-)
Well done to everyone and see you next year :-) x
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rural
Junior Member
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Post by rural on Aug 21, 2012 10:22:09 GMT
We had a wonderful time at Equifest,.Thanks to Betsy and your dedicated team, so nice to see the same working hunter stewards as last year as enthusiastic and accommodating as ever.
We felt privileged to be judged by some of the countries finest judges, who offered feedback and advice, the worker courses where inviting and well built .
Again in ref to previous posters,We were very dissapointed and saddened by the competitors who do not enter in the spirit/sporting attitude the novice classes should be entered in to, never mind the fact you are are CHEATING and going against Equifest rules, SHAME ON YOU !! why do it? We all know the rules they are in the schedule some one even took the time to post novice classification on here the week before Equifest.
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Post by fruity on Aug 21, 2012 11:09:29 GMT
Agree with rural. Shame on fellow competitors who blatently flaunted the rules in novice, amateur and home produced classes.
Had a great week and found all my judging to be consistent and generally fair. It was obvious equifest listened to the points raised after last years show and made as many changes as possible - that is appreciated, thank you
My only disquiet is class sizes; they do affect the scheduling times and in the heat we had I'm not sure were fair on the horses standing in the ring or warmed up and ready to go only to be delayed.
Please split the hunter weights again; it was changed from last year and made our classes so very long and also arduous for the ride judges.
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Post by 09rebel99 on Aug 21, 2012 11:27:50 GMT
Personally I would like to see an extra ring or two of workers. To have just 3 rings compared to the 9-10 flat rings doesnt really work :-(
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Post by donkeydo on Aug 21, 2012 12:46:13 GMT
We haven't been away with the horses for 7yrs for one reason or another. Loved Equifest my only critisism would be the blue stabling. God forbid if there was a fire. Also parking needs to be more controlled. Was disappointed in seing ponies/horses competing in classes that they should NOT have. Otherwise thoroughly enjoyed our time there  |
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Post by jasper1 on Aug 21, 2012 13:30:46 GMT
We had a very nice time a Equifest. From the time of arrival , when we broke down in the que ( that will teach me to talk about getting a new lorry in front of the old one!) we where moved in less than 10 mins, and then when we had our stables where towed & parked up, massive thanks to the arena man! we had great stables, brill parking. Our rings where in great condition, with good judges on the whole. We did miss a class due to one ring running very late, but was given a free entry for the next day. think it would be a good idea to make more use of the old main arena , and put some of those massive m&m classes in it, rather than classes with very few in it. Also found the small WHP ring very tight for novice horses. Would have loved to have had some nov int whp classes, next year maybe? on the negative side, push bike & scooters where a total pain, even though they where constantly being told to get of them, maybe they needed one or two to be in-pounded?
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Post by lolly on Aug 21, 2012 22:01:19 GMT
I LOVED IT had a fab time and thought for the amount of people there it was organised really well. Betsy I think deserves a medal.
Negatives :
Dog sh*te
Rosettes: Bit naff in some classes and would be nice for champions to get sashes.
Evening performance: would have been nice for more people to have got through ...the supreme I thought was a bit of a let down
Positives
lots and lots including
RSPCA classes were fantastic
Heavy horse riding wonderful to watch
I would love it though if they were stricter with who entered the classes and think more classes should be available for the genuine novice riders. It would also be lovely to see more classes for non registered ponies
all in all though fab just fab and thanx Betsy and team
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Post by robertparkerjones on Aug 21, 2012 23:03:46 GMT
Lovely Show...... very well looked after! Super classes, very nice co judges! Most enjoyable evening performances. The weather was great if just a little hot!
Complaints about novice, HP and restricted are down to exhibitors! Why would you want to win a class that you are not eligible for, can't expect the show to police these classes.
How lucky we all are to have Betsy and her team run and organise such a fabulous event!!!
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Post by b on Aug 22, 2012 7:15:40 GMT
Yes it was a lovely show, although a couple of gripes which I have already put on, (dog p--h & blue stables) we had a very nice time.
Many thanks to Betsy, Jenny & team, who always managed a smile - so well done to them, they do a fab job.
I spoke to some very nice people who I had never met before & every one was friendly.
The weather was also kind to us with plenty of sun.
We will return again next year for the duration as we do enjoy the show.
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Post by flair1 on Aug 22, 2012 7:39:57 GMT
This was the first year we had competed at this show and we enjoyed parts of it, but i have to say we were very disapointed to see open ponies in our novice classes and took the chances of being placed, away from the children that were on genuine novice ponies. Also some of our lead rein classes were so big(well over 20 plus) we missed alot of classes due to them running over so late. with classes that big, for tiny tots its alot to ask for them to hold their attention for well over an hour in the ring and in that kind of heat.
I was also shocked at the judging in one of our classes, and i was not alone in feeling this, that a child and her pony in one of the tiny tots lead rein classes got off her pony and had sat down in the ring and only rode the pony to do her show and then got off again had been pulled up from bottom to somewhere around the middle of the line up at the end of the class, when all the other little children had stayed on board the entire time like little professionals. And lastly in some of our classes, i was watching the judges when the competitors were doing their individual trot up and shows and i was amazed to see children and their leaders not being watched at all, very rude.
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Post by bungle on Aug 22, 2012 8:51:50 GMT
We once again had a nice time, my constructive comments would be: - Blue stabling area far too big - People driving round the lorry park (the regular culprits i saw were not parked miles from there stable, they are just lazy, we even saw one person on a couple of occasions drive to the shower and back in her towel (again shower was not far away!)) - the tannoy system in the blue area is poor we could only hear if the wind was blowing in the right direction. we never had the issue in the indoors or red in previous years - We could only hear the commentary in the indoor when stood on the side with the seating - I dont understand the point of the wristbands in blue stabling, the idea was for security but they were given out to anyone who walk over there without confirming they should be there?  - Another thumbs up for the lady who was stewarding in the m&m rings, sometimes you have to be blunt as some people just cant grasp the need for speed in a big class. - None of my judges ever gave any feed back so it would be nice to see the marks given when they were used. |
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Post by dancer on Aug 22, 2012 13:44:11 GMT
We couldn't hear any tannoy announcements in the Day parking & we were parked right by the entrance gate.
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ada
Full Member
Posts: 489
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Post by ada on Aug 22, 2012 23:33:33 GMT
very enjoyable show, top marks to betsy and her team.
have already posted re blue stables, the only other thing would like to mention is the blip in the evening performance, same thing happened last year, the wrong horse called forward in the championship, this should not happen, it must be heartbreaking for those involved.
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Post by moonhorse2 on Aug 23, 2012 11:54:20 GMT
This was our first year at equifest we enjoyed most of it, but felt that some things could be improved such as the catering, as a vegetarian it was difficult when trapped on site for 5 days to find food that the three of us could eat. We also felt it was a bit silly that they weren't open when people started arriving on tuesday afternoon/evening as they missed out on potential customers.
Like many have said we were dissapointed about the same ponies entering bothe the novic, the junior and the open classes. Also I am aware that it is the responsibilty of the individual, but there were too many small dogs off leads, our connemara is very good with them, although he is only 5, but we did not like having other peoples dogs walking through his legs whilst our dog was tied up to the trailer.
Finally, we understand that there is to some extent limited parking, however people with tents were told to park fat too close to each other, there is a minimum distance that health and safety requires, all campsites are aware of this and although equifest is not officially a campsite they should also be aware of the fire safety hazard of tents.
On a more positive note, it was wonderfull that all the generators went off and most night people were quiet after about 11.30. WE really enjoyed the connemara training class and found it really helpful.
I hope this post did not appear too negative, it was not intended to be disrespectful, only to point out a few issues that we saw,
thanks.
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sophiea
Full Member
Its not an obsession, Its a dedication ;)
Posts: 290
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Post by sophiea on Aug 23, 2012 12:40:19 GMT
too many open ponys winning novice classes, but apart from that wad FAB!
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Post by bumblebee on Aug 23, 2012 13:32:57 GMT
Positives:
-Loved the training classes - was perfect chance to get in the ring with no pressure and a great learning tool too.
-Please keep the hogged coloureds separate again next year - was so nice to have an inhand coloured class which wasnt full of traditional stallions. Prehaps consider splitting the Native/Traditional class too as this class was still huge!
Things which could be improved:
-Stabling - the blue area was a nightmare!! Too far to walk, stables too close together, not enough bedding in some of the stables only to be told that we couldnt have the rest as it had been stolen etc etc. Prehaps the answer to the stabling problems is to have all stables labelled with names and numbers before exhibitors arrive or maybe do like the Suffolk Show do and keep stables padlocked until you arrive and get taken to them. Taking horses down to stable manager was chaos too - we arrived Tuesday afternoon and our horses were a little fresh - just having around 6 horses down there waiting to be given stables was dangerous enough....I'd dread to think what it was like that morning when they were queuing to get it!!
-More seating in the indoor.
-Prehaps a couple of food stalls towards the back of the blue area - it was a hell of a walk to grab a snack from where we were camped
-Proper liquid soap in the toilets - bars of soap are sooooo old and disgusting.
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Post by girly on Aug 23, 2012 13:41:09 GMT
We once again had a nice time, my constructive comments would be: - Blue stabling area far too big - People driving round the lorry park (the regular culprits i saw were not parked miles from there stable, they are just lazy, we even saw one person on a couple of occasions drive to the shower and back in her towel (again shower was not far away!)) - the tannoy system in the blue area is poor we could only hear if the wind was blowing in the right direction. we never had the issue in the indoors or red in previous years - We could only hear the commentary in the indoor when stood on the side with the seating - I dont understand the point of the wristbands in blue stabling, the idea was for security but they were given out to anyone who walk over there without confirming they should be there? - Another thumbs up for the lady who was stewarding in the m&m rings, sometimes you have to be blunt as some people just cant grasp the need for speed in a big class. - None of my judges ever gave any feed back so it would be nice to see the marks given when they were used. We could only hear the commentary in the indoor when stood on the side with the seating They were only asked to cover that side because of the trade stands the other side. |
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Post by horsenest on Aug 23, 2012 14:17:39 GMT
As a judge at Equifest I would just like to say a huge thank-you to all competitors- it is lovely to have so many smiling faces.
It didnt matter what time of day it was everyone was so friendly- it was really nice to see.
Thank-you.
The WH course- ring 1 I think is the best WH course I have ever judged in!
Thanks to Betsy and all her crew I dont know how you manage to remain so calm all day!!!
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Post by katie99 on Aug 23, 2012 14:51:46 GMT
Fantastic show as always very well done to Betsy and the team. We were in the red stabling and had no problems, very well organised and very quick to be allocated and bedding delivered. Our only faults would be more sashes for champions etc and my biggest issue is PLEASE PLEASE can every ridden class have mark sheets, with the classes being so big now and all seeming to have a ride and a confirmation judge how on earth can they fairly decide on placings. I found it very upsetting to be stood at the ringside watching my daughter in a line up of 25 to hear the judges trying to decide if it was my daughters pony who had been naughty in its show or the other grey. My daughter didnt get placed and the naughty pony got 3rd ?? How to you explain that to a child... Surely it would also make the judges job easier too...... |
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Post by toptrump on Aug 24, 2012 15:56:21 GMT
Just wanted to say a HUGE WELL DONE AND THANK YOU to Betsy and all her hard working team. I thought that this year supressed every other year, the timing of the classes were great, I know a few had clashes but this can happen at any Championship show and at the end of the day no other show is dealing with the huge amount of entries that Equifest are dealing with.
The thing I noticed the most this year was how the standard has improved, probably the same people who have been going for a few years, but in past years I have felt sorry for first timers who have qualified at local shows and then competing again RI and HOYS ponies, but everyone seemed to have stepped up their game with their dress and turnout have all been equal, just shows what a good influence Equifest has had on local showing if you know what I mean.
I think sashes should be left for just the Equifest finals and Supremes, this is no different to PUK and BSPS who only give out sashes to the qualifying classes and not just the ones that anyone can enter. Just makes it that bit more special to win. (I know everyone will not agree with this one though).
Range of stalls fantastic, and food vans brill (but would love it if you could get Nice and Tasty for next year, the one that goes to PUK and does the chicken curry and bolognese, reasonable price and gorgeous)!
Negatives
Now believe me these are not meant in anyway bad just a couple of minor details. Cars obviously pulling trailers fair enough, but there was very limited space for parking horseboxes as it was so busy but there were cars just parked up all over that did not move all week and took up valuable space, in fact we arrived late on Wednesday night and could not even get round to get a space because of where the cars were left. Would be better than only cars with trailers and cars for disabled are allowed duraction parking, all other cars to be unloaded and left in the parking outside the gates which is not that far to walk and still secure.
Top hats I am on the fence with this. You get a good mix of people at Equifest from first timers. I know you have an age limit on the hats BUT there were a few accidents in the amateurs in the evening, if you are on a horse which has never experienced anything like this so easy for an accident to happen, yes they look elegant and yes personal preference but even the most sane horse can go mad and cause irripairable damage even death.
Well that is the only negatives I cannot thank the staff enough, wonderful job may your success long continue x
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Post by tazang20 on Aug 25, 2012 19:49:08 GMT
We had a good time at Equifest and we enjoyed the atmosphere, it looked like the rings could of been better signed more visible when walking from the car park. Seemed to be miles away. Missed one class after walking for ages to find the ring but made it to the rest during the week. Not everybody uses the equifest stables.
Dog poo needs to be disposed of by dog owners found it rather off putting when wanting to watch my daughter in the ring!! Perhaps signs for that as a reminder!
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