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We went up to Reno for the Region 7 AQHA show this weekend. On the way we stopped at Cabela's new store at the border. I had never been in a Cabela's store- only shopped from catalog- and it was amazing. There are all theses stuffed animals in diorama's and hanging from the ceiling and the walls. This is only a fraction of what is there. Grandpa took Jr. all over the store, pointing to the fish and the animals. He loved it! We stayed at the Peppermill this year. Usually when we go we stay at the El Dorado, but the Peppermill had really nice rooms. Here is a picture of Lil Mama feeding the Littlest Cowboy his breakfast.
I intended to take pictures at the Region 7 show as well, but it was such a big disappointment that I didn't even drag out the camera.
I know times are tough and AQHA is doing all it can to make these shows good. The awards are wonderful- three beautiful saddles as well as class prizes of saddle blankets and stuff. But the amount of people showing was grim, to say the least. We saw all the same folks we show against here in California. The promised Vendors Ally was just three vendors and the AQHA booth. I didn't see anyone giving clinics, or free rides on an AQHA ( like they advertise). I hope that the participants at least felt they got their moneys worth. I suppose if I hauled all the way up the mountain (3 hours) to show in the one class I would have qualified for, I might have been encouraged by the lack of competition, but I wouldn't have even gotten half a point if I had won the darn class. Although I did get some new thoughts for my practice trail courses, and new stuff to try. I can only hope that the economy will turn around and the show will be better next year-even though it will be too far for me to go- Hurricane, Utah- to just show in one class.
8 comments:
Ya know I feel the same way about those shows - they want them to big a cool and get newbies interested and all...but heck up here at Region one your paying almost $200 for a dang stall?? What newbie is gonna want to do that? And then there is the point of what hardcore showman/woman want to haul there - pay the stall fees - for no points? (I know, I know - let me guess - for the prizes?) You have seen me dump my money into one of those shows for the prizes - no thank you.
And again there are few vendors, and its seems like alot of the "fun" stuff fell threw the cracks.
I really hope things pick up.
By the way. Jr ate that whole plate of Pancakes..... Just kiddin.
I looked into showing there too, and it was $200 just for me to show one class. That wasn't including the haul ( which I would have had to pay for, my rig wouldn't go up the mountain or down it safely), the rooms, the meals or any extra expenses. I can go to a local show, pay for the classes and get the AQHA points I'm looking for. It's just too bad that they can't make it a little more affordable somehow.
I visited that Cabela last fall on our way to Reno. Such a great store!
Too bad about the show being a let-down. The Hunter/Jumper show down here in the CA desert this winter was also not quite up to par.
Last year, a lot of the smaller barrel racings around here were cancelled for lack of participation. This year, they aren't even scheduled.
I really needed to be able to run at some of the smaller events to make sure Moon was running well this year before entering some of the larger events-with bigger entry fees and larger payouts. Not sure what I am going to do. I really wanted to enter some association rodeos this year too, but dang, I hate to use them as "prep".
In the past, I've entered AQHA shows just to get runs in, but there never seems to be enough competitors to ever accumulate any points to put on my horse's record either. And if they are double judged, they get very expensive.
It's all been a bit disappointing this year. There was a $1,000 added barrel race that I really wanted to go to next week, but with $60 entry fees and no runs on Moon yet and it's almost 200 miles away, I decided not to bother even planning on going. So disappointing.
Hi, I'm sorry you were disappointed with the Region 7. I wanted to let you know that the Regional Experiences have never offered AQHA points - they were intended as an opportunity for people to try new events, or try AQHA for the first time. It's not for everyone, but some people did enjoy themselves. Here's another link about the show: http://americashorsedaily.com/category/journal-on-the-road/ Thanks!
Thank you Chris for the information. I did know that AQHA wanted to encourage new QH users to show, but I thought the show had points. It's just that on the website they made it sound like a really big event! And it sure wasn't. I do think that other Regions have better turnouts- and I hope that the participants had a good time. There were certainly a wide range of riders- I saw Professional AQHA horsemen showing against obvious newcomers.
I attended the region 7 show and competed in the rail & pattern classes. AQHA is trying hard to keep these shows going, but they need to focus on affordability for the exhibitor & vendors, a much friendlier environment to encourage newbies,proper arena footing that is not concrete and reasonable stall fees. What's this with a back-to-back point show and then the R7 show? You get to pay TWO stall fees?! Yes, the prizes were wonderful and the clinics were excellent. AQHA also needs to make all regional show fees the same across the country and keep these shows affordable. The Region 7 fees were among the highest Regional Experience fees in 2009. Not everyone who shows has an endless open checkbook!
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