Plea from a volunteer coordinator – Support Eventing and keep entries AFFORDABLE Horse shows NEED volunteers to function. I could end this right here with that simple statement.
Knight Frank Dauntsey Park Horse Trials DAUNTSEY PARK (2) at Brook Farm, Great Somerford, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 5JA, United Kingdom Friday 30 September to Sunday 2 October 2016 Event Schedule Joint Organiser - Mrs Beanie Sturgis Brook Farm, Great Somerford, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 5JA. Check out the USEF High Performance Facebook for more photos. William Fox-Pitt dominated Dauntsey Park Horse Trials last weekend. Went on to say that he will be focusing on “training, teaching and media work” for the days to come.
It’s concise. But as a volunteer coordinator for one of the few farms in Southwest Georgia large enough to hold a horse trial almost every month (including a semi-annual three-star event) recognized dressage shows and a schooling show almost every other available weekend, I KNOW saying (begging, pleading, incentivizing) ‘we NEED you,’ is not enough. We are short on volunteers almost every show.
This literally makes me cry a couple times a year. And I’m not a pretty crier. Horse shows are expensive (“duh” statement #2). Not just to compete in, but to put on.
NO ONE is getting rich off of this, guys. One way that facilities and shows balance their expenses is to ask (beg, plead, incentivize) for volunteers. Sure, the jobs that take a judges card, or training courses are paid positions, but EVERYONE ELSE YOU SEE is a volunteer.
Really quickly, let me list the volunteer positions at a horse trial and explain just why these roles are so critical:. Dressage warm-up steward – Do you want to check your watch every 2 min while warming up your dragon? I didn’t think so. Dressage in-gate – ‘Which ring am i in? It’s test “A”, right?’. Bit/spur/bonnet check – IDK why anyone wears a bonnet for dressage. There are no bugs in that ring and we’re just going to make you take it off.
Scribes – Let me just tell you how sick I am of looking for scribes. I’m still not quite sure why there’s not a literal waiting list for this position. The ONLY good thing about no one wanting the job is that I GET to have that job. Cross-country warm up steward – Again with the watch-checking, which you have set to your xc OT, so it’s not doing you much good in this department. Cross-country start – “Have a great ride!”. Cross-country finish – “Well done!”. Cross-country jump judges – We seriously need 12-18 people for this.
Watching three fences simultaneously as the course loops back to a vantage point is only possible for someone who has harnessed their ADD powers for good. And when the course doesn’t lend itself to that, we chase you in the quad or gator. Because unless we’re implementing and following an honour system, we need to make sure you jump all the things. Show jumping warm up steward – “So, I have three horses in this division and they’re placed 2nd, 5th and 6th.
Can I maybe go early with the first one and late with the last one so I can warm them up? You’ll keep track of all that an let me know when I’m five away and two away, right?”. Show jumping in-gate.
– “In gate to announcer. I know your sheet says #86 is going at 2:45, but there’s a conflict and she’s going at noon. Show jumping ring crew – Options without these people: A) Start leaves their post to fix every fence the over-horsed person in front of you crashed, meaning we’re getting behind in the schedule, which means it’s now interfering with your xc ride on another horse or coaching a student or taking sale pictures for your friend in dressage B) The judge is picking up poles. See above about how this delays the day, and it irritates the judge. C) You get off and fix your own course before you start, because someone has to do it.
Or not and you’re dodging “ground poles”. Score runner – Because you want to see where you are before 7:00 PM on Sunday, right? This is for ONE WEEKEND.
Can you imagine what your entry would be if we paid all these people? And you think horse showing is expensive now. The final thing you may not realize, is that my hands as a coordinator are tied as to how much I can offer to make you want to do this (because the reasons above aren’t enough and you don’t want to help out your fellow competitors/sport – really need a sarcasm font here). At Poplar Place we give vouchers.
Vouchers you can use to pay an ENTIRE show entry with. Vouchers that let you come cross-country school for nothing. We also give lunch, drinks and snacks. We give you all this, for a few hours of your time.
Hours you’re at the facility anyway. We will absolutely work around ride times or cover for you because you want to watch your kid jump the water complex instead of the train carts you’re stationed at. Guys, we understand volunteer fatigue. We understand you want a weekend for the beach or to show (I show too. I get it) or to lay around and do nothing or go hiking or stand on your head. But if everyone (hell, if MORE people) would volunteer, we wouldn’t be so desperate and the shows would go that much more smoothly. To wrap this up, I do want to say thank you to the teenagers and parents and kids and husbands and boyfriends who come almost every weekend and do these jobs.
A few of which are very new at this and have been stellar. Volunteers who get berated by competitors who are stressed about their rides then are too busy to come apologize later or volunteer themselves. You guys, there are about 12 of you (12!
Did the rest of you read how many people this takes?!), that make this sport happen and ensure we can keep shows of all levels in our area.