The Sun Country Circuit in Scottsdale, Arizona, is one of the biggest winter AQHA show circuits (Journal photo).

The state of the show

.It’s been fickle weather for the Arizona Quarter Horse Association’s Sun Country Circuit – a few days of odd downpours followed by days of bright sunshine. But the show has been a blast.

Mark Harrell and his crew are keeping the rings running smoothly. Circle S Ranch sponsored an Italian feast for all competitors. Longtime exhibitor Joni Hegel has covered half the cost of a daily hot lunch for everyone at the show, from exhibitors to spectators.

And like the weather, so goes the average horseman’s opinion here as to the state of our horse show industry these days. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on January 26 certainly made fodder for thought in the minds of those showing in Scottsdale.

Sometimes it’s important to remember the obvious: People are still showing their horses and enjoying it. The crowd outside the arenas has been the same: familiar faces and new ones, old campaigners and youngsters needing schooling, retired folk and parents and kids come to watch the pretty horses.

Check out photos from the 2010 Arizona Quarter Horse Association Sun Country Circuit in Scottsdale. (click on each photo to see the caption).

When you hear the horse show folk talk, many people aren’t changing a thing in where and how they show; but some people are bringing one horse where they used to bring two. Or they are aiming for bigger shows with more points to offer the national competitor. But they are here; and there are new faces here.

Did you read Brad Ettleman’s opinion piece in the February issue of the Journal? It ran as a “Quarter’s Worth” column in the back of the book. One of the observations Brad makes from the shows his company, Horse Power Inc., managed in 2009 is that, while show entries were level, stall numbers tended to be down – an indication to him that trainers were only bringing horses that needed to show.

I was on a career panel at the 2010 American Collegiate Horseman’s Association’s convention with a veterinarian from a leading university veterinary hospital. He was asked what he’s seen different in his business in this economy, and he said that, while they are processing the same number of invoices, the number of billable items on those invoices is down.

It all points to the same simple thing – people are tightening their belts. But one thing’s equally certain – they are still enjoying and caring for their horses.

It’s a fact that tightening belts often means getting better in shape. As Brad said in his Journal article – down times are good times to rethink how you do things and make sure you don’t take anything for granted.

And this sporadic, rainy winter will sure make for a beautiful, blooming desert landscape this spring.

Christine Hamilton
Editor
American Quarter Horse Journal

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