APHA recently announced that the dates for the Fall World Championship Show will be changing from November to September, which has caused a lot of talk among the proverbial “town.”
Executive Director, Billy Smith, said the reason for the change is two-fold.
“Ultimately, we wanted to expand the opportunity for APHA exhibitors to show,” he said. “The schedule right now presents some challenges with the All-American Quarter Horse Congress and the Quarter Horse World Show, forcing exhibitors who show multiple breeds to choose which show to attend. By moving the show to September, we feel we are acknowledging the changing industry and giving APHA exhibitors the opportunity to show at both the Paint World and the Quarter Horse World.”
Smith also said the unpredictable weather this time of year in both the Northwest and the Northeast has been a challenge in for exhibitors who live in those areas and by moving the show to September it will alleviate that stress.
But, how do exhibitors feel about the date change? GoHorseShow wanted to know so we caught up with a number of them at the show.
Alyse Roberts- I think it is a great idea for me personally. Right now, with the dates the way they are, it is absolutely miserable for me to try to do both the AQHA World and the APHA World. Combine that with the Color Congress that they have at this time, and it just doesn’t do anything to help with the Paint World’s show numbers. By moving it to September, it gives the Paints another big show to go to (Color Congress) during this time if they don’t go to AQHA World. However, I do see the concern from a business standpoint. Paint clients may choose to take their horses home following the APHA World in September and that could be detrimental.
Maggie Griffin- If I had to pick one major concern, it would be how the date change will affect the regional clubs who have their dates picked for the next three to four years based on the Paint World being in November. I also think this date change will affect how people strategize the race for Top Twenty. On the positive side, it may encourage people to show more later on in the year and encourage more regional showing with the exception of the shows that (currently) have their dates set for during the World Show. Honestly, I have extremely mixed emotions about the whole thing and really won’t campaign for it one way or the other. It’s what happened and we need to plan for it and encourage people to show up.
Wade and Laura Spell- We like the idea of the date change and think the weather will be a lot more enjoyable. Also, the fact that it won’t be at the end of the year, when people are pretty burned out, is a plus. Finally, we will be able to attend the All-American Quarter Horse Congress with our futurity horses. With the dates as they are now, we have too many horses to attend both and are excited that we will get to accommodate both our Congress and Paint World clients in the future.
Sara Simons- I think it is a great idea to get the APHA World Show off the AQHA World Show dates, but I am still a strong believer that the Youth/Open APHA World Shows be combined again. That being said, I do think this is a step in the right direction. Ultimately, we need to do what is best for the industry and it will be easier to get a whole group of people that we couldn’t get before. That includes: judges, ring stewards, vendors, exhibitors who show multiple breeds, etc. Also, the weather changes constantly this time of year, and even though it will be hotter, it will be more consistent which I think is definitely better, especially for the young horses.
Katie and JT Mitchell- I know we can probably never get it back to summer when both the shows were combined, which would be ideal. We don’t think the date change is super ideal for the babies (weanlings) but I do feel it still leaves ample time for the other halter futurity horses and even the two-year-olds to be ready. I think the west coast futurities will have to change some dates, but we can actually use that as a proactive tool prior to the World Show to see who is really ready to take to the World. The date change affects the folks in the midwest the least, it is those traveling from the west and east coasts that will be most affected by this.
Erin Bradshaw- At first, I was all for it, but now, honestly I’m kind of bummed. It may sound silly, but there is something special about it being in November, with the holidays coming up and the cool weather. I will say, as an Amateur who works full time, it will be difficult to ask for so much time off work in both September and November to attend both the Paint World and the Quarter Horse World. I also think for those who solely show on the Paint circuit, this is not a favorable change. Some people are concerned about the futurity horses, but I don’t think it will be a make or break it for them. It does shave off quite a bit of time to get them ready, but if they are strong and ready, then they are strong and ready.
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nd Shannon Gillespie- For us, it will be a big relief to be able to do the Quarter Horse Congress, the Quarter Horse World, and the Paint World without it being so crazy. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, but we do think this will definitely help those who want to go to all the big end of the year shows. We do miss the days when it was combined and in the summer, when everyone could come and enjoy the show and the family atmosphere. The split is really nice for the trainers, but can be a real challenge for owners. The most worrisome part of the change is for those who live far away.
James Saubolle– Ideally, the Youth and Open/Amateur World Shows need to be put back together. If we made the World Show(s) a summer show again, I really think the amateur, youth, and open numbers would go up again and a number of the vendors would come back. As things are now, and by changing the dates of the Fall World Championship show to September I can see a number of potential challenges. For one, the young amateurs who are in college will have a hard time getting off school as the school year is just starting. Some of my clients have already told me they will be unable to come next year. For the trainers who live far away from here, the date change could truly affect their business as most of their clients will be forced to pick either the Youth or Amateur World Show because of the tight turnaround time and financial concerns. Lastly, one of my biggest concerns is the effect the date change will have on regional clubs who have futurities during the new dates and the clubs may be locked into those dates for the next several years. They will be forced to change their dates or their numbers will suffer.
Elizabeth “Spike” Brewer- I think it is a step in the right direction to continue to grow the World Show mainly because it will no longer conflict with the AQHA World Show. The entire equine industry is struggling to increase participation at all levels of showing, so having two large breed World Shows simultaneously is just not working. I am sure some regional clubs who have futurity shows at the same time will have to figure out another solution to avoid a conflict if they have a large amount of exhibitors who would choose the World Show over their futurity show, but overall, I do think it is a positive.
Terry Sartain- First of all, I’m not convinced it was broke when they split the shows and moved it from July. With this change, I’m not really sure what they are trying to accomplish by moving it to September. There are some big futurities with a lot of money to be won in September, Oregon on the west coast and Iowa in the Midwest. Serious breeders will definitely go for the money and not the World title if forced to choose. Also, with school starting, I think the show has the potential to lose a lot of good Amateurs along with the good futurity horses who would rather go elsewhere. I think this just interferes with so much.
Karen Qualls- I’m not a huge fan of the change. I think of it this way: when it was combined and in June/July, we still had an ample show season afterwards to work for and prepare for. Since they split it and it is now in November, we look at it as the end of our show season. By moving it to September, we actually are losing three months of showing in my neck of the woods (California) which makes for a shorter season. Some owners may choose to take their horses home for a few months too, which from a business standpoint can be troublesome.
Nicole Dalton- For me, living in Arizona where it gets hot early, my concern is the ability to properly prepare the young horses. Locally, our shows are over by May, so there won’t be anywhere to take them to locally to get them ready. I am also concerned for the regional clubs who have futurities in and after September because, as an owner and exhibitor, my goal is for my horses to peak at the World Show. After that is over, keeping them legged up and in peak condition for another two months to hit the futurities.
Olin Parker- I think there are definitely pros and cons to the date change. A lot of people have asked APHA to change it away from the Quarter Horse World so I think they are accommodating members there, but it seems that changes with APHA don’t last very long and that can be frustrating. Ultimately, the change will be what we make of it. We have to make the best of the decisions that are made. If it seems to make more sense to move it to September, then great, but I just hope the decision was made and makes sense for the entire association. Moving the APHA World Show that far up, I think adding another big show at the end of the year, would be beneficial so the show season will continue through the fall and winter season.
Cooper Evans- I’m actually really excited about the change. It may be a little tricky to get the babies ready, but if I am confident to bring them in November, I already know that in September, so that really isn’t a major factor. Half of my barn has double registered horses, so now I have the option to do all the shows: Paint World, Quarter Horse Congress, and Quarter Horse World. Since I live in Utah, I can’t do that now because the distance is so great and being gone for that long is just impossible. Bottom line, I think no matter when it is, the people who want to do it will make it work somehow.
Author’s Note: Ultimately, everyone we talked to (regardless of their opinion regarding the date change) agreed that the love for the Paint horse breed will still be a major factor in attendance, and no one denies that that love is forever strong. Their hope is that everything will balance out in a few years and the association continues on an upward swing.
