Putting on a horse show is no simple task. It takes hours of hard work and detailed scheduling to get ready for a weekend show. When an impending storm threatens all of this hard work, it can be disheartening for any club, but the show must go on. Just ask the Florida Paint Horse Club.
The Monday before their 2018 Memorial Day Show, the Florida Paint Horse Club learned that the approaching Tropical Storm Alberto was going to hit during their three-day, six-judge show. The club had 200 stalls reserved before the news of the storm hit Facebook. After the Facebook posts, the club quickly lost 100 of the 200 reserved stalls.
Amanda Palmer knew she had to do something, so she came up with a list of possible options to lessen the financial blow on the club, while still hosting the show. With the help of APHA Senior Director of Judges, Shows & Education Dave Dellin and Senior Director of APHA Events Holly Slaughter, a new plan was approved and the show morphed into a two-day, six-judge event, with classes running concurrently to all six judges. This change would allow exhibitors to compete under all six judges and still make it home before the worst part of the storm hit on Monday.
After the changes to the show were approved, Amanda took to Facebook to connect with exhibitors. She informed them of the accommodations that had been made and encouraged exhibitors to attend the Memorial Day show. As an incentive, the FPHC decided that, if exhibitors came to this show, they would be able to show at the two-judge part of the Holiday Classic on December 6 for free.
Despite the changes and impending weather threats, the FPHC Memorial Day show ended up with 605 APHA entries, thanks to the club’s quick thinking.
“We were thrilled with how our show ended up over the Memorial Day weekend, despite the threat of Tropical Storm Alberto we still had a great show,” Amanda said. “We are also extremely grateful for the continued support of APHA to ensure that our shows continue to be successful.”
