As I have now been in TN for almost a year I have started to question how other people find out about local equestrian events. I am a part of an Area 3 eventers group and I regularly scope out surrounding states but I still feel like I do not know about stuff that is going on. It would be awesome if there was a more central repository for finding out about schooling shows, hunter paces, and other events. Maybe some kind of directory? Obviously I don’t see that happening but boy would it be nice!
For example, there is a hunter pace later next month about an hour away that I probably would have no idea about if I didn’t know someone that is involved in a club in the area. 
This weekend I will be participating in an Elisa Wallace clinic that I wouldn’t have known about if another fellow blogger hadn’t posted about it.
How do the rest of you guys find out about opportunities in your local area? Do you find out about things through word of mouth? Is there a local organization that helps keep members informed?
I would love to find out about more clinics within reasonable driving distance but I am not sure where else to look for information.
I keep tabs on our state organization’s website (shows of all disciplines) and then our local dressage club — I still miss things (not everyone submits their events to the calendars) but it’s still a decent system. I also find that I hear about a lot of things on FB, so I try to make sure I have “horse friends” from a variety of disciplines and locations around the state on my friends list 🙂
Those are all great ideas. I will need to see if there are more local organizations.
You would think down here in Florida there would be plenty of opportunities for clinics and such, but no. I don’t hear about any of that unless they happen to be happening on the property where Violet is. I have often wondered how I would find out such, but no luck. I will just wait until trainer is back in the saddle again and hope she shares her opportunities, which is how I ended up doing a Will Coleman clinic a few years ago.
Hmm. Maybe search on FB for groups? 🙂
The Austin-area equestrian community is pretty active on Facebook, so I just follow the organizations and barns that may host shows or clinics that I am interested in. There is also a website for the Austin area that attempts to collect all the area horsey info in one place, and it gets updated somewhat regularly. If there isn’t already something like that in your area, maybe start one? I think the Austin website pays for itself, at least, through ads & listing fees.
I have been jealous of your guys local events. Maybe I will start one… hmm I wonder what kind of listing fees people would pay.
Here in Oklahoma there isn’t a lot to keep up with, LOL! We have the “Area 35” website/Facebook page, which is a compilation of shows and other events up and down Interstate 35.
Like Karen, I follow various local equestrian organizations on Facebook. My job at a tack store keeps me in the loop, too, as does volunteering with the dressage GMO!
Haha – volunteering definitely seems like it would give you insight 🙂
We have tons of local circuits (bless the OH/KY area) and they post their omnibus early in the year. For those random schooling shows (hunter paces, little jump shows) I somehow find out about them through the grapevine, usually through horsey friends on FB or my trainer. In summer there’s literally 1-3 shows a weekend so we have our pick. Sadly wasn’t able to do any of them over my summer break, but maybe I can catch a fall one or two and then the winter snowflake jumper series
I am jealous. That is a lot of opportunities to get out and about!
We have a few Facebook groups, and I hear about a lot through my trainer, barn manager and other boarders
Word of mouth seems to be the common trend 🙂
Obsessive google searching.
Google has allll the answers these days!
My trainer! She knows literally everyone and everything going on in the area and sets us all up for it. I don’t have my own trailer so I can’t go anywhere without her even if I wanted to!
Wheels do certainly help.
I try to join every local-ish FB riding club group I can find. Even with those though, I sometimes see posts about clinics and things I would have liked to attend after they’ve already happened. It can definitely be frustrating, especially when you haven’t been in the area all that long!
I need to search for more groups. It is definitely hard to go from having quite a few connections to having minimal connections in a new place.
I really wish there were directories. I always find out about cool opportunities after the fact or too late to sign up.
So frustrating when that happens.
We have a local combined training association. It’s tough tho sometimes
When I was boarding at the H/J barn those are the only shows I heard about. I used to be a touch jealous of all the stuff I saw other bloggers doing. I couldn’t figure out how they new about all the fun stuff. Now that I’m sort of on my own I’ve been investigating things like hunter paces. I have yet to look into a dressage show nor do I know where to even start with that. It really would be nice to have some sort of central place that all shows and events were advertised along with a dummies how to guide.
There have been a couple of statewide efforts to consolidate all things horse into one page, but most of them haven’t gone too far. However, horsetailevents.com does a pretty good job. It relies on user submissions for events. Not everything is on there, but I’ve learned about a lot of things going on that I would not have otherwise.
I also try to check out surrounding counties horsemens clubs. Ours has a couple of schooling shows each year and it’s overly active. But there are a couple other counties near by that are much more active and hold clinics and other events.
hey! I’ve just found your blog and thought I would chime in since you are in my area-ish 🙂
A great source for happenings in the Tryon area is an email service called This Week In Tryon Horse Country- Libbie does a great job keeping the horse people of the area informed with news of our area and upcoming clinics. You can find it on Facebook too and read older newsletters on their website http://www.tryonhorsecountry.org/listings.html
Hope that helps! There is a Lucinda Green clinic coming up in this area in the fall that should be fun!
I wish I was in tryon! It’s about 6hrs from me in Nashville. Thanks for chiming in 🙂 I’ll check out your blog.