Paint Horse slows with economy, high gas prices

There were fewer trucks in the parking lots and fewer impeccably-groomed horses in the arenas this year at the American Paint Horse Association World Championship Show, some participants said this year.

The show, held June 22 to July 5 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, is being affected like any other part of the economy feeling the impact of high fuel prices and a slowing economy.

While the show was in progress, the entry numbers appeared to be up from 2007 but there didnÂ’t seem to be as many horses at the show, meaning that the same horse may have multiple riders, said Alisha Smith, a public relations and marketing specialist for the APHA.

Transporting horses by trailer — pulled by a large, often diesel, truck — isn’t a cheap venture at any point, and so leaving behind some horses may make more economic sense. Smith said from what she’s heard from spectators, some competitors may be re-examining their show schedules for the season.

“Many aren’t hauling as much to the local and regional shows and rather saving the miles for the World Show,” she said.

Jerry Lancaster, the trainer of Lancaster Performance Horses out of Oklahoma, said to date he hasnÂ’t changed his showing schedule and many of the events to date were aimed at coming to the World Championship and performing well to accumulate points toward end-of-the-year tallies. He said that later in the season, he may skip smaller shows that donÂ’t offer as many points.

However, Lancaster, who has horses competing in all-around classes, said he feels the show has shrunk a bit compared to previous years.

“You can really tell it with the parking lot because this time of year last year you’d pull in and could hardly find a spot,” he said.

Mary Ellen Stanley, a competitor, said many of her English classes seemed smaller than in years past and she thinks people arenÂ’t as likely to show unless they are fairly certain they will place in a class or earn points.

“People are a lot more picky-choosey about shows,” she said.

Jacqueline Kennon, trainer at High Point Farm in the Mansfield area, trains Stanley and other clients and said the high prices of everything associated with the horse industry (such as hay, grain and fuel) and the slowing economy could have a negative impact on a lot of competitors who go to events to learn and have fun as opposed to compete for high standings.

“The youth who had a horse who could only show in one class — you probably lost a lot of those,” she said.

Also, she said, people just getting into riding or horse ownership may choose not to give showing a chance because there is less disposable income.

“You’re not getting as many people into it because it’s higher to maintain,” she said. “This is an industry.”

Exhibitors at the show, such as Skip Hames, owner of Sweetwater Barn Co. and a dealer for Barnmaster Inc., are seeing some slowdown in luxury items but are still selling the necessities for horse owners and competitors, he said.

“Some guy may have wanted a 60-stall barn; he may do a 40-stall barn,” Hames said.

Hames is based in Weatherford and has been selling barns for more than 20 years, and he said heÂ’s seen sales go up and down with the economy before. Right now, he said, his sales are down about 5 percent because smaller buyers are putting off purchases and people are cutting back on unnecessary additions, like extra stalls and lounge areas.

While Barnmaster tries to absorb as many additional costs as possible, transportation costs for the barns have gone up considerably and construction materials are also significantly more expensive, he said.

“Price-wise, we’ve probably had a 24 percent price increase since the first of the year, just in construction costs,” he said.

Those who are financially well-off and compete seriously will continue to participate in horse shows, Hames said, but he wonders about more casual competitors and spectators.

“People that would say, ‘Hey, let’s jump in the truck and go up to Oklahoma City and watch a show,’ are now saying, ‘Let’s go to Sundance Square and watch a free movie,’” he said.

The APHA did add a new show to its season, which takes place in the fall, and Smith said some competitors who would have been at the World Championship may be instead competing in the fall.

Hames said as he watched the horses, riders, trucks and trailers go by him at the show, he still noticed signs that people were from outside the Metroplex and outside the state and people seem to still be showing at their traditional events.

“They’re going to go,” he said. “I just don’t know how much longer they’re going to keep going.”

Contact Bassett at ebassett@bizpress.net