IDS July Schooling Show Recap

This past weekend’s July Schooling Show was a huge success! We had our eighth consecutive Schooling Show sell out and it happened in record time!

Thank you so much for trusting us to put on a safe event during this pandemic. We were pleased with the care everyone on the grounds took to pay attention to the new protocols to keep each other safe.

The other major change we adopted this weekend was the transition to electronic scribing on iPads in the judge’s booths. Black Horse One’s eDressage software was chosen as they are the leader in the field having run some of the biggest shows in the world. eDressage allowed scores and comments to come in to the Dressage Office in real-time as the competitors rode their tests. We were able to post results in less than 5 minutes after the class completed. Competitors could retrieve their score and comments on their phone as soon as the class was finalized in the office. We plan to use eDressage at all of our rated and schooling shows moving forward.

Now I’d like to publicly thank the people who made this weekend’s show possible. It’s a long list!

Thank you to the trainers, competitors, horse owners, and parents who support these shows. All the hard work we do is to make sure you a have a wonderful experience on show weekend.

Thank you to my wife, Mollie, who has taken over much of the Show Secretary duties for the IDS Schooling Show series. Scheduling a multi-ring show is more art than science, and she has done an excellent job anticipating the needs of our trainers and competitors.

Thank you Deb Roccaforte for leading all efforts related to running a horse show safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to health protocols, Deb also championed the adoption of electronic scribing, which was a huge undertaking in a short period of time with considerable cost and significant risk. On show day, it worked beautifully!

Thank you Bonna McCuiston and the IDS Competition Committee which oversee our two rated show and three schooling show weekends each year.

Thank you Kay Dixon for teaching me everything I know about running a schooling show. I couldn’t think of a better mentor.

Thank you to my main man Gary from the Hoosier Horse Park who I can always count on during show weekends. Also thank you to Kevin and Brad from Johnson County Parks, owner and operator of the Hoosier Horse Park.

Thank you to Elena Serkin from Black Horse One who drove all the way from the East Coast to make sure our transition to electronic scribing and scoring went smoothly. The entire international team from Black Horse One exceeded expectations at every turn.

Thank you to our judges and volunteers who make show day run smoothly:

• Judges: Sophie Bayer and Cathy Jacobs
• Volunteer Coordinator: Deb Roccaforte
• Scribes: Angela Goodwin-Volpert and Michael Roccaforte
• Warm-up Ring Stewards: Jasmine Cho, Jin Cho, and Kim Garvin
• In-Gate Ring Stewards: Leah Borders and Brandi Richwine
• Photographers: Leah Borders and Alicia Kuebler
• Food/Beverage Host: Sandra Kinsella
• EMT: Shanda Hibbs

The USEF/USDF rated Indiana Dressage Festival I & II runs August 15-16, and we end the season with the <a href=”https://www.indianadressage.org/event/ids-schooling-show-and-ride-offs/”>Fall Schooling Show and Ride-Offs</a> on September 26-27. We hope to see you at another IDS show soon!

Best,

Mike Dawson
IDS President