REGION 1
Sara MacKenzie — Region 1 Director
Happy February Region 1!
Did you know that Region 1 now has 307 members, and 40 provisionally/fully licensed shows scheduled for 2025? That’s a lot of potential volunteers and a lot of need! So, this month, I asked Alexa Maine of the Walla Walla Valley Working Equitation AO to tell us a bit about volunteering in Working Equitation.
From Alexa:
At Working Equitation shows, volunteers make shows happen! Here are some positions to consider.
The scribe is integral to the judging process. Scribes record the judge’s score and comments in the Dressage and EOH phases. Scribes should be familiar with Working Equitation terminology. It’s important that scribes write quickly and clearly, focus on the task at hand without distracting the judge, and maintain a high level of professionalism—including confidentiality regarding the judge’s comments or other conversations heard at the judges’ table. What happens at the judge’s table, stays at the judge’s table!
The gate steward is the official arena greeter. They inspect the condition of each horse before and after every trial. They inspect tack and equipment for rules compliance, and look the horse over for any signs of blood or injury. The gate steward notifies the Technical Delegate (TD) if they have any concerns. Gate stewards support the show schedule by calling riders in the correct order of go. Gate stewards should have some knowledge of WE rules regarding tack and equipment and be comfortable up close to horses. Remaining calm and friendly in a fast-paced environment is helpful because riders can be nervous. A kind word may be exactly what a rider needs to relax and enjoy their ride.
Region 1 members Katie Garrett, Alexa Maine, and Katie Stearns bonding at a show
The paddock steward makes sure everyone plays nice in the warm-up area. They maintain a safe number of horses in the warmup, remove unruly or disruptive horses (or humans), ensure there are at least 3 obstacles available for EOH warm up, and generally prevent any undue chaos (outside of the normal chaos that is the warmup ring!). They are calm in the storm, or at least they try to be!
A show’s most experienced volunteers are usually the show manager and secretary. The manager ensures all USAWE rules and procedures are followed. The secretary is responsible for administrative functions and show records. If you think you may want to volunteer for one of these positions, you might want to shadow experienced people in these roles before jumping in!
There are quite a few other positions – some of which require very little advance training. Runners move the score sheets between the judge and the show office; the ground crew are positioned around the arena and reset the bull ring, move the garrocha and reset cups or jumps as necessary; and, an announcer can help keep the audience and riders informed about who is in the ring and who is up next.
A powerful crew of volunteers can take a show from good to GREAT! What do you think? Where do you see yourself helping? Get out and volunteer this year!
