Big Fun at the Virden Miniature Horse Show
What need has your organization addressed in the community due to Valleyview Co-op's support
We gave a large group of people (and especially youth) that generally don't have recognition in the agricultural community. This show gave that group a place to practice their skills and show their "expertise". The Miniature Horse is gaining more and more recognition in the recreational aspect of the agricultural world and we're so happy that we can bring a show like this to Virden and surrounding communities. Our show also attracted exhibitors from all over Manitoba and SE Saskatchewan. So our show brought many people to Virden and a chance to see what Virden has to offer.
Please describe the support received from Valleyview Co-op and the impact it has made
The above number is an estimate that includes spectators. We actually had 24 exhibitors and 42 horses in total at our show. That is up from our numbers last year so we are growing! Because of the Valleyview Co-op sponsorship we were able to host the youth at our show to a top notch educational opportunity. And all adults who watched also received the "overflow" benefit of the teaching being shared. We happened to have an excellent trainer/equestrian coach who was also an exhibitor at our show. We paid her to offer a Mini Clinic to help teach the youth how to best show their horses. It was an exceptional training session. The judge of our show happened to stay and watch and she was VERY impressed with the knowledge that was being shared with the youth. As a matter of fact, the judge actually commented the next day on how much the youth had already improved JUST from the hour training session they received the evening before! So the Valleyview Co-op Mini Horse Clinic was a great success. Along with covering the costs of that clinician, we used the funds received from the Valleyview Co-op to cover our costs of the arena. So the impact was huge. Without an arena, we wouldn't have a show. And with professional teaching, our youth (and their parents who watched from the sidelines) are honing their skills and they will want to continue to work and support the Miniature Horse breed.
What support is still needed and how can people learn more or get involved?
In total we raised approximately $2,500. That includes the most appreciated money we got from Valleyview Co-op. This sum doesn't completely cover all our costs but because we host our show in conjunction with the Virden Heavy Horse Show, we can "piggy-back" on what they also bring to the weekend so we always manage to break even. We are non-profit and never aim to make money from our show. We always want to pay it back to the exhibitors and the use of the facilities.