[ponykid96]

Can someone please give me a little information on how to qualify for Devon? I know you have to pass the cut off and be accepted, but do you have to apply to qualify, or if you pass the cutoff are you atomically on the list? In other words, do people who work for the horse show check USEF rankings and then invite you? Or do you have to send them your results? Where would you send the results?
Someone help please!

[Anne]

You have to enter the horse show, and send in a (usually nonrefundable) deposit.

[Tha Ridge]

I know you have to pass the cut off and be accepted, but do you have to apply to qualify, or if you pass the cutoff are you atomically on the list?

Yes, and you then become radioactive.

[meupatdoes]

You have to enter the horse show, and send in a (usually nonrefundable) deposit.

Seriously, if you enter and then you don't make their cutoff and they tell you "No sirree" they keep the deposit???

[Tha Ridge]

Seriously, if you enter and then you don't make their cutoff and they tell you "No sirree" they keep the deposit???

It's $100, and they call it an "application fee". I don't think it's too outrageous.. I mean, you typically have a pretty good idea of whether or not you're going to get in before you enter.

[dab]

They post the cutoff points from the previous year -- http://www.devonhorseshow.net/exhibi...-qualifier.php --

[Ponytoes]

It's $100, and they call it an "application fee". I don't think it's too outrageous.. I mean, you typically have a pretty good idea of whether or not you're going to get in before you enter.

I lost that $100 a couple of years ago, missed the cutoff by 75 points. What was really aggravating was they posted the wrong cutoff score, so DD thought she made it, then she checked the list and was not on it. Can you imagine how incredibly excited she was one minute and how depressed she was the next, she was 12 at the time. You would think if you are paying $100 for an office fee, that is not refunded - they could at least get this part right. By the way they also have this for PA and WIHS too, and would guess the National but have never gone there.

[sarcam02]

You may know all or part of this but i'll be redundant. The Devon year falls in the middle of two "usef" years. The year begins about April 1st of one year and ends about May 31st the next. You can't easily track it because it does not truly match up with USEF yearly points. Your job is to get the maximum points you can in only 15 shows. If you go to 20 shows you need to "drop" 5 of the lowest shows. The points for the big 3 (Devon - PNHS- WIHS) are huge and getting bigger based on the new USEF point system. The medium pony hunter cut off at WIHS was over 3700 (about 250 average per show) points and that reflected only a partial year of the new point system. It is likely that it will be higher by the time Devon closes out. Ponies/owners that feel they have a good shot at making it send in the pre entry and the non refundable office fee. Then after all the last show results are received by the horse shows around the country, Devon and the USEF then review and coordinate the entries against the usef top list.

[vxf111]

Non official thought on this subject...

It's an office fee. I think it's designed to make sure that people who enter have some actual intent to attend if they made the cut. Devon's prestigious. If it cost nothing, I could see people entering just to be able to say in advertising that their horse/pony qualified even if they have no plans to actually go (like West Coast people who may have tons of points but geographically it's cost prohibitive to go). Which would make determining the cut and dealing with the waiting list a real nightmare (you'd invite a bunch of people who would decline and then have to readjust the cut and/or call up a ton ton of people off the waitlist-- many of whom make other plans if they don't make the cut etc.). The idea is that you know the cuts from past year and that plus the deposit means you probably won't enter unless you're genuine and have a chance, which means the cut list is pretty realistic and then there's not a ton of work to do with the waitlist.

Some people DO get off the waitlist every year! I've seen years when the cut in certain divisions was way lower than the year before and/or a lot of people got in off the waitlist. It depends. One year it was something like one point in the adult jumpers.

It is a bit of an office task to create the cuts and the waitlists. I don't think this is much of a cash cow for the office. It's a little bit to cover the office costs and a little bit to discourage entries from people who know they won't actually come. As someone else pointed out, the April to April point year doesn't coincide with other point lists so there's some effort involved in the office to go calculate points for each entry. That does take time/effort.

That's my educated guess.

[Ponytoes]

VX - have made it to PA and WIHS, but I'm sorry to be wrong in your cutoff score online is just pitiful, hope you have a 12 year old daughter you can explain this to one day.....

[vxf111]

VX - have made it to PA and WIHS, but I'm sorry to be wrong in your cutoff score online is just pitiful, hope you have a 12 year old daughter you can explain this to one day.....

For the record, I never excused the office making a mistake. I don't have anything to do with the office. Nothing at all. They weren't terribly cooperative when my horse went to Devon, if that tells you anything

I am sure they felt very very badly about that. I can't imagine how disappointed your daughter was. I would be too. Obviously mistakes happen even when they shouldn't. They're only people, they do make mistakes. I've had USEF make mistakes on my record. Mistakes happen. You hope they don't, you feel bad when they do, but it's not 100% foolproof perfect system. Regardless, I am sorry for your daughter because that must have been upsetting.

I don't know how many years ago it was, but if it makes you feel any better it's likely not the same people anymore.

[vxf111]

Out of curiosity... did they post one cutoff, and then later post a different cutoff? What year was this?

[Ponytoes]

Out of curiosity... did they post one cutoff, and then later post a different cutoff? What year was this?

It was 2011, in the large pony division, yes when I called the next day they admitted that they had posted the wrong cutoff score, the lady I talked to did not apologize and went on and on about how exicted she was for her granddaughter who had made it and it was her last year to qualify. I wished her granddaughter good luck and asked them to please be more careful in the future so this didn't happen to other children

[vxf111]

It was 2011, in the large pony division, yes when I called the next day they admitted that they had posted the wrong cutoff score, the lady I talked to did not apologize and went on and on about how exicted she was for her granddaughter who had made it and it was her last year to qualify. I wished her granddaughter good luck and asked them to please be more careful in the future so this didn't happen to other children

That really is a shame. I'm sorry. You never want a mistake to happen, but clearly it can.

[vxf111]

IIRC 2011 was the year they switched one of the office software/data management companies they use ans started doing more of that *in house*. Which may explain how an error was made, people who had never had to calculate the points before were doing it for the first time. Not an excuse, just a possible explanation. Sometime around 2011 was when a lot of the office functions went more "in house."