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Transcript

Is Florida Worth the Trip? · Two Point Perspective

• 0:00
  Every fall you can watch the geese heading south.
• 0:04
  And honestly, horse people aren't really all that different.
• 0:08
  The weather starts getting cold, the days get shorter, and suddenly everybody's talking about Florida.
• 0:15
  Now, we can certainly ride through the winter here in Virginia, but there are some days when the ring is frozen, you're wearing four layers of clothes, your fingers are frozen, and you open your phone and there's pictures of
• 0:29
  everybody you know in Florida.
• 0:32
  Florida, there's sunshine and palm trees, beautiful horses.
• 0:37
  Everybody's looking like they're having a great time and you think, why am I here?
• 0:43
  I get it.
• 0:44
  Believe me, I get it.
• 0:47
  But Florida has become an enormous part of our sport.
• 0:51
  And going down for the winter isn't quite the same thing as it was when I was growing up.
• 0:57
  So what are we really going for?
• 0:59
  The weather, the competition, the experience, and is it really worth the trip?
• 1:07
  This is two point perspective.
• 1:09
  Two riders with different viewpoints from different generations talking about the same sport.
• 1:16
  So what was Florida like when you were showing as a junior?
• 1:21
  Because by the time I was growing up, going to Florida was, you know, a thing.
• 1:25
  Well, the whole, I would say the whole show schedule was completely different because when I was growing up, it seemed like all we did was follow the weather.
• 1:35
  You'd start in the south in the spring, so it seemed like the horseshoes were sort of in three week intervals like Atlanta, Tuscaloosa, Memphis, and then you would kind of work your way north.
• 1:48
  And I remember going to Lexington, Louisville, Nashville, but there was Blowing Rock, obviously.
• 1:56
  And then you keep going.
• 1:58
  And by the summer you were showing in places like Ox Ridge, obviously going north because it's getting cooler, so like Lake Placid or Vermont.
• 2:09
  And then in the fall we went back to, quote, indoors.
• 2:14
  And so you had Harrisburg, Washington, and it ended with the National Horse show at Madison Square Garden.
• 2:21
  And that was really the end of.
• 2:23
  The season for everybody, which to me is so different.
• 2:27
  Now.
• 2:27
  There are shows somewhere almost every weekend of the year, no matter the season, no matter the area.
• 2:35
  And there was Florida, but it wasn't anything like what we know today.
• 2:40
  It was actually called the Sunshine Circuit and it was in Winter Haven.
• 2:47
  And unbelievably, I actually got to go when I was in high school, my senior year.
• 2:54
  We had a one month project, I think we didn't have school and we were supposed to go work somewhere, do something.
• 3:02
  You had to get it approved.
• 3:04
  And you were then at the end of the month supposed to write a paper about it.
• 3:09
  And somehow I convinced them to let me go to Florida.
• 3:13
  And I actually catch.
• 3:15
  Rode a pony for.
• 3:16
  For a family that rode with Sonny, my trainer.
• 3:19
  And I could tell you it wasn't a bad way to spend your senior project.
• 3:25
  I mean, no joke.
• 3:26
  So.
• 3:26
  So you really got a month off from school to go ride somebody else's pony in Florida?
• 3:30
  Pretty much.
• 3:32
  Oh, my goodness.
• 3:33
  Well, I would say that that's a pretty good senior project.
• 3:35
  What was the circuit like when you were there, though?
• 3:38
  It was.
• 3:38
  It was great.
• 3:39
  It was a little sketchy at this point in my life to remember all the things, but I do remember the pony that I rode.
• 3:48
  Her name was Peppermint Dancer.
• 3:50
  And she really was too strong.
• 3:52
  She was probably every bit 14, two.
• 3:56
  And the kid was.
• 3:57
  I don't know how old she was, maybe 10, 11.
• 4:00
  So this pony was too big and too strong.
• 4:03
  She went in the Pelham and.
• 4:06
  But she was just such a good jumper.
• 4:09
  But I do remember.
• 4:10
  So that's why they wanted to show her in Florida.
• 4:12
  But I do remember seeing Buddy Brown and everybody had such a big crush on him.
• 4:18
  There were a bunch of now, in hindsight, kind of famous people that were there.
• 4:23
  And I, for some reason have this in my mind.
• 4:28
  I don't know why exactly, but I went in Sonny's car and I was going to the airport to pick up somebody and I had to go to the airport in Tampa.
• 4:41
  And about that time is when Jean Mish had started the invitational that was in actually the Tampa Stadium.
• 4:49
  And that was all the big talk.
• 4:51
  And the very.
• 4:53
  The very first One was in 1973, which is the same year I was there.
• 4:58
  And actually Rodney Jenkins won it on Idle Dice that year.
• 5:02
  And it's just so fun to think back about all this stuff.
• 5:05
  I can see her car.
• 5:07
  She bought a.
• 5:10
  For Lincoln Mercury Cougar.
• 5:14
  And she wanted.
• 5:15
  I think they were a little bit expensive at the time time, but they were kind of sporty looking and she wanted one so badly.
• 5:22
  So she took the color that nobody wanted, which was kind of this burnt orange thing, and we called it Sweet Potato.
• 5:29
  So.
• 5:30
  Oh my God.
• 5:31
  But I got to drive the Sweet Potato over to Tampa.
• 5:33
  So anyway, that's what I remember.
• 5:37
  But.
• 5:38
  Well, I mean, by the time I was growing up, like, you know, in my junior years and stuff, Florida was already something that people were planning for.
• 5:46
  You know, it wasn't just, okay, here's like a little couple weeks in, you know, Sunshine circuit and, and a few weeks in warm weather.
• 5:54
  People were organizing their winners around it.
• 5:58
  And we're planning, okay, we're going to do a month or whatever.
• 6:02
  Plus in Florida, you know.
• 6:05
  And so I just think it's so interesting that, like, it makes sense to me.
• 6:09
  Okay, you're going to do a few weeks here, a few weeks there, but then kind of work your way up as the weather got more amenable to what we were trying to do.
• 6:19
  Right.
• 6:19
  Like, so you're not having to show in like ice cold weather all the time.
• 6:23
  So it's just interesting that you worked your way up and now it's, it's like a full blown, used to kind of feel like went from.
• 6:32
  Okay, yeah, we're going to Florida for a few weeks or.
• 6:34
  Oh, no, now we're going to Florida for a few months.
• 6:36
  And now it's not just a few months.
• 6:37
  It's like five or six months.
• 6:39
  It's crazy.
• 6:40
  Well, I think it was interesting because it used to be rinse and repeat and you end up north, come back to the indoors, and then you have a month off and then you start all over again.
• 6:51
  And now you hear about all these horses that are going in November and December to Florida.
• 6:57
  And I think horseshoes are accommodating that.
• 7:01
  And that's.
• 7:01
  I agree, what I find interesting, like, how did we get from that little Florida circuit that I remember to where we are today?
• 7:13
  So I know you were saying that you were like, you know, you were in Tampa or you were just recalling a moment in Tampa, but was it, was it a Wellington vs Ocala thing back when, even when you
• 7:24
  were like doing that?
• 7:26
  No, it was actually the Florida sunshine circuit was in Winter Haven.
• 7:32
  Okay, okay.
• 7:33
  Winter Haven, I think is near Lakeland, Florida.
• 7:36
  If I'm, I could be wrong, but I think that's where it is.
• 7:39
  So it wasn't Ocala, and Wellington didn't even exist at that point.
• 7:44
  Oh, wow.
• 7:45
  Okay.
• 7:45
  But I do think that Wellington is probably the best example of how much things have changed.
• 7:52
  Because in the 70s, like I said, that area was just farmland.
• 7:57
  And over time it became an entire equestrian community.
• 8:02
  Polo.
• 8:02
  And not just the showgrounds, but all the farms, the homes, neighborhoods, businesses, people who actually made their lives there.
• 8:12
  I know some people who live there full time and there's others who have a legit second home there.
• 8:21
  Right.
• 8:21
  And I think that that's what's so different about Wellington is that some people live there year round while others come down for five or six months every winter.
• 8:29
  Or it's, it's kind of like you're, okay, we're based out of Florida and somewhere else.
• 8:34
  And it's like, like I'm saying Five or six months down in Florida and then wherever their other home bases.
• 8:41
  Now it doesn't feel like it's just a place to go show.
• 8:44
  I think a lot for, like, a lot of people, it's a second home or a second base.
• 8:48
  And.
• 8:48
  And like you're saying, for many, it's.
• 8:50
  They actually will live there year round.
• 8:52
  And the Winter Equestrian Festival grew into this enormous international event.
• 8:58
  I don't know if you remember, but I actually had an incredible experience there in 2015.
• 9:05
  Sarah and I accompanied Harry Delaire to Wellington when Snowman was being inducted into the Horse Stars hall of Fame.
• 9:15
  And it was amazing.
• 9:17
  That's right.
• 9:17
  You got the VIP treatment, didn't you?
• 9:19
  We sure did.
• 9:20
  We were seated, We.
• 9:22
  We got into the International Club, and so we would.
• 9:26
  We got these wristbands.
• 9:27
  We would go there.
• 9:28
  I think we were there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we would go with Harry.
• 9:32
  And they seated us in the top area near the bar.
• 9:39
  And the International Club overlooks like the whole Grand Prix arena.
• 9:46
  And so we could watch all those classes all day long.
• 9:48
  And I swear, everybody who was anybody came over to speak to him.
• 9:53
  Steve Stevens, who was designing the Grand Prix course that weekend, came over and had a long chat.
• 10:00
  And Karen Reed Ofield, the executive producer of the documentary Harry and Snowman, came over.
• 10:07
  We had our picture taken with her.
• 10:09
  She was great.
• 10:10
  It was fascinating.
• 10:11
  I mean, here we were in the middle of this enormous international competition, and everybody wanted their moment with Harry, which was really so cool.
• 10:21
  And then the night of the induction to the Horse hall of Fame, there was a cocktail party.
• 10:27
  And later that evening, during the Saturday Night Lights, Harry went down to the arena for the presentation.
• 10:34
  And it was an incredible experience.
• 10:37
  And what a wonderful way to see Wellington for the first time.
• 10:40
  That.
• 10:40
  That was the first time, you know, I'd ever gone.
• 10:43
  Oh, yeah.
• 10:44
  What an experience to see Wellington from that side of things.
• 10:46
  Not just the competition, but the whole social world around it.
• 10:50
  I think there's so much to our world, Wellington or not Wellington, that revolves around the social aspect of our sport, for sure.
• 10:58
  I mean, like, you think about when we went down for the equestrian women in business, right?
• 11:02
  I mean, we're sitting there, we're having this event there, that they have the ability to accommodate the space and.
• 11:08
  And the people, and you get to watch what we love to do all day and then also run your business people too, right?
• 11:16
  Yeah, totally.
• 11:18
  Yeah.
• 11:18
  It's crazy.
• 11:19
  That night at the cocktail party, I met Bob Cascione, I met Derek Braun's mother, and I think I met Derek too.
• 11:28
  And then Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patty were over on the other side and it was just as they are.
• 11:36
  It was a crazy night.
• 11:38
  I mean, they were just at the other end of the area.
• 11:40
  But it was cool.
• 11:42
  Still sharing space.
• 11:44
  I know, sharing space.
• 11:46
  So, and then, and then, let's not forget the shopping.
• 11:49
  The shopping.
• 11:50
  I remember when I was there in 2015, we saw Chuck Pinell, who used to spend the entire circuit there selling his custom leather goods.
• 11:59
  And now I see Chuck here at home, but he doesn't go down for the circuit anymore.
• 12:05
  But remember you and I walked all around at.
• 12:09
  We went shopping with all the vendors when we had gone, like you said, for the Equestrian Women in Business Conference.
• 12:16
  I mean, it was pretty impressive.
• 12:19
  Oh yeah.
• 12:20
  There's always something to see and there's nothing short on the shopping end.
• 12:24
  There's plenty to go around for anybody.
• 12:26
  Absolutely.
• 12:27
  I have to say though, I don't remember being hugely blown away by the hunter rings.
• 12:34
  They weren't necessarily all that different from other places that we've shown.
• 12:39
  But that Grand Prix arena, that was really impressive.
• 12:43
  And then Pony island, which I've never actually visited, but apparently it's a whole experience in itself for all the kids showing ponies.
• 12:52
  I think my daughter in law took Kaia over there to watch the ponies one day and she said she too was.
• 13:00
  Was pretty blown away.
• 13:02
  So Wellington has become much more than just a winter horse show, effectively.
• 13:07
  Yeah.
• 13:07
  And it's not the only place that changed the Florida experience, I guess you could say.
• 13:12
  You and I were both at the World Equestrian center in Ocala the first year it opened.
• 13:18
  Right?
• 13:19
  You were there too?
• 13:20
  Yep.
• 13:21
  And I remember we kept calling it Disneyland for horse people.
• 13:25
  Oh yeah.
• 13:26
  And I mean, I think that's a pretty good description.
• 13:27
  It's been used, you know, tons.
• 13:30
  Well, as well it should be, because it really is.
• 13:33
  You've got the hotel overlooking the Grand Prix arena, restaurant, shops and all sorts things going on.
• 13:39
  Remember how people who have absolutely nothing to do with horses just come up to you and can I pet your horse?
• 13:47
  And they just are there walking around.
• 13:49
  It's crazy.
• 13:50
  Oh yeah.
• 13:51
  The only other time I've ever had that happen was when we were in Devon.
• 13:54
  And that is because the barns and the fair and all of that are so like commingled and so close together.
• 14:00
  And I, I may have mentioned this on the podcast before, but there is sort of some like little magic that occurs with that.
• 14:08
  Like there was this little girl that came up, she was walking through the barns and she asked if she could pet Luki.
• 14:12
  I was just putting him away for the night.
• 14:14
  I think I just finished wrapping his legs or something.
• 14:16
  And she was like, can I pet your horse?
• 14:19
  Oh, yeah, okay, go ahead.
• 14:20
  So I just kind of like blocked him and.
• 14:22
  And she was petting him.
• 14:23
  I mean, she, that girl was very outgoing.
• 14:26
  She's petting him all up and down his face, and he's got his head dropped down real low.
• 14:30
  And she's saying to her dad, she said, when I can get a horse, this is my dream horse.
• 14:34
  This is the kind of horse I want.
• 14:35
  And there was a part of me that felt like, like this magic was sparked because he was the dream horse I always wanted.
• 14:42
  And for this little girl who was, I don't know, seven, eight years old, to say, this is my dream horse, this is the horse that I want when I grow up, it sort of felt like I totally know
• 14:54
  what that magic feels like in your heart when you love horses so much and you just really want the one that you want.
• 15:01
  And he was that for me.
• 15:03
  And so to have a little girl walk up to him and, and feel that way was kind of special.
• 15:07
  And so I think that that was so cool that you can kind of get that in Ocala too, because it's become a destination not just for the people showing, but also for the people that want to spectate.
• 15:17
  And it is a little bit of a different concept than there is from Wellington because Wellington feels more like specifically equestrian community.
• 15:25
  And the World Equestrian center seems more of a destination for people, not just those that are showing.
• 15:31
  It sort of felt like when we went in to.
• 15:33
  Well, granted, I've never showed there, so I haven't spent any substantial amount of time there, but it feels a little, little bit more closed off in terms of like, access to like the barns and stuff.
• 15:43
  And I'm not saying it should be a free for all, but, you know.
• 15:45
  You mean, you mean Wellington is as opposed to the World Equestrian Center.
• 15:50
  Correct, right, correct.
• 15:51
  Where people can actually just walk around and pat horses and look at things, whereas Wellington you can't.
• 15:56
  Yeah.
• 15:57
  And the other thing about the World Equestrian center is they're constantly having events that aren't necessarily horse related.
• 16:06
  I think there's an email daily, whether it's about some music happening, food vendors or holiday celebrations.
• 16:15
  I saw a dog Halloween dress up contest.
• 16:19
  And you know, though they have those wine events or pairing at the restaurant.
• 16:24
  Stirrups.
• 16:25
  Right.
• 16:26
  And just all kinds of different, even family activities, for heaven's sakes.
• 16:31
  The World Equestrian center this year I Noticed they're even promoting indoor soccer leagues.
• 16:38
  Yeah, not right.
• 16:39
  You know, so there's something all the time.
• 16:41
  Not like I'm going to be there and not like I'm going all the time.
• 16:45
  But I'm fascinated and I read them all just because I think it's so genius from a marketing perspective what they're doing to bring not only horse people, but spectators, because that's what helps grow the sport too, to have
• 17:02
  that kind of interest.
• 17:03
  Oh, yeah.
• 17:04
  I'm sure that that type of outreach makes it appealing to people who would probably never have a reason to attend.
• 17:11
  Not necessarily horse show, but the grounds for certain.
• 17:14
  So they.
• 17:15
  They get pulled in because there's something else going on.
• 17:17
  And then, oh, all of a sudden they're on horse show grounds and in the front, that's all that's going on is this big event with horses and then they're going to the Expo center and they have to drive
• 17:28
  by it and they have to see it.
• 17:29
  And it's kind of like, do I maybe I could kind of peek over and see what's happening before or after.
• 17:34
  Yeah.
• 17:35
  And I know Wellington does do the Friday Night Lights and I do think that that does draw a lot of the community to come and.
• 17:44
  And watch and participate, whether you're showing or not.
• 17:47
  And it's exciting because it's the Grand Prix and big jumpers and an FEI kind of event.
• 17:53
  And I know that Tryon does some of that too.
• 17:56
  I feel like I might be on the mailing list for try on as well and obviously not as often as Florida because North Carolina is not Florida and it doesn't have the same facility layout.
• 18:12
  But yeah, they are definitely advertising, trying doing things to bring the community to the showgrounds as well.
• 18:22
  And I just think that it's really interesting how these big equestrian facilities have become destinations in their own right.
• 18:30
  Well, and I also think that the World Equestrian center has an additional advantage, which is the climate controlled indoors.
• 18:37
  For sure.
• 18:37
  Right now they actually, I didn't.
• 18:40
  I had to go and confirm this, but they now got six of them.
• 18:43
  I think when we first went there were only four, but now there's six.
• 18:47
  Yeah, I think that's right.
• 18:48
  Yeah.
• 18:48
  There's a western one and one for dressage, which makes sense because they probably have different footing.
• 18:55
  But you can go to Florida and show in the middle of August, which is a pretty big change from why we originally started going south.
• 19:05
  Because when I was growing up, I do remember farms that had covered or indoor arenas and that was.
• 19:14
  Was it considered well, at least in Atlanta it was considered a real luxury when the weather was bad.
• 19:19
  I know, I think anywhere at this point.
• 19:23
  Well, no, I would say it was probably a necessity if you were in the north or New England.
• 19:30
  But most of the horse shows that I went to were outdoors and I certainly don't remember showing at any of the facilities with anything that had six enormous climate controlled indoor arenas, that's for sure.
• 19:47
  Well, and now they're holding summer shows in Florida indoors, which who in the world would have imagined that now, now you, you stay in Florida and oh, we'll just show indoors because not, not only are they heat controlled,
• 20:01
  but they're also air conditioned.
• 20:03
  So I certainly never would have imagined that.
• 20:06
  And of course there are even more choices if you're thinking about Florida than just Wellington or wec.
• 20:12
  Now you've got hits in Ocala, you've got Fox Lee in Venice, or Terra Nova, I think is the new one on the west coast, close to Sarasota.
• 20:23
  People tell me it's beautiful.
• 20:25
  I don't know that they have as extensive a season, but people say the facilities are incredible.
• 20:32
  Well, and not only that, you don't have to commit the whole winter to go.
• 20:35
  I mean you could go anytime effectively to whack anyways.
• 20:39
  Right.
• 20:40
  And so not at all.
• 20:42
  I mean, we, we've gone for two weeks and then we liked it so much we went back for a month, obviously, same as wef.
• 20:50
  Now people go for the circuit three months, but I also hear about people going for four or five months and if they just stayed one more month, they could be residents.
• 21:01
  So.
• 21:03
  Well, you know, you only have to stay six months in one day and then you don't pay state income tax because you live in Florida.
• 21:12
  If you want bonus, bonus right there.
• 21:14
  And I imagine it's a whole.
• 21:15
  Yeah, I imagine it's a different ball game if you're going for five months instead of two weeks.
• 21:20
  I mean you're spending a lot of money, no matter how you slice it, but, but still.
• 21:25
  Well, especially when you consider that some of these bigger barns are actually running two separate operations.
• 21:32
  They've got horses and clients in Florida, but they've still got a barn full of horses and clients at home.
• 21:40
  Well, and some, somebody, regardless of where you are, it's got to keep both place running like you've, you've got to have, you know, who's on first at, at the Florida residence and, and at home.
• 21:51
  Exactly.
• 21:52
  And then you've got the horses that stay down for the entire circuit and others that might come Just for a few weeks.
• 22:01
  And you have owners that are flying back and forth.
• 22:04
  It must be really hard to keep track of everybody.
• 22:08
  I mean, can you imagine?
• 22:09
  I mean, but that.
• 22:10
  I mean, I guess that that's.
• 22:12
  As an amateur, that's just the ideal life, right?
• 22:15
  Like, my horse ships down.
• 22:17
  My horse hates the winter.
• 22:19
  Like in Virginia, he's like, it's cold.
• 22:20
  This is stupid.
• 22:21
  And when we've gone to Florida, he's like, thank you for taking me to a place where I deserve.
• 22:26
  But somebody's got to keep track of everybody.
• 22:29
  And I imagine that the expenses on the owner's part or rider's part gets quite interesting.
• 22:35
  Oh, my gosh.
• 22:36
  Can you imagine?
• 22:37
  Actually, I just learned that some barns don't charge you board at home if your horse is in Florida for an extended period.
• 22:45
  Well, thank God.
• 22:47
  Yeah, I know.
• 22:47
  It makes sense.
• 22:48
  But then I started wondering, what qualifies as an extended period?
• 22:54
  Is it a month or is it the whole winner?
• 22:58
  Three months, four months, five months?
• 23:00
  And I don't know because.
• 23:03
  Well, I mean.
• 23:03
  Yeah, I mean, I guess it depends on the barn, because first of all, what is your regular board?
• 23:07
  What conveys if you're somewhere else, and then if you're gone for a whole month, it's like, okay, do I need to pay for a dry stall at home?
• 23:15
  Are you thinking about giving that to somebody else?
• 23:17
  Like, all of that?
• 23:18
  Well, remember, you know, when.
• 23:20
  When we sort of were exploring this before, when we were thinking about going and we did go to Florida for the month.
• 23:28
  The rationale was, when you pay rent for an apartment, even if you go on vacation for a month, you don't not.
• 23:38
  It's not like you, like.
• 23:39
  Right.
• 23:40
  You don't give up your two weeks on vacation or a week on vacation.
• 23:43
  Or a month, you know, on vacation.
• 23:46
  Yeah, it would, but you still have to pay your rent, so.
• 23:50
  And never mind.
• 23:51
  Just the boarding part of it, there's the cost of going to Florida, the shipping, the stabling, showing somewhere to stay.
• 24:00
  I'm sure it adds up in a hurry.
• 24:03
  Well, yeah.
• 24:03
  And that doesn't even count meals.
• 24:04
  And although you can see the appeal of having your horse down there for a season and just flying in and out when you want to show, while that all sounds great and fine, there's additional expenses that add up
• 24:17
  with that, because it's not just like you're saying.
• 24:19
  It's not like your life at home just suddenly disappears.
• 24:22
  Well, I think we need to rob a bank.
• 24:24
  Because if you've got the time and the money, I think I could be perfectly happy with a couple of weeks of sunshine.
• 24:33
  I mean, we have done that more than once, Elizabeth.
• 24:36
  Okay.
• 24:37
  You and I in a car, down.
• 24:39
  We go in a car hauling the hay versus the horses.
• 24:44
  So.
• 24:44
  Well, and the other time we haul the horses, so.
• 24:47
  We have.
• 24:48
  Yeah, I hauled.
• 24:50
  Well, you might have hauled, but the two times that we went together.
• 24:53
  Oh, maybe we did just take.
• 24:54
  Specifically, we just.
• 24:55
  We just.
• 24:56
  But we brought.
• 24:57
  I mean, I hold.
• 24:57
  I hauled the horse.
• 24:59
  I've hauled horses home.
• 25:01
  You've hauled horses home?
• 25:02
  Yeah.
• 25:02
  Yes.
• 25:03
  All right.
• 25:03
  That's nerve wracking as hell.
• 25:05
  That's all I have to say about that.
• 25:06
  That's true.
• 25:09
  So, you know, I do wonder, though, if there's a little pressure to go to Florida now.
• 25:15
  Like there.
• 25:16
  There has to be some because especially if you're a trainer and a lot of people that you ride with are going.
• 25:22
  Where does.
• 25:23
  Where does the pressure of, like, okay, well, if I don't go, what does that mean?
• 25:26
  I can see that if everybody else is going and you don't, you surely don't want to be the one who's left behind.
• 25:33
  I will admit there is some bonus to having the peace and quiet of if you've got a busy barn.
• 25:39
  Having it to yourself, but.
• 25:42
  And freezing to death.
• 25:44
  Yeah, also freezing to death.
• 25:45
  But then, you know, you can't help but have a little bit of fomo.
• 25:48
  You see everybody down there and their pictures and they're all having a gallivant and good time.
• 25:53
  Yeah.
• 25:53
  While you're at home breaking ice out of the water buckets.
• 25:56
  You know, do you think that you miss out competitively if you don't go?
• 26:01
  Because there I.
• 26:03
  I seem to think that at least in our particular region and like our little area, we're pretty competitive no matter where you go.
• 26:12
  Like if you stay for the winter, if you don't go for the winter.
• 26:15
  But I also think that you hit some different competition, that you're maybe like, it does it level up?
• 26:21
  Most of the time it does.
• 26:23
  I think that's what's kind of cool about our area, is that you are pretty competitive whether you stay at home or you go down there, which, I mean, I think anyways.
• 26:31
  Well, I would agree, except for now.
• 26:33
  I see more and more and more people from our area that used to be the ones that you would be showing against here going to Florida.
• 26:41
  Right, Right.
• 26:42
  Yes.
• 26:43
  So I guess it really depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
• 26:46
  If you're trying to campaign a horse or qualify for something.
• 26:50
  Florida might be an important part of your season.
• 26:53
  But for the average amateur, I don't think you have to go to Florida to have a successful show year.
• 26:59
  I totally agree.
• 27:00
  I think that you stay here, you go there, you're going to have pretty good competition no matter what.
• 27:05
  And I don't necessarily think that that's the case anywhere around the United States.
• 27:09
  But I certainly feel like our area is crazy competitive.
• 27:14
  And it doesn't, doesn't take away from the fact that, you know, being with your friends and sunshine and having a couple bevies and showing your pony is not a good time.
• 27:25
  It certainly is.
• 27:28
  So now that we've talked about this.
• 27:31
  For a while, I think it's time for us to book a little flight to Florida.
• 27:34
  You know me, I'm always trying to go to Florida, whether it's for a horse show or going to Disney.
• 27:39
  Send me on a plane.
• 27:41
  That's true.
• 27:41
  I love it.
• 27:42
  I'd love to go, but it's not on the schedule this year.
• 27:45
  I think that maybe you and I should go back to Wellington for the equestrian Women in business conference.
• 27:53
  What do you think?
• 27:54
  I mean, sign me up.
• 27:55
  You know, I don't ever, I don't like to miss a ticket on my, on my way to Florida.
• 28:00
  The only unfortunate part about that is that I gotta return home.
• 28:03
  And so, you know, girl, sign me up.
• 28:07
  Okay.
• 28:07
  Because we did have a good time the last time we went and we could wander around wef again and we could see some friends and watch some.
• 28:14
  Classes and we can have some beverages and then maybe we could convince that your son and your daughter in law and your granddaughter, so we should all go to Disney.
• 28:24
  So we'll get a little horrible course, get a little fun and yeah, I mean, I don't see, I don't see a downside to any of that.
• 28:33
  And get some work done.
• 28:35
  Right.
• 28:35
  Obviously that's what we're there for, is to get the work done.
• 28:38
  Talk about the podcast, we talk about my insurance, talk about your marketing, yada, yada, yada.
• 28:46
  See, we started talking about whether Florida was worth the trip and now we're planning one.
• 28:52
  Listen, it's very easy to do as far as I'm concerned.
• 28:54
  You say Florida, I'm like, oh, the options are endless.
• 28:58
  Done, I'm there.
• 29:00
  So until next week, let's ride.