Trainers and exhibitors have spent many hours filling out horse show entry forms, looking up membership numbers and other needed information, and writing the same information over and over again. Simone Otus Coxe and Barbara Phillips knew there had to be an easier way, and Equestrian Connect was born. Horse show exhibitors took an immediate liking to this service of electronic entry forms, and Simone and Barbara have taken it a step further by creating the ability to not only fill out the forms online but submit them electronically as well.

“I used to use another service for entries, but it was outdated, difficult and time consuming in too many ways,” reports Katherine Anderson, assistant to Michael and Christa Endicott at Pegasus Show Stable. “The Equestrian Connect service was very easy to learn. I did a quick tutorial with Barb and was ready to do entries. I am slightly technologically challenged, but it was easy enough for me to do on my own after a quick lesson. Now, entries take only a few minutes and are easily updated with new horse and rider information. It’s nice that Equestrian Connect makes everything simple and efficient.”

With Equestrian Connect’s initial roll-out, the service allowed users to fill out entry forms and save data like USEF and USHJA membership numbers. However, they still had to print and mail their entries. Now, the service has improved to a new level. “We officially launched our Entry Management Portal at the USHJA Convention in early December, so horse show management can now accept entries electronically regardless of their horse show software,” Barbara explains. “Now all the major national horse shows and others across the country are accepting entries electronically, making it easier for trainers, owners and riders to submit their entries.”

This is exciting news for users on both sides of the horse show business: management and exhibitors. “This is a big efficiency for horse show managers, because all they have to do is press a button and all of the entries download right into their horse show management software,” Simone remarks, “but it’s also a huge benefit to exhibitors because they don’t have to print and mail their forms anymore. It’s a lot easier for everybody.”

Professional horsemen and amateurs alike are finding the service to be highly convenient and easy to use. “I needed to find a way to save time when filling out entries for horse shows,” comments trainer Archie Cox of Brookway Stables. “Equestrian Connect makes submitting entries extremely simple, fast, and easy. Barbara and Simone have created an entry service current with today’s technology. Every Equestrian Connect user will see the benefits.”

Stephanie Wheeler of Blenheim EquiSports is thrilled as well. “Without a doubt, the biggest benefit of accepting entries from Equestrian Connect is the accuracy with which the entries are received. All of the required information is there, and the USEF and USHJA numbers are correct and legible.”

Brenda Outwater of LEG’s Los Angeles shows division agrees. “We used Equestrian Connect’s online entry for our LA shows and used it to electronically upload the entries into our horse show management program. It saved quite a bit of time and labor, and the entry blanks were much easier to read.”

These are just two of the many horse show managers using the service. Most USEF-rated shows, including HITS and many others, all take advantage of Equestrian Connect. “For exhibitors, it’s very nice to be able to get their entries in at the eleventh hour and beat the deadline,” Barbara remarks. “There’s no more dealing with delays that come with printing and mailing forms and lost mail. If at the last minute they decide a horse is ready or a customer decides they want to go to a show, they can still get entries in on time. All their information is saved, so it takes just minutes to enter. With the online entries, show management can quickly and easily send an email confirmation with classes and stalls so there are no unnecessary phone calls to see if the entry arrived.”

The oh-so-21st Century idea of taking the laborious task of filling out entry forms and automating it has taken off, and now 9,000 exhibitors and over 800 horse shows across the United States and Canada are using the service. Additionally, all of the show managers who use horseshowtime.com can automatically import their entries. And Barbara and Simone have no intention of halting their progress, either. They are currently working on the ability to interface with other platforms and hope to roll out this functionality to even more shows in early 2013, and the technology just keeps improving.

“Users can operate Equestrian Connect from their smart phone or tablet as well as the computer,” Barbara explains. “The prize lists and schedules are all available right there, so people don’t need to carry them. They can even download reports with a summary of the horses scheduled to go and what they’re showing in, which they can then distribute to their barn manager, staff, etc. We will continue to streamline the process for both the shows and the exhibitors to make this process easier and smoother so everyone can get out of the show office and focus on riding, showing, and having a great time with their horses. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service, and providing a positive experience for all users is our key objective.”

Equestrian Connect offers a free 45-day trial that includes helping enter your data. After that, you can purchase an annual subscription for $49.99/ horse per year or $8 per entry, per show. There is no charge to store your information or access show schedules and prize lists in the service. To learn more about how this service works or to sign up, go to www.equestrianconnect.com.

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