The Complete Guide to Running a Competition from Your Yard

Whether it’s a summer fun show, an unaffiliated dressage evening, or a clear round jumping session, running a competition from your own yard is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It brings the yard community together, gives livery owners a goal to work towards, and — let’s be honest — it’s a solid revenue stream.

It’s also, traditionally, an administrative nightmare.

Paper entry forms. A cash box that nobody reconciles. Results scribbled on the back of a course plan. The inevitable dispute about who was in which class. The entry fee that someone “definitely paid” but you’ve got no record of.

StableSync’s Events & Competitions module was built to fix exactly this. Here’s how to use it to run a competition properly — from initial planning through to publishing results.

Create the event

Start by creating your event in StableSync. You’ll set the event type (show, clinic, camp, competition, fun ride, training day, or demo), dates and times, location, maximum entries, entry fee, and entry deadline. You can make the event public or private, and add descriptions with course details, parking instructions, or anything else riders need to know.

Set up classes

Most competitions have multiple classes, and entry fees might vary between them. StableSync lets you create individual classes within an event.

Example for a small show jumping show:

• Class 1: Clear Round (£5)
• Class 2: 60cm (£8)
• Class 3: 80cm (£8)
• Class 4: 1m (£10)

Example for a dressage evening:

• Class 1: Intro A (£10)
• Class 2: Intro B (£10)
• Class 3: Preliminary 1 (£12)

Each class can have its own maximum entries and entry fee. The order field controls how they appear in the running order.

Open entries

When you set the event status to “entries open,” riders can submit entries through their StableSync account. For each entry, the system records which horse is entering (linked to their profile), which rider, which class, entry status, and payment status.

The benefits of digital entries are immediate: no paper forms to collect and decipher, no cash to handle and reconcile, entry numbers assigned automatically, and a clean withdrawal process with a full record.

If you’ve set a maximum entry limit, the system enforces it — no awkward conversations about squeezing in “just one more.”

Manage entries and fees

As entries come in, you have a clear dashboard showing total entries per class, confirmed versus pending entries, paid versus unpaid, and horse and rider details. Entry fees are tracked per entry with timestamps, giving you a complete financial record of the event.

Run the event

On the day, pull up the running order on any device — your phone, a tablet at the collecting ring, or a laptop at the secretary’s desk. If you’re using kiosk mode, mount a tablet at the entrance with the running order visible for all competitors.

Record results

After each class, record results directly in StableSync. For each entry, you can log placing, score (dressage percentage, show jumping faults), time taken (to thousandths of a second), penalties, and notes.

Results are linked directly to the horse profile and rider account. This means riders can see their results in their own StableSync account, the horse’s competition history builds up over time, and you have a permanent, searchable record of every event you’ve run.

Beyond competitions

The module isn’t limited to competitions. Clinics work with sessions instead of classes. Training days use a single group with notes per participant. Fun rides track completion rather than placing. Camps span multiple days with sessions grouped together.

The financial picture

Every event creates a clear financial trail: total entry fees collected, breakdown by class, paid versus outstanding, and per-rider payment status. This feeds into your broader yard financials — when month-end arrives, your event income is already tracked and categorised.

If you’re on a Standard or Premium plan, the Events module is already active in your dashboard. Create your first event, set up a class or two, and open entries. Your next fun show just got a lot less chaotic.