> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.horsespot.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.horsespot.com/general-management-tools/getting-started/common-faqs.md). # Common FAQ's Whether you're a show organizer exploring new software, a secretary curious how Horse Spot handles your discipline, or an organization looking into what's possible with Horse Spot, this page answers the questions we hear most. Don't see your question here? Reach out to us at , we're happy to help.
What is Horse Spot? Horse Spot is the leading competition management serving all disciplines. Our team consists of show secretaries and licensed officials who understand what it takes to run a competition. From entries and schedules to ringside results, Horse Spot gives producers, secretaries, and organizations the tools to run competitions smoothly, whether it's a local schooling show, a rated event, a rodeo, or a fair.​ We built that same experience into two dedicated platforms: Rodeo Spot for producers running rodeos, and Fair Spot for organizers hosting county and state fairs, covering both equine and livestock competitions.
What locations/countries can you find Horse Spot in? Horse Spot is currently serving shows, rodeos, and fairs in 45 states and 3 countries, including the US, Canada, and Bermuda, with plans to expand across English speaking European countries. Language support is coming soon.
What kind of competitions use Horse Spot? Horse Spot powers competitions across 20+ disciplines, from small local schooling shows to rated events with bespoke scoring and results requirements. Whether you're running a single-day open show or a multi-week rated circuit, Horse Spot has the tools to match. *\*Coming Soon/Ready to support* ## Disciplines we support ### Breed shows * American Saddlebred\* * Andalusian * Appaloosa\* * Arabian * Donkeys and Mules * Draft * Friesian * Gypsy Vanner * Icelandic\* * Miniatures * Missouri Fox Trotter\* * Morgan\* * Multi-Breed * Mustangs * Paints\* * Paso Fino\* * Peruvian Paso\* * Pintos\* * Quarter Horse * Racking Horses * Standardbred/Roadsters * Tennessee Walking Horse * Thoroughbred * Walking Horse * Welsh ### Dressage * Dressage * Para Dressage * Western Dressage ### Driving * Combined Driving ### English * Combined Training * Endurance\* * English Pleasure * Eventing & Horse Trials * Hunter Derbies * Hunter Jumper * Saddle Seat * Sidesaddle ### Western * Barrel Racing * Breakaway Roping * Cutting * Ranch Cutting * Ranch Riding * Ranch Sorting * Ranch Trail * Reining * Team Penning * Team Roping * Tie-Down Roping * Trail * Versatility Ranch Horse * Western Horsemanship * Western Pleasure * Western Riding * Working Cow Horse\* ### Youth & education * 4-H * Intercollegiate & Scholastic * Pony Clubs ### Rodeos * ​Bareback Riding * Saddle Bronc Riding * Bull Riding * Barrel Racing * Team Roping * Tie-Down Roping * Steer Wrestling * Breakaway Roping * Goat Tying * Flag Racing * Mutton Bustin' ### **Specialty & all-around** * Flag Racing / Flag Race * Gymkhana * Halter / In-Hand * Hobby Horse * Mounted Archery * Mounted Games * Mounted Shooting * Pole Bending * Skijoring * Vaulting * Dally Ribbon Roping * Goat Tail Untying * Trail Course **Beyond competitions** * Clinics * Fox Hunting * Hunter Paces​ This list is always growing. If you don't see your discipline listed, reach out and let us know. We're regularly adding support for new event types. ## Governing body integrations Horse Spot integrates directly with the API systems of major governing and breed organizations, including: * ​FEI * ​USEF * ​USHJA * ​TWHBEA * ​AHA These integrations let sanctioned competitions run under the correct rulebook and report results automatically, with more organizations coming online soon. We also partner directly with organizations to build their specific rulebooks into Horse Spot. These custom integrations apply directly to any competition sanctioned under that organization's umbrella, so your show follows the right rules and scoring from the start. ### Beyond Horse Shows Horse Spot isn't just for horse shows. It's part of a family of platforms built for the broader equine and agricultural event world: * **Rodeo Spot**: built for producers running rodeos * **Fair Spot**: built for organizers hosting county and state fairs, covering both equine and livestock competitions If your event falls outside a traditional horse show, one of our sibling platforms may be the better fit. Just ask and we'll point you in the right direction.
Can competitors enter shows directly through Horse Spot, or is it just for management? Exhibitors, riders, and contestants can enter competitions (shows, rodeos, and fairs) directly through Horse Spot. While organizers, secretaries, and management teams use Horse Spot to build out and run their competitions, competitors get their own simple entry experience to sign up, pay, and track their schedule and results.
How do I get started with Horse Spot? [Book a demo](https://about.horsespot.net/demo) today to see if Horse Spot is a fit for you. Talk to us about what you're looking for. There's no upfront commitment to book a call. If you're ready to sign up, we'll walk you through pricing and next steps, and can have you up and running the same day you reach out.
What is the cost to use your software? Horse Spot charges by entry, per competition, based on each horse/rider combination or back number. We offer different pricing tiers depending on the type of event you're running, so you get an affordable structure whether you're hosting a local competition or a rated event. The management company receives an invoice following the completion of each competition. Producers can sign up for auto-pay and keep a credit card on file, or pay by check. ​[Book a demo](https://about.horsespot.net/demo) today to see if Horse Spot is a fit for you. Talk to us about what you're looking for. There's no upfront commitment to book a call.
What financial integrations do you have with Horse Spot? Horse Spot integrates seamlessly with Stripe to handle all digital payment processing and securely store payment methods. If you'd rather process payments a different way, Horse Spot also supports 140 additional payment gateway options, giving you flexibility to choose the setup that works best for your organization.
Is it hard to use? What kind of training and templates do you offer? Our expansive help center is here to guide you. We have both **tutorial videos and written how-to's** based on your learning style, with call outs for quick tips, warnings, and things to note. Producers, managers, secretaries, and show staff can search for information that pertains to them and the types of competitions they run. At Horse Spot, you can think of us as an extension of your team. We're here to answer questions for you and also to help answer questions on behalf of your exhibitors and contestants. Horse Spot has extensive features built to serve all equine and livestock competitions. We **provide templates** that are ready to go out of the box, some of which vary based on the discipline or event type. Typically, secretaries only need to set up one competition to get going, then they can duplicate that setup for all of their upcoming events. They can also start from scratch if they have a particular way they want to setup their competition. With Horse Spot, you can book a **complimentary onboarding session** with us to help you get started. New show series are typically up and accepting entries in less than 2 hours. Need additional support? Horse Spot offers more **in depth team training sessions** and **on site support** for those who want a more hands on onboarding experience. Our team consists of licensed officials, including USEF, USHJA, and AQHA show staff, secretaries, and judges that are trained to you train you! **Never been a secretary before?** No worries, Horse Spot offers training for anyone who needs extra help learning the ropes. Horse Spot is intuitive and easy to learn. We've even seen show secretaries at local shows put their kids behind a computer to help with checkouts and results. We also send **monthly product update emails** and host **open office hours,** where we walk show staff through new features so you never miss a beat.
Do you have pre-populated courses, tests, and patterns? Yes and we will be adding more in the near future. Horse Spot obtains materials needed under various disciplines, for producers putting on sanctioned competitions. Horse Spot has pre-populated material, including but not limited to: * USDF Dressage tests * AQHA Patterns * Upload your own! If you don't see your discipline listed here, that doesn't mean we don't support it or that we can't integrate it. We encourage you to reach out with any questions to
What is the reliability of Horse Spot on WiFi? Horse Spot boasts 99.99% service level availability (SLA). We have automated disaster recovery plans that ensure seamless uptime even if an act of god were to happen, like the entire East Coast losing power. We built Horse Spot to work well in low-connectivity environments. Many show management teams are successfully running their shows using mobile hotspots or cellular data, which most modern smartphones can provide without the need for additional equipment. Many users rely on this setup at shows without on-site WiFi and have found it to be reliable and effective. Some even prefer it to the slow WiFi on the show grounds. For remote venues where cellular service is spotty or nonexistent, satellite internet options like Starlink have become a popular backup for show management teams. Starlink can provide reliable, high-speed internet in locations where traditional cell coverage falls short, making it a solid option for fairgrounds, ranches, and other remote competition venues. We're also building a desktop app with local storage, so show management can keep working even without any internet connection at all, with data syncing back up once connectivity is restored. And for the secretaries and judges who still love a good paper trail, Horse Spot generates printed reports, judges cards, and other paperwork on demand, so you can go fully digital or keep the printouts you're used to. For anyone using live scoring or timing tech integrations, Horse Spot inputs results over connected integrations and over WiFi. We always encourage keeping a hard paper copy on hand for outages or acts of god that fall outside of Horse Spot's control.
Do I own my data? Yes! Horse Spot does not own any of the data stored within our protected software. Horse Spot stores your data in secure databases that are constantly backed up. The highest security measures are taken to ensure no single person or machine, even Horse Spot's own employees, has unnecessary access to it. Additionally, any personal information is encrypted so it can only be accessed by the users who own it. Admins can export their organization's or competition's data at any time using bulk exports, so your data is always yours to take with you.
What security measures does Horse Spot take? Our co-founder, Christopher Lenard, brought years of experience from Relativity, a global leader in legal tech trusted by 99% of the top 500 U.S. legal firms, the U.S. Government, and European institutions. At Relativity, security wasn't just a priority, it was a cornerstone of their success. Christopher built Horse Spot with the same gold-standard security practices, so your data is protected at every level. Here's how that shows up across the platform: * **Strong authentication**: secure session management with strong authentication standards, and MFA available as an optional enhancement. Password policies are enforced platform-wide, with no functionality that exposes user passwords. * **Protection over shared accounts**: role-based access control (RBAC) is enforced across all features, with clear separation of duties between coaches, riders, and administrators. Sensitive data stays visible only to those who need it. * **Privilege access**: Horse Spot follows a least-privilege infrastructure model, so users and systems only access what they need. Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest, with secure backups and privacy-by-design considerations for member data. * **Auditability**: full audit logs capture administrative actions across the platform, including approvals, scoring changes, role assignments, and show modifications, giving your leadership team a complete, traceable record of activity.
How does Horse Spot handle migrating my data from another platform? We plan migrations carefully to keep disruption to a minimum. Historical data and records are transferred with a structured onboarding process, so your organization hits the ground running instead of playing catch-up. Horse Spot easily accepts CSV imports and can assist with any unique needs, including data from horse registries to organization member records. Every record imported goes through rigorous validation checks to ensure accuracy and completeness. No duplicate entries, no missing data, no surprises on the other side of migration. A dedicated account manager will guide your organization through every step of the transition, from initial data mapping to go-live. We handle data imports on your behalf and work with your team to outline a clear migration timeline, so nothing falls through the cracks. Before migrating, we conduct a thorough assessment of your existing data, including members, shows, historical points, and ranking snapshots, and build a structured migration plan to ensure everything carries over accurately and completely.
Is there a mobile app, or is this web-only? Horse Spot is built to work seamlessly on any device through your web browser, so there's no app to download. That said, the platform is fully mobile-responsive, so show staff and exhibitors can use it just as easily from a phone or tablet as from a desktop. Horse Spot will build an app in the near future to accomodate for individual push notifications. Horse Spot also offers Whatsapp to management that want to notify entries at large on real-time competition updates.
Does Horse Spot support live streaming or result feeds for spectators? Horse Spot provides real-time results feeds, so spectators, exhibitors, and family members can follow along with schedules and results as they happen, right from their phone. Horse Spot does not currently offer built-in live video streaming. Horse Spot does work with farm tech timers for a true live scoring experience.
Is there a contract, or can I cancel anytime? Horse Spot has a simple price sheet agreement that producers sign to get started. This allows for protection on both sides, so we're all aligned on services being rendered. No surprise fees or annual dues. Since pricing is based on a per-entry model, you only pay for the shows you run, with no ongoing commitment required. If your show is cancelled due to low entries or weather, Horse Spot does not charge you. You can cancel at anytime.
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