Im hosting barrel jackpots at my local arena this summer. I don’t mind hosting, looking after association approval, looking after float, doing payout, working the arena and most all other before and after jobs. When I posted the dates I made it known I could not do it all on my own, especially if I’m also trying to compete. So had our first jackpot. I had one gal, who couldn’t compete last night offer to announce and right down times. A couple others helped mark barrels and one helped with timing when she finished running. But man it’s seriously hard to get people to help. By the time I got everything set up and on my horse I was frazzled. I specifically had to ask a parent to run gates. I’d like to have these jobs in place before jackpot starts but I asked 3 times on the jackpot fb group for volunteers and got one reply. It’s so frustrating. My husband says don’t do it. Cancel the rest. We have a nice arena. I’m 1 hour to the next closest jackpot so it’s nice having some close. Suggestions on getting other competitors and parents to help?

That sounds frustrating! Maybe some incentive? I know it would cost a little, but maybe it would lessen the headache. Maybe a free meal, a tshirt, a free schooling fee, etc!

Hire a couple of teens to work barrels and gates, most teenagers are looking for a easy job to make some spending money, it dont have to be alot like 50 for a whole day or 75 for a  2 day weekend jackpot.. Are if its a tiny jackpot that will be over in a few hours 25 a teen. 

If you are doing these and keeping profits, I would say start offering to pay $10/hr. That is what most do around here and seem to have no problems. If they need someone to fill in for them while they run their horse, that is their responsibility to find their replacement. 

For NBHA, we require 6 hours of volunteer hours each year in order to recieve year end awards. Still gets extremely frustrating - most cram their hours in right away at the beginning of the year and then at the end of the year it's hard finding help.

A lot of people use to help for free until it was common knowledge that the producer was putting money into their pocket or paying selective people.  In my experience, there is a lot more people willing to help if you either pay them for the jobs they are doing or advertise the race as a 100% pay back so no fees are being held back.  Other jackpot clubs I've seen require people to volunteer so many hours through the season or buy-out their service time so the club can pay someone else to help instead.   

If you are profiting, offer to pay barrel setters.

if you are not for profit - offer someone a free warmup for every 2 drags they set a barrel for etc.  that’s worked well for a couple groups around here

These are just evening jackpots. STart at 7 over by 9.  I charge a $5 office fee of which $2 goes to the association, $1 to the rodeo club that owns the grounds and $2 to me to help cover the cost of driving our tractor down to the grounds (5 miles one way) and back, to work the arena.  So I'm not exactly getting rich doing this as that $2 doesn't really cover the fuel cost on the tractor.  Not to mention I spent $250 last week to buy a sound system to use.  I am contemplating uppping the fee $5 to hire an announcer to record times and announce.   But I'd really like to not have to do that but it seems asking for help isn't working.  I'm going to get more specific for next weeks jackpot on help and if I don't get more offers I will announce I'm imposing a $5 fee to hire help.  It's so frustrating.  No wonder people don't want to host.  Thanks for some of the ideas thus far.  Much appreciated.

Offer 3 free exhibitions to those who would help during the open.  That would be perfect for someone hauling a younger horse that wasn't quite ready to enter or the helpers could run in the first or last drag of the open.  Or if the association had some sort of attendance points towards a year end or series finals or whatever, working a race could cover attendance at a missed race.  

We usually have a good amount of volunteers. For ours if they don't have someone at each post they just stop the show and refuse to start up again until that gate or chair or whatever is filled. Gets annoying but people get out there pretty quick 

I would get in touch with your local 4h clubs! Our 4h girls always help out at the jackpots. It qualifies as a volunteer event, and helps gives them projects and responsibilities. 

I think this is a great idea -- if you have an active local 4-H club.  I'd up the office charge in order to make a donation to the 4-H club to help support their activities -- and let folks know why the office charge increased, i.e. to assure the jackpot has workers and to donate to a good cause!   When I was managing/producing breed shows I hired ag students from a local college -- I contacted a professor there and let him know I needed hired help and they would be paid; would get to meet many equine professionals, and get a free lunch and should dress 'western' -- jeans, long-sleeved shirt and hat.  I ended up with four students who stayed with me for the duration of my time producing shows - they were awesome.  Participants loved them - as they got to know these kids over time and our shows ran so much faster and so smooth.....  win-win for students, participants and me :)  I treated them very professionally -- we had 'training' so they knew they jobs / expectations. 

If you’re doing a series with “year end” awards or what not, you can have sign up sheets for the different duties, and say “must sign up for 3 of 5 races to be eligible for year end award” or something similar.

Do you do exhibitions prior to the race? If so do you charge or are they free? Also are you taking out a percentage of the actual entry fee?  (20% - 30% is customary where I live.) or are you paying back 100% of the entry fee?

i pay my help $10/hr.  Some people just volunteer too so I have a little bit of both.  If they volunteer I don’t charge them the office/arena fee or any exhibition fees the next jackpot.  

Nothing more aggravating to me than working my butt off all week and planning to enjoy a barrel race, then being made to feel guilty because I'm not helping out.  Pay somebody to do these jobs and don't expect the contestants to pitch in when this is supposed to be a fun time.   Just one of the reasons I was happy to quit barrel racing.

The NBHA shows were the worst.

I agree. I use to love going to barrel races, but I would always end up sitting barrels while everyone one else got to enjoy what they came for, it got to the point of where going was not so fun anymore. Thats why I say hire some high schoolers so the contestants can enjoy barrel racing and not have to race around trying to barrel race and having to go set barrels or be the gate keeper.. I'm not one to chase points for year-end awards.. 

I will GLADLY pay an extra $5 so that I don't have to work during my recreation time.

What she said. I used to be happy to jump in and help run the gate or set barrels but then I found out some of the helpers were getting free stalls, exhibitions, special stalling, being paid, etc. and I was done. I paid the entry fee and the producer was keeping the profits, I wouldn't ask a customer to jump in and help at my job. If you want to trade help for exhibitions, office fee, etc. lots of people will jump at it but unless it is for a charity most aren't going to volunteer to help at a race they paid to enter. I would check with friends and family and local youth and see if you can get some consistant help.

Same here! What's $5? If it allows producers to hire help when we all put a few $ in, great! 

Yet last year I had planned to charge an extra $5 to do that and the backlash and *****ing I got had me cancel all my jackpots before the season started.  I’m a bit limited too on finding help to pay. Hosting jackpots is really a thankless job especially when you are doing so to give people a place to run and to qualify to go to the provincial finals and not have to haul so far. We have very few people in our area willing to host jackpots due to either not being willing to help out at a jackpot or griping about extra fees for the host to hire help. It’s like a dammed if you do and dammed if you dont. I’ve always felt if someone is willing to host and having hosted I know all the work that goes into doing so I will willingly jump in and help out. I appreciate all the suggestions. I’m going to request that we do timed set up and take down like rodeos and have last 2 open competitors and last youth competitor set up timers and first in draw take down. I will ask for 4 specific volunteers of parents or spouses to announce and do gates. And I’ll specify if I don’t fill positions I will be tacking on a $5 fee to hire these positions out. Although I’m not certain $5 will cover paying 4 people. Especially when they would have to drive to get to arena. 

I offer a free entry at the next jackpot for the contestants that help. 

Normally I can get a husband/bf/dad to set a barrel, and then I pay for their dinner.

I don't usually run at my jackpots, it is jsut easier not to.  If for some reason I need to I can usually find someone to announce and write down times for 10 or so runners. Honestly it is easier to find someone to warm my horse up/cool them down than be away from the table for more than a drag.

I do make sure to offer help at any other local jackpot I am at.  You never know when you might need that help in return.

^^^ THIS .... we put on team penning/sorting events for two years. I paid my workers (announcers/flagger). For other jobs (gate, changing cattle, etc) when available, I hired 4-H kids. I also let them run an eat stand and sell 50/50 raffles to make money for their clubs. Most times, those who won the raffle donated the money back to the club.

Our little local club puts all the members in a hat and draws for 3 barrel setters, then you are suppose to set at the next race. 

I do know some people, myself included, don't get a membership so they're not in the pool to draw from. I don't go to enough to make it worth buying a membership. 

I'm not sure if they're still doing that this year or not, I also don't know how it worked last year. I do know some people go drawn more than others. 

You could try that or if you don't help at X amount of races you're not eligible for year end awards. .

I also knew a kid who needed community service hours so I told him I'd sign him time for it if he would set barrels. he did quite a few races to get his hours. 

One of the reasons that I quit the NBHA's was because we put on team ropings for 20+ years.  I worked enough at those that I really just wanted to go somewhere that I couild compete and have a good time and relax, not have to work more.  We paid on average 6 people at our ropings.  Hire outside people to set barrels, work gates and announce.  Expecting people to work for free when they are there to relax/compete and have a good time isn't reasonable.  Charge the extra money to pay for the help.  

At several of our jackpot shows we have around here we have a sign up sheet for people to work the gate & for which class, who's gonna set barrels & for which class......they get to chose the barrel they want to set. We put the names in a drawing & 2 people get a free open entry fee at the next show.  This way not one person is setting a barrel the entire show. It makes it a lot nicer & we get a lot of volunteers that way & they get their name in for a free open entry.