Registering
What is Equo?
Equo is the new online equestrian entry system which will enable you to spend more time doing what you love and less time dealing with event entry admin. Whether you’re a show organiser or a rider Equo can save you time, money and effort through its comprehensive and easy to use service.
Can I change details on my account after registering?
Yes of course, simply go into the My Profile tab and click on My Organisation
Can I register as both competitor and organiser?
Yes you can. You must use two different email addresses and register yourself once as a rider and once as an organiser.
Can I log in with my H&H forums account/other H&H login?
At the moment it’s not possible to login with any existing H&H passwords so you’ll need to create a new one for Equo. It only takes a moment and you’ll be able to enter events straight away!
What information/documentation do I need to hand to register as an organiser?
Registering should only take a couple of minutes and you can begin uploading events straight away. You’ll need to put in basic information such as Organisation name, address and contact details as well as a contact person’s name, address, phone number and email address. The contact person’s details will not be publically available on the site. These are so we can get in touch with you if there are any issues with your events. If you are VAT registered you should put in your organisation’s VAT number at this point as well.
How long does it take to register and post an event?
Equo registration takes just a couple of minutes and then you’re able to set up your Stripe account at your leisure, however this also only takes 5-10 minutes to complete and will mean you can start accepting payments from entrants in real time, so make sure you complete this part of the registration as soon as possible. Posting an event takes around 10 minutes depending on the number of classes it has. Equo saves everything you do so you can leave and come back to an event any time if you don’t have time to do everything in one go.
What happens if the class is full?
If when trying to enter a class, the class is full the rider will get a notification offering them the opportunity to register their interest. This will add them to the waiting list. Once on there the organiser can click the ‘notify waiting list option’ should a place become available. This will notify everyone on the waiting list by email at the same time. The rider will then need to enter if they still wish to. The notify wait list option will only appear to the organiser if riders are on it.
Can I give colleagues access to the account?
Yes, you can set up different log ins for other team members so they can access the system and help upload and maintain events. You can do the same for Stripe and limit access to Read Only or Read & Write.
Will you share my data with 3rd parties?
No, we promise not to share any of your personal data with any third parties.
Does it cost anything to use Equo?
For organisers Equo is completely free to use! You will be subject to a card processing fee which is standard amongst any online business that accept credit and debit cards for online transactions.
Stripe and Payments
I’ve never heard of Stripe. Is it safe to use?
Yes, as part of Time Inc., Equo must comply with the strictest security regulations. Stripe has been specially chosen due to its security and ease of use. Stripe is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1, the most stringent level of security certification.
How do I set up my Stripe account?
You will be prompted to set up your Stripe account when you register with Equo. Simply follow the onscreen instructions. For further help please visit https://support.stripe.com/
I’m an organiser, when will I receive my entry funds?
You’ll see your funds in your Stripe account on the same day as the payment is made by the competitor. Stripe has an option for alerts to be set up every time a payment is received so you can keep track of when payments are coming in. You can choose how often you opt for the funds to be transferred into your bank account but please note that the first transfer you make from Stripe to your bank account can take up to 10 days. You can read more about setting up transfers from Stripe to your bank account here https://support.stripe.com/topics/transfers-and-deposits
What happens if I need to refund a rider?
If you need to make a refund you can do this at any time through Stripe. Depending on your customer’s bank he or she will see this appear within 5-10 business days. Visit https://support.stripe.com/questions/how-do-i-issue-refunds for more information.
All refunds are governed by the organiser’s refund policy. Riders should check an organiser’s refund and event cancellation policy before entering an event via Equo.
Riders must request refunds directly from the organiser. All disputes regarding refunds are between the organiser and the rider (buyer). Equo are not responsible or liable in any way for refunds or mistakes in relation to refunds.
A rider has contacted me and said they cannot complete their transaction online, how can I help them?
A rider’s card could be declined for a number of reasons. If a rider calls you directly with this problem ask them to check the following information:
– Have they input the expiry date correctly?
– Has the card expired?
– Does the billing address they’ve entered online match the details held by their card provider?
– Do they have sufficient funds on their card to complete the transaction.
If none of the above help to resolve the situation the rider must contact their bank and/or card provider. They will know the reason why the charge is being declined. You can find more information from Stripe as to why a rider’s card might have been declined here. https://support.stripe.com/questions/why-was-a-customers-charge-declined
Creating an event
How to create times for dressage classes
The above video will demonstrate how to create times dressage classes within Equo. To help we have also attached here the British Dressage guidelines for test lengths.
What should I call my event?
If your event does not have a name, aim to include the discipline and the venue name
How can I change the maximum entry limit for my event?
Simply go back into the class tab under the event you’re working on and edit the desired class. Within here you can make changes such as increase or decrease the entry limit, or change the price. (You can only decrease as long as you’ve not sold that number of entries already)
How do I set up late entry times and prices?
There is the option to set up late entry pricing on the Event creation page. On here you can choose the relevant dates required from when you’d like to stop standard pricing and begin charging late pricing. Once you begin creating classes it’s on here that you can choose and set the standard and late entry prices. This will then all appear for riders to view on the event details page.
How can I un-publish an event?
Simply click on the publish button again to toggle between publish and un-publish
How do I clone an event?
If you run similar events, to save time you can clone them and just change a few details instead of uploading every single event each time. Find the event you wish to clone and click on the clone event button near the top. This will open a new event with all the same details pre-populated except the date. All event details are fully editable at this stage. You can also email everyone who attended the original event to notify them that it’s happening again soon.
I have lots of events to upload, is there anyone who can help me?
Equo will be offering support for events to be uploaded for some venues if they require. Please contact equo.events@timeinc.com or your local rep to find out more about support. Although we offer support for event creation, you (the organiser) are responsible for checking that these are correct prior to their publication.
My event covers more than one discipline, how do I set up my event?
Simply select all the disciplines your event covers when creating the event and then build your classes either via the class trees provided or type in your own if you can’t find what you’re looking for
Can I upload training clinics to Equo?
Yes absolutely, please upload training in the specific discipline category or ‘Other’ if none of the main disciplines are applicable
Can you close a class without closing the whole event?
Yes, you can set the limit for the class and then when this has been reached the class will close for entries. If you wish to close it before the entry limit has been reached you can simply go back into the system and move the limit to your actual entries number.
How do I create a multi-day event?
Multiple day events should be uploaded as individual daily events. If your show was running Friday to Sunday you would need to create one event for Friday, one for Saturday and one for Sunday. E.g. Greenfield Equestrian Show – Friday, Greenfield Equestrian Show – Saturday and Greenfield Equestrian Show – Sunday. You’d then list all classes running on the applicable day within the correct ‘event’
Can the system record ticket entries or Hors Concours entries for showjumping?
Yes, Organisers will need to put a ‘T’ or ‘HC’ in the comment box when inputting rider results – T for if they entered on a ticket and HC if they entered Hors Conours, so this can be extracted and sent to British Showjumping within the results extract.
Results
When downloading results are they formatted correctly?
Results will be automatically formatted in the required style for British Dressage, British Eventing, BSPS and British Showjumping. You will need to download the extract into excel and then email it to the governing body.
Can I input results for ROR qualifiers etc…?
This type of qualifier information will need to be added in the comments box on the results upload page. Comments are included in reports/extracts to governing bodies and they are visible to competitors on their dashboards
Can the system record results for ticket entries or Hors Concours entries for Showjumping?
Yes, Organisers will need to put a ‘T’ or ‘HC’ in the comment box when inputting rider results – T for if they entered on a ticket and HC if they entered Hors Conours, so this can be extracted and sent to British Showjumping within the results extract.
Extras
How do I ensure riders get the correct stables for their horses allocated?
We would recommend that when uploading Stabling as an extra you upload each type of stable as its own extra. E.g. Stabling – Heavy Horses, 4 available. Stabling – Donkeys, 2 available etc… Rather than just uploading a generic category of ‘stabling’
Can I sell tickets and passes through Equo?
Tickets and car park passes can be uploaded and sold as extras within the event.
Can you create your own extras if the one I want isn’t in the list provided?
Yes of course, simply type the extra and unit you charge by in the free text boxes provided; e.g. stabling – per night, hay – per bale etc…
Waiting Lists
How does the waiting list work and are notifications sent out automatically to entrants?
When editing the classes for the event there is a step in the process which alerts you of any open slots and asks if you wish to fill them with ‘wait list entrants’. On this page there is a button to send an email notification to these people. Upon clicking this all those on the waiting list will be notified that there are now spaces available and that they can now log back into Equo and purchase a place.
If someone was on a waiting list, then got put on the event list, would they get an email notification?
Yes organisers can send a notification to competitors on the waiting list that a space is available but the competitor would then need to enter themselves and complete their payment. It’ll also appear as a flash on their dashboard telling them there are now spaces in the event they were waiting for.
Is the waiting list first come, first served system rather than chronological?
Everyone on the wait list gets notified and it’s up to them to be quick and finish their transaction. If more people fall out the event the wait list process could happen multiple times.
Cancelling or changing an event
I’ve made a change to my event, how can I contact entrants?
Find the event you want to alert riders about and find the Emails tab across the navigation bar. In here you can select the appropriate email template and send to all current entrants of this event.
I need to cancel my event, how can I contact entrants?
Find the event you want to alert riders about and find the ‘Cancel Event’ tab across the navigation bar. In here you can choose to cancel the event and alert all current entrants of the cancellation.
Marketing
Will it increase my chances of being in H&H?
Yes! Every organiser who lists their events on Equo will be featured in H&H magazine’s new Show Listings pages. These pages will be in the magazine once a month and organisers will be listed along with details of classes, facilities and times, providing they have an upcoming show in the next 6 months (from September 2015 -March 2016) All other rules surrounding inclusion in H&H magazine remain the same and are at the section editors’ discretion.