Summer in the Rockies Horse Shows: Week 4

While I had intended to go to every single week of the shows at the Colorado Horse Park for the Summer in the Rockies Horse Shows series, I fell short. So much has transpired in the past several months for me personally. It has been a whirlwind, to say the least!

I lost a horse, rescued two horses, started getting very serious about my riding, had to do a lot of ‘horsekeeping-type’ improvements to our property, and things at work got super busy too! Whirlwind for sure! But this weekend, I made the horse show a priority. And I am so glad that I did! I took a different approach to the show this time. Yes, of course, I went for the Grand Prix jumping. But I also did a little walking around the show grounds to see the rest of the horse show too. And I captures some pretty great photos, I think, which is what I wanted to share with you today.

Hmmmm…..Timone sure looks like a Western horse doesn’t he? And Pumbaa…oh my goodness, this little pony.

Isn’t he adorable? Honestly, both of these horses are incredible. I am so grateful to have them and continue on with my horsey-loving life. But this post isn’t about my horses. Nope, this post is all about the show this past week at the Horse Park.

Summer in the Rockies Horse Shows

This week at the show, I started with the International Arena for the Grand Prix. They had it at 8:00 in the morning, which is different than they had been doing it. Personally, I like it being early. With it being early and going to the showgrounds early, I still have plenty of time to come home and play with my own horses.

And this week there were a lot more people at the horse park.

The permanent barns were full, as well as all of the temporary tent stabling they have for the visiting horses. It was nice to see all of the cars. It made me happy to see all of the show enthusiasts at the show.

And then, of course, there were all of the awesome horses and talented riders. Just wow. I have no words that can express my admiration for the talent at this show. It never ceases to amaze me at the dedication and ability of these equestrians.

And I really like looking at the hardware the riders are using. Like this guy, his horse was wearing a double bridle. I don’t think I have seen that before in the jumper ring. Either that, or I haven’t looked close enough.

Summer in the Rockies Horse Shows

There were young riders, and there were adult riders, and everything in between. I would be willing to bet all ages and classifications of riders were at this show. Just as an example, the Grand Prix class was combined to include the junior riders, and they rode right along with the adults. They did really well too.

The Colorado Horse Park

I should have started the post with this photo. I have been coming to the Colorado Horse Park for YEARS. And for years, I have been saying, “I need to take a picture of the entrance sign…..” And I FINALLY did it! This is at the entrance to the park. And even though the sign shows a little bit of wear and tear, it’s still really cool! Especially the metal horse flanking the sing. Very cool, indeed.

You Gotta Love Good Ground

Unless you are an equestrian, I don’t think there are too many people that would pay attention to the ground. Or maybe, it’s just me. But I find myself in awe over the ground conditions at the horse park. Daydreaming about how awesome it would be to have a spongy surface like this in my own arena at home. Ahhh, dare to dream. This is what dreams are made of, in my opinion.

Take, for instance, this arena groomer. This is the Drag-N-Fly groomer. But holy cow, this thing is expensive! However, if money was of no consequence, I would totally have one of these. My arena groomer is pretty incredible. And it was a fraction of the cost of one of these bad boys. But just wow. These things are incredible at what they do to the ground.

And Then There Were the Jumps

This was the first year that I noticed the horse jumps were crafted by a company. I think I remember hearing about Jumps by Fuzzy before. But this is the first time I have ever seen them. And they were beautiful, for sure.

And I like looking at the jumps up close, you know, to see how they make them! It was really cool to see all of these standards. They are gorgeous.

And seeing the jumps set up, and being used, wow. So beautiful! I really liked these wings. With the detail work, they were impressive, to say the least.

This cloud jump was pretty neat. Even the poles had clouds on them. I couldn’t get close enough to see if they were hand-painted or more of a vinyl wrap. Whatever they were, it has inspired me to maybe try this on some rails. I bet they would be pretty!

A Different View of the Show

And after the Grand Prix class was over, I started venturing around the showgrounds to see what else looked interesting.

There were lots of golf carts. I guess this makes sense because the grounds are pretty big. And if you need to get from one arena to another and then back to the barn, well, a golf cart would definitely save some time. As well as making a great place to watch the classes.

And one thing that there are plenty of is the trails specifically for foot and hoof traffic.

As well as arenas. There are so many arenas at the horse park. And most of the classes are going on here, versus in the International arena.

These classes may not be as ‘showy’ as the Grand Prix, but they are no less important. Sure, the jumps aren’t as big or grand, but I would be willing to bet the smaller rings is where a lot of the top-level show jumpers start their careers.

And once they graduate to this level, they do incredible things. Like Castino with Bjorn Ikast. What a duo. And I felt really lucky to be at this particular show. Because it was at this show that Bjorn won his 150th Grand Prix.

Pretty cool to see this happen.

Summer in the Rockies Horse Shows

I am so glad that I made the horse show a priority this weekend. I had a great time, and love that the Colorado Horse Park is so close to my home. I need to remember what it was like during COVID, and when the horse park was in transition of ownership, the time when I didn’t have the option of going to a horse show. I need to never let an opportunity go to waste. Because you never know when opportunities like this will be gone. So seize the day and the opportunities. when they come up!

At least, that’s what I tell myself.