Summer in the Rockies – Week 5 Highlights

Summer in the Rockies week 5 is just about complete. And my friend Lynda and I woke up early Saturday morning to get to the showgrounds. With the temperature forecasted to be about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the show management planned ahead and had the Grand Prix first thing in the morning.

For the past week, I have been on vacation or a stay-cation from work, and boy oh boy, have I been having a glorious time. I am really looking forward to retirement. And getting to the showgrounds early meant I had a chance to capture some memories before the Horse Park was too busy.

The barns were pretty quiet because the exhibitors were getting their horses ready for the show.

But it was very clear which barns were successful during this week-long horse show. I mean, holy cow, look at that collection of ribbons!

Summer in the Rockies Week 5 – The Grand Prix

And because we arrived with a little extra time before the Grand Prix started, we had time to scope out the perfect spot to get some incredible photos from this show.

We sat just about directly in the middle of the berm. And this proved to be the absolute best position. The course designer had planned the course so that a good portion of the course was right in front of the berm.

Not only was I able to get multiple angles of the horses going over the jumps, but I could also zoom in on the riders.

My brain works weirdly. I like to look at the details of everything, not just horse shows. But I always seem to pay attention to the small details of things. Horse shows and fancy classes really get me going. Especially when I have a camera in my hands.

For example, look at the stirrups in the photo above. These are the Ophena stirrups I first learned about a year or two ago by coming to the Colorado Horse Park. Not everyone is switching it up to the latest and greatest, though.

Thrills and Spills

A few riders didn’t have such a good time during this class. And although I don’t typically post photos of near crashes I just really wanted to right now.

I’m unsure what went wrong for Canadian rider Tracy Epp at fence number 4. But whatever the reason, this was the end of her ride on this horse.

During the jump-off round, Southern Phenonomeon was having a stellar round. But coming to this jump 6, the horse looked as if he was saying, Nope, this is not happening….and then decided, ok, I’ll give it a go…

There was no way his rider could have prepared for this. She tried, but the power of the jump literally bounced her out of the tack. Thankfully, she got up from the mishap under her own power, and she walked out of the ring on her own two feet to applause from all of us watching.

Summer in the Rockies Week 5 Grand Prix

And if you look to the side of the picture, you can see one of the show photographers clicking away on his camera, too. Now, I don’t feel so bad for capturing this moment.

Show Jumping at the Colorado Horse Park

But those were the only two big oopsies during this class. The rest of the 21 riders did very well for the course.

I think the effect of the slower equitation class from last week’s show wore off. The riders in this class did not seem to be going at supersonic speed around the course.

Susan Griffis wasn’t at this week’s Grand Prix. But Caroline van der Merwe was there. I have been learning a little bit more about her through her Instagram. She seems like a true horse lover. Pretty cool.

It was nice to see her back at the show. She hasn’t been here for a few shows. And Bjorn Ikast has been another rider who hasn’t been here. After doing some sleuthing, I found out that Bjorn had injured himself.

This is a photo of Bjorn from earlier this year. But I hope he is recovering from his injury, and hopefully, he will be back for the Autumn in the Rockies Horse Shows put on by the Langer Equestrian Group. My fingers are crossed! I love watching Bjorn jump and even just ride his horses.

He is truly a gifted equestrian.

Back to The Horse Show

Ok, I digressed. But, let’s get back to this week’s highlights.

Of all of the jumps on the course, this one was my favorite. Just a simple vertical. But the vantage point I had was incredible.

For whatever reason, I kept clicking on my camera’s shutter at just the right moment to capture some beautiful moments of the horses going over the jump.

Horse after horse cleared the jump and made it look easy. But that wasn’t the only pretty shot. Oh no, there were many,

many, more!

This was by far the best place we could have sat for this class.

And yes, Chris Fellers was here again. He is becoming one of my favorite rides to watch.

Summer in the Rockies Week 5

With only one week left in the series, I am sad to see how fast the time has gone. I think I am really feeling it too, because I splurged a bit on a hat.

I have wanted a sun hat like this for longer than I can remember. And when I saw that Fox Creek Mobile Outfitters had them, lined up all beautiful like, I saw it and I had to buy one.

I wasn’t the only one. Lynda found a few treasures herself, including a new sun hat!

She gets a little perturbed when I post her picture in my postings, but I just can’t help myself. I mean, look at how cute she is!

And buying my hat from Fox Creek was cheaper than going to Riata’s website! Thank you, Fox Creek! You all are the best!

I did find a more affordable version on Amazon, in case you are loving this hat too.

Why couldn’t I find this before? Oh well, I love my hat, and I think it was worth every penny! I especially love the adjustable toggle. It is always so windy where we live. It’s nice to not worry about my hat blowing off my head.

Behind the scenes at the Show

This week at the horse show was so much fun. And even though it was hot, I had a blast.

I love finding the small details at a horse show, and I am always so happy with all of the little details I can see at a horse show.

Since I am such an avid DIY’er, I always find things I would love to make for myself. There are always things to see if you look.

I am fascinated by how they set up their barns and organize the things they will use at the show. I am always looking for better and more efficient ways to work with my own horses.

Summer in the Rockies Highlights of Week 5

And even if Lynda and I weren’t ‘allowed’ to partake in the delicious-smelling breakfast at the show this week,

We still had the best time. I always look forward to the horse shows in the summer. I am just sad to see that it is almost over! Due to prior family commitments, I am unsure if I can get to the Grand Prix next Saturday, which is a total bummer because that is the BIG one—the last of the summer series!

Lynda said she would be going for sure. I may have to send her with my camera so I can have some pictures to share with you next week. What do you think Lynda? Are you up for the challenge? I hope so!