Summer Shows are Back at Colorado Horse Park

The middle of May means it is time for the summer horse shows at Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Colorado. And I could not be happier! This is the kick-off to summer for me. And even though summertime means a busy time, I wouldn’t change it for the world!

I was lucky enough to be off from work, so I went to the park to see some of the activities and watch a class or two.

I think everyone is ready for the show season to begin. Even though this is just a ‘preview’ show of the upcoming Summer in the Rockies event, there was a huge turnout.

Summer Shows at Colorado Horse Park

I went to the show with the sole purpose of practicing with my camera. I have a Nikkon D800 DSLR that I have had for a few years, but I have not taken the time to really learn how to use it.

So, after doing a lot of research online, watching many videos, and reading a few dozen blog posts, I think I have figured it out. Well, at least I hope I have! There are a lot of cameras available that are easier to work with, and they are full auto, which means the camera does all of the thinking for you. But when it comes to photographing horses in motion, the fully automatic camera can cause blurring. And it is very difficult to get a really sharp photo, fully focused. This is where a DSLR can make it easier to capture these moments.

I didn’t cheat and bring my go-to camera, a Nikkon D7200. If I had it with me, I would have used it. It’s safe, and the pictures I get out of it are okay. But I wanted to see if the D800 would give me better pictures.

I had a Nikkon 55-300mm lens on the camera for all my pictures. Again, I didn’t play it safe. I limited myself to only using 1 lens, and 1 camera body.

And overall, I am really happy with the results I got. But I do have to say, after seeing how beautiful the showgrounds were, I wanted to get home and groom my own arena!

It was a gorgeous morning. And there were so many riders in the Welcome Stake. Even though this was the first show and a smaller show than the big group of shows coming up in June, I was impressed by how the event was organized, and it wasn’t put together like a test run show. Does that make sense?

In past years, it seemed like the Spring Series put on by Langer Equestrian Group was a practice run for the series of Summer in the Rockies shows. But this series seems to be standing on its own. They took just as much care with this show as the bigger ones coming up.

Summer Shows at Colorado Horse Park

Which get’s me thinking…

If they put this much thought into their ‘smaller shows,’ how incredible will Summer in the Rockies be this year? I am super excited to find out!

There are a lot of shows to go on for the next several months.

There are a lot of shows to go! While I know I won’t be able to attend every single day of every single show, I will do my best to attend at least one day of every show.

For the opportunity to watch some very talented riders as they fly around jump courses.

And of course to see the beautiful horses.

They are just so impressive!

And also the opportunity to do some shopping. Although most of the things in these trailers are way out of my budget. It’s still fun to look.

And of course, to have an afternoon of fun with friends, and eat a yummy lunch from a food truck.

I feel very fortunate to live in such close proximity to a fantastic venue. If you live in the area, you should come out! Being a spectator is so much fun at Colorado Horse Park. And the LEG shows are definitely a must see!

Summer Shows at Colorado Horse Park

Whether you love the hunters

Or the jumpers, or just fancy horse shows in general. The Colorado Horse Park and Langer Equestrian Group put on a fantastic show. And it’s free! So mark your calendar for a show or two, and hopefully, I will see you there!