Recent improvements to the cross-country course at the Spring Gulch Equestrian Area in Colorado will be the highlight of the second Spring Gulch Horse Trials that will take place August 7 and 8, 2021.
The combination of new jumps built by Greg Schlappi, the painting of existing jumps by the MSEA-CCC organization that runs the event, and new tracks set by organizer and course designer Andy Bowles will welcome approximately 120 entries.
“We’re always looking to keep Spring Gulch fresh,” Bowles said. “This event means so much to the local community, so we’re honoring its legacy while also looking to the future.”
The Spring Gulch Horse Trials will be run as one-day events with Prelim, Training, Novice, and part of Beginner Novice scheduled to compete on Saturday. The remainder of Beginner Novice, as well as Intro, will take place on Sunday.
Farrago S ridden by Ron Stephens at Training, and Maggie Belle ridden by Chris Kawcak at Novice were division winners in May that are entered in August. Also, Vegas and Dean Santistevan, a winner at Beginner Novice in May, returns at Novice. P.S. Etoile De Nord, a winner at Intro with Brittany Mintz in May, will be ridden by Abby Williams at Intro this weekend.
The Spring Gulch Equestrian Area is a 106-acre space owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that has been a public equestrian park for more than three decades. Through a partnership between the Mountain Sports Eventing Association Central Colorado Chapter (MSEA-CCC) and the Highlands Ranch Metro District, multiple recognized events and schooling shows are held at Spring Gulch each year.
After this month’s recognized event, the next competition will be the Spring Gulch Combined Test on September 25.
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One of my passions is continuing to be a good student, because I think no matter how old I get, there are multiple reasons learning new things inspires me. First and foremost, it helps me be a better rider and trainer, so my horses benefit. Second, it helps me be a better teacher by exposing me to different ways to have a relationship with a horse or a student.
This month we’re going to begin a three-part series on how to create positive riding experiences by making sure the words you say to yourself and the thoughts you think to yourself are positive. Referred to as self-talk, internal dialogue, or brain babble; the words you say to yourself can have a huge impact on your performance. In fact, your thoughts and voice are actually considered behaviors, and just like how positive physical behaviors (i.e. a balanced transition) can create success, your verbal behaviors can also accomplish the very same thing. So let's spend the next few months talking about how to talk to yourself!
Being spontaneous has paid off for Kevin Keane and Sportsfield Candy. “I bought him on a Wednesday and showed him on a Thursday,” Keane recalls about his first event with his Irish Sport Horse gelding, then 9 years old, at Plantation Field Horse Trials (Unionville, Pennsylvania) in September 2016. “I owned him for part of a day, and the next morning I showed up at a CCI and jogged him up for a two-star, and we went clean and clean and clean.”
THANK YOU to everyone who has already entered the USEF/USEA Recognized CDCTA Spring Horse Trials scheduled for Sunday, April 9 in Berryville, VA. We will continue to take late entries through Friday, March 24 using USEA’s Xentry system. If you still want to come compete, please enter! The late fee has been waived through Friday, March 24.