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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