Photo by Randi Muster (Kelley Farmer will return to Horse Shows by the Bay for her second year.)
Horse Shows by the Bay has grown into one of the most popular horse shows in the nation over the past several years, and each year many of the best hunter and jumper riders in the nation travel to Traverse City to experience the one-of-a-kind competition. This year jumper riders have multiple events to look forward to each week, including a $10,000 Open Jumper Welcome Prix, $30,000 Grand Prix, and $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Prix. The $15,000 Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby will be one of the most anticipated events of the hunter riders' schedule. Horse Shows by the Bay is also recognized by the World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Awards Program as a member event.
There are many notable names that will be competing in the jumper divisions this year, such as: returning grand prix riders Scott Lenkart, Lisa Jacquin and Brian Shook, returning Ovation Leading Jumper Rider David Beisel, and top amateur rider Erin Haas. New additions to the roster include amateur rider Paige Johnson and renowned trainer and grand prix rider Joe Fargis.
Returning to the competition after several years will be 21-year-old rider Denise Wilson, who is fresh off of her first grand prix victory in Chicago just a few weeks ago. Wilson, of Oconomowoc, WI, attended Horse Shows by the Bay in its early years, but this will be her first time competing at the beautiful Flintfields Horse Park. Riding out of her family's Blue Gate Farm, Wilson looks forward to returning to Horse Shows by the Bay as both a competitor and a sponsor. Blue Gate Farm has generously sponsored the 1.30m Open Jumper division for all three weeks of competition.
"This will be our first year at the new facility, and I have just heard great things about the show," Wilson said. "We enjoy supporting great horse shows and helping to cultivate new competition. We wanted to branch out a little this summer, and we are looking forward to contributing to the show and helping it grow."
Some top hunter riders that will be competing at this year's festival are: professional hunter riders Peter Pletcher and Kelley Farmer, as well as junior riders Laura Pfeiffer and Caitlin Ziegler, who each have won numerous championships across the country.
Farmer attended the show for the first time last year and now vows to return every year after the great experience. "Last year was the first time I went, and I absolutely loved it," Farmer stated. "The footing is great, the town is beautiful, and they do a great job. Alex [Rheinheimer] and her husband run a beautiful horse show. We are done early, they are prompt and on time, the jumps are nice and the rings are nice."
Farmer plans on bringing approximately 12 to 15 horses to the competition this year and looks forward to the exceptional hunter derby class during week one of the hunter/jumper competition. "I will absolutely be doing the derby this year," she noted. "The ring out there is beautiful for the derby classes, and the whole place is just gorgeous. They run a great horse show and they try to be really exhibitor friendly, which is really nice. For those of us that have to show every week, we certainly appreciate that. It is a gorgeous area and you actually get done at a reasonable hour, and then there are nice restaurants and fun things to do. It is nice to be able to work and then be able to be social and do other things."
"Alex had been telling me that I needed to come. She finally convinced me last year and I will go back all the time now," Farmer concluded.
Held in the luxury summer resort area of Traverse City, MI, the Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival is set against the backdrop of the Cherry Capital of the World, complete with vineyards, beaches, orchards, and golf courses. Festival dates are July 8-August 1, 2010. For more information, please visit www.horseshowsbythebay.com.