Our Latest News & Updates

Our Latest News & Updates

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Copper Meadows Recognized by Professional Horsemans Council!

As a competitor, horse owner, trainer, and aspiring U.S. team rider, the competitions that I compete in are so important. I have been competing on the West Coast since I was eight years old and have watched the eventing scene evolve to the international level. Copper Meadows in Ramona, California has been a venue that has run since 2000, bringing another event to the West Coast. However, the recent changes made to the venue for the spring horse trials are second to none! Knowing that they have stepped up their game, I found a new desire to compete at every Copper Meadows event.

For one thing, the footing was improved upon in an extraordinary way. The organization was also run in a first class manner, and it was evident from the time you entered the venue that they had put so much effort into this competition. Sponsor banners were hung and visible upon entering the venue, the location of the vendors was more centrally located, office staff was accommodating, the cross-country jumps and show jumps were decorated superbly, and the food vendor was easily located and the food delicious! There was a different feel about Copper Meadows than before. It was very obvious that the organizer and team were serious about putting this event in a class of its own.

So how do we get competitions across the country to improve their footing and venues in a way that they did?

I know from a land owner’s and organizer’s position it is an expensive undertaking to run competitions, but the effort put into improving Copper Meadows will surely increase their future entry list, and I'm sure that at the next show they won't have enough room to park everyone with all of the entries they will receive. I believe that not only will their entry list increase, but they will have contributed to the longevity of our horses and soundness, which is paramount to owners, students, and me.

The Professional Horseman’s Council asked Organizer James Atkinson and Secretary Taren Atkinson for their input about making the improvements to Copper Meadows:

My family purchased Copper Meadows in 1999, and began running events in 2000, and James and I have been running the events at Copper Meadows since 2010.  The facility sits on 65 acres of Southern California soil, which in our case means a mixture of sand and clay.  For the past 10 years we've been preparing our footing by using water trucks and groomers for weeks before the event, and all night leading up to cross-country day. Our event and the majority of events on the West Coast are unique in this way: because we run on prepared, arena-like footing we can (and have to) work the footing up until the event starts, which allows us to not only make numerous course changes easily but also meant for us this year that we could put together an event in a month.  We were lucky to take the place of another Area VI event, 3-Day Ranch, which sadly closed after years of running. Copper had previously held a March event, however the weather can be unpredictable in spring, and one year we were forced to cancel the event. It had been many years since we've attempted to run a spring event, and we knew that if we made the commitment to run this year in March we needed to deliver an event despite any inclement weather.    

Every organizer is aware of the footing at their facility—its strengths and weaknesses—and we know that Copper Meadows has a lot of clay footing, which becomes deep and chunky. We also know that we've got great sand on the back half of our property, so we made the decision to move dirt, thousands of yards of it, from back to front to cover the beginning half of all our cross-country courses, as well as around our small water jump, in our warm-up arenas, and our show arenas. We covered the clay tracks with a few inches of beautiful, weatherproof sand. It was a huge undertaking both in terms of time and money. We began the week after we decided to run the event, and ended up spending $20,000 on labor to move the dirt and make it even and smooth.      

We saw immediate results as we began moving dirt, as we got the perfect pre-event test of our footing with three inches of rain! James and I taught lessons and rode horses on the new dirt as the rain poured down, and we opened our new warm-up arena the day after the rain. Before the dirt work we would have been out of our arenas and unable to ride for about a week with that amount of rain. We saw results also in the riders’ response to our facility and new footing; people were full of compliments and declarations that they would be back for every future event. We look forward to our future events at Copper; our course and facility is in a constant state of change and development, and we hope to put more money into the footing every year by adding dirt to all of our arenas.  Moving the dirt around has the added bonus of creating new and exciting terrain for our cross-country courses, and we've got plans to create new tracks through the areas where dirt was taken from.  

Our hope, besides being able to run an event in any kind of weather, is to gain new competitors and increase attendance at our shows and to provide the best possible footing at all levels for all horses.  We truly believe that the money and time spent on footing will help us with this goal and allow us to improve the facility in other ways. We've got plans to purchase additional land for more stabling and hope to work with other local events like Galway Downs to create cross-country courses that prepare horses for future competitions here and across the country while keeping them safe and sound.   - Taren Atkinson

While speaking to James and Taren over the phone, they expressed that this is the first time they actually ended up “out of the red” running an event.

Thank you to Copper Meadows, the organizer, course designer, volunteers, officials, and every person that helped bring this venue to a whole new level. My hat goes off to them and all of the crew! Let’s try to strive for what this event did this past spring throughout the country!

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Inaugural Advanced Event at Copper Meadows

March 2013 brought the Inaugural Advanced Event at Copper Meadows, a huge success for riders and Copper Meadows staff. The event boasted a record turnout of 238 riders, ranging from Intro to Advanced level competition. Cross-country courses ran smoothly with no major incidents, and were prepped and turned out beautifully by the workers at Copper.
Riders were lucky enough to win prizes from Fleeceworks, Professionals Choice, Elston Hay and Grain, State Farm, Ride On Video, Equestrian Habits, Point Two, Bow Bands by Alecia, Adeptus, Stubben, and LEGIS. With the addition of the Advanced course, Copper Meadows looks forward to running the level in June and September of 2013.

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March 24th One-Day Show

Following the horse trials this March 2013, Copper Meadows hosted a Look B4 You Leap cross-country clinic and one-day show on March 23rd and March 24th.  The course remained decorated from the horse trials, allowing riders to show on the same tracks as the horse trials.  Donna Weinberg judged dressage, and with the help of volunteers the show ran smoothly.

 

Following are the results from the one-day:

Training:
1st Augusta Catherin-Sauer and Fillmore
2nd Elena Nuila and Frosty Flake

Novice:
1st Katelynn Murphy and Vintage Chianti
2nd Michelle Voeller and Quik n Elusive Gal
3rd Itzian Cornejo 
4th Lili Proctor and Scene Stealer
5th= Karme Perez
5th= Clare Burke and Sweet Dreams 

Beginner Novice:
1st Samuel McGeachy and Something Like That
2nd Will Engelhardt and Susie Q
3rd Jen Neilsen and Gamer
4th Isabella Kim and It's All About Me
5th Scout Hutchinson and Lady Katie
6th Ellie Hunt and Titus 

Elementary:
1st Kari Bohn and Pandora
2nd Keara Duffy and Touche
3rd Lynn Pearson and Little Brown
4th Sierra Gibson and The Tyrant 
5th Rachel Hadley and Eros Ramazotti
6th Kaelin Killelea and Hollywood

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Advanced Course Coming Along Nicely at Copper Meadows

The new Advanced cross-country course is coming along well as Copper Meadows prepares for our March 15 - 17 horse trials. Course designer James Atkinson is using several existing combinations, including the sunken road and downhill ramps, and building a few new obstacles - such as the broken bridge and open oxer. Check out the photos and stay tuned for more sneak peaks of the course!

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Results from our February 10 Sun Series One-Day Show:

February 2013

Training:
1st Christina Henrikson and Pavan
2nd Sarah Wood and Diggin The Blues
3rd Stacia Lloyd and Mazzy Star
4th Dan Michaels and Landon

Beginner Novice:
1st Katie Lafata and Duchess
2nd Karyn Boulais and Divine Intervention
3rd Samantha Olesiak and Sambuca
4th Amanda Hartness and Rough and Ready

Elementary:
1st Isabella Kim and It's All About Me
2nd Morgan Redford and Sheez A Beast
3rd Lynn Pearson and Little Brown
4th Rachel Hadley and Eros Ramazzotti
5th Mell Freeman and Jo Be Fantastic
6th = Maddison Dawson and Domino Go!
6th = Alexis Michaelson and My Irish Laddie 

Congratulations to all our riders who participated, and earned points toward our year end prizes. 1st place riders earned 6 points this weekend - to read more about points and prizes visit: http://copper-meadows.com/news.php

 

 

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First Event of the Year for Limerick Equestrian: Galway Downs

February 2013    Galway Downs' February event rolled around this year with 70 degree weather, making it the perfect Southern California event to start off the year.  Limerick Equestrian had 3 horses in the Intermediate division: Gustav, Annie Oakley III, and Limerick II; three horses in the Preliminary: Nautica, Verve and Christina Henrikson's Bernie; a few horses in Training: Carolyn Hoffos' Catweazle, Zayed, Stacia Lloyd's Raquel, Jessa Hill's Luna, Claire Jan's Ace, and Dan Michaels' Landon; Stacia's Mazzy Star in the Novice, along with Fran Lancaster's Elecktra and Christina's Pavan; and one horse in the Beginner Novice: Jayme Grant's Angel.  

 

 The Event kicked off on Friday with the Intermediate horses performing dressage, and the Preliminary horses riding dressage and sj.  James had two good tests on his horses, and Limerick was hot but obedient in his Intermediate test.  Watch Limerick's dressage here.  The Preliminary horses were excellent in dressage, with all three scoring in the 30's, and all added just one rail to their score in the show jump arena.  Watch Nautica's show jumping here.

 

Saturday was hectic but great!  All the lower level horses did their dressage and sj on Saturday, with the Intermediate horses jumping stadium in the early morning and then running xc in the afternoon, and the Preliminary horses finishing things up with xc.  In the training group there was a lot of good dressage, with Carolyn's Catweazle scoring in the low 30's, and Dan's horse scoring an even 30.  Claire and Ace had a respectable score, and Zayed let Carolyn know exactly what he thought about dressage with a score in the 40's.  Stacia's horse Raquel was ridden by Taren, and pulled out a 32 with a lovely dressage test, and Jessa took the early lead in her division with a dressage score in the 20's.  Stacia had a career best dressage on Mazzy, scoring a 29, which was matched by Elecktra in the Open Novice, and Christina also posted a beautiful test to take the lead in her division.  Jayme had a lovely test at her first recognized event on Angel.  

 

In the show jumping arena, Gustav produced a lovely faultless round, Annie Oakley dropped just one rail, and Brown had 12 faults.  Carolyn rode each of her horses well, adding just one rail on each - the jumper shows have been paying off for her and she looks very confident riding around the arena.  Dan had a good round on Landon, adding nothing to his score, as did Raquel.  Claire and Ace were having a beautiful round until they turned left instead of right, missing one fence completely!  However, the round was looking great, and they were granted permission to run xc the next day.  Jessa continued her winning ways with a double clear.  Novice show jumping was next up, and Stacia added nothing to her winning dressage score.  Elecktra, 4 years old Hannoverian, added just one rail to her score, and Pavan jumped a super double clean round.  Jayme finished up the show jumping with no rails but time penalties, however had a lovely, smooth round.  

 

Intermediate xc was great, with all horses jumping clean, watch Limerick here.

Preliminary xc was also very good, with Verve jumping clean at his first Prelim, Nautica jumping boldly and well at her second Prelim, and Bernie jumping clean.  All horses added time to their score, but jumped great.  XC at the end of the day was a welcome treat for us, and made the Saturday night party very fun!  The big horses finished their event that day, and Sunday was remarkably quiet.  

 

Training horses jumped extremely well around Galway; Carolyn posted two clean rounds, as did Taren on Raquel.  Dan had a silly stop at the scary brush fence, but otherwise made the course look easy.  Claire had a great round on Ace, with virtually no llama running, and Jessa clinched the win with a double clear on Luna.  Novice cross-country was great, Mazzy and Elecktra both jumped well and clear, as did Pavan to secure the win.  Watch Elecktra here . Beginner Novice was the last of the day, and Jayme and Angel had a great round, bold and forward - a perfect end to a super weekend!  

 

Limerick Equestrian will turn up next at Twin Rivers March show, and it promises to be an exciting an busy show with lots of horses competing.  Stay tuned for an update!    

 

 

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15th Annual Galway Downs Fundraising Clinic a Huge Success

January 2013

Limerick turned out again this year to support Galway Downs at their 15th annual fundraising clinic.
James and Taren donated their teaching time, schooling 26 riders between them around the Galway cross-country course. It was an excellent prep for the Limerick riders, and a great way to meet new riders and possible future clients. We are so lucky to have Galway - a world class facility - just an hour from Copper Meadows.

We look forward to heading back to Galway in a week to participate in their first show of the season.

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Copper Meadows Eventing Adds Spring Horse Trials

Spring 2013 With the unfortunate loss of an excellent Area VI Event, the Event at 3-Day Ranch, Copper Meadows Eventing has been granted approval to run a horse trials on March 15 - 17, 2013.

The Copper Meadows HT will host A/I - Intro, with the possibility of adding an Advanced section if there is approval through the USEF Technical Committee.

The March date is an important marker in the Area VI calendar which was successfully filled by 3-Day Ranch for a number of years. Two weeks before Galway Downs' spring Event and three-day, the HT now at Copper Meadows will provide a preparation for riders looking to ready themselves for FEI competition at Galway, or gain one more qualifying score as they prepare for the upcoming FEI season.
James Atkinson, course designer at Copper, says of the future Advanced course, "It will be technical but not huge - a good prep for horses and riders looking to run the CIC 3* at Galway." Along with the addition of an Advanced track, the existing courses will be slightly changed for the 2013 season.

Copper Meadows Eventing is excited and honored to run this spring Event, and hopes that it will be useful for not just California riders, but also riders from surrounding states and barns wintering in California

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2013 Kicks Off With Lots of Blue

January 2013

The Limerick team attended the first of Galway Downs' Hunter/Jumper series on January 13th, participating in classes ranging from 2'9" - 4'.

James rode Fran and Jim Lancaster's Lex in her first show, competing the 4 year old in the 2'9" class and 3' class. James and Fran were thrilled with how Lex handled the atmosphere, and look forward to showing her at Galway's upcoming horse trials the first weekend on February.

Limerick's new working student, Claire Jan, competed her own Artistic Flaire in the 3' and 3'3" classes, earning multiple ribbons. Carolyn Hoffos rode her two horses, Catweazle and Zayed, in the 3'3" and 3'6" classes, and made huge improvements throughout the day, ending with ribbons in all classes and confidence at the 3'6" level.

Tina Hoover rode her Sunsprite Warmblood's bred Destino Mio in the 3' and 3'3" classes, and also made huge strides in confidence throughout the day. James and Taren competed in the 3'6" and 3'9" classes on Carolyn Hoffos' Frank, and Limerick II, respectively.

Limerick ended up with two blue ribbons in the 3'9" and 4' class, capping off a very successful day. The H/J shows at Galway are a perfect prep for the horses as they begin their new season, and a great way to get comfortable in the show jumping ring.

Limerick looks forward to attending two more of these shows throughout the year - stay tuned for more updates!

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New for 2013: The Sun Series!

Copper Meadows is proud to announce that in 2013 we will be offering prizes to riders who attend our one-day shows, newly named the Sun Series.

The more shows you attend, the more points you get, which puts you in the running to win year-end prizes from great companies like Fleeceworks, Professionals Choice, and Elston Hay and Grain.

Our December Sun Series show will serve as an awards party/bbq event, more information will be available as the date draws closer.

Here is how it works:

There are 8 Sun Series shows in 2013, points will be totaled as follows:
- Attending a show and riding in all three phases: 10 points
- Attending a Look B4 You Leap clinic: 5 points
- 1st place at a show: 6 points
- 2nd place at a show: 5 points
- 3rd place at a show: 4 points
- 4th place at a show: 3 points
- 5th place at a show: 2 points
- 6th place and below at a show: 1 point

Rules:

Points are tallied for horse and rider combinations
Riders may ride multiple horses, but points will not be combined, each horse/rider combo will have separate point totals

All points received at the 2013 December show will count toward the 2014 season
Eliminated riders will receive points for attending the show, but no points for placing

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Galway Downs Fall Event: A Great End to 2012

November 2012

Once again Limerick Equestrian returned to Galway Downs for their Fall event, some riders to tackle a new level, others to compete against the best of the best in their divisions. 

 

Starting things off on Thursday of the event were Taren and Gustav competing in the CCI*, Roberta Jennings and Ready of Not competing in their first Preliminary together, Stacey Winter and Serenade trying their hand at their 2nd preliminary, Kelli Brown riding Colton, James riding Annie Oakley III, and Taren riding Nautica at her first prelim.  Gustav was excellent in his test, scoring a 44.7 - a great FEI score - and ending the day in 6th out of 50 riders and horses.  The preliminary girls were all great in their own way; Nautica put in a very smooth, obedient test, Ready showed off her beautiful gaits, Colton put in a very obedient test, and Serenade wowed with flashy movement as well.  James took the early lead in the prelim on Annie, scoring a 29.   

 

Friday dressage was all about Training and Novice level.  Margie Davis and DMI’s Luminescence put in a beautiful test to take 6th place in a very large, competitive division of the Training 3-Day Event.  Carolyn Hoffos rode her two training horses very well, pulling off scores in the low 30’s for both of them.  Margaret Crow improved on her dressage at her previous shows, scoring well enough for 3rd, and Tina Hoover rode Mio to a low 30’s score as well. 

 

The novice group, Lindsey Lewis and Cooper, Lauren Teets and Peanut, and Stacia Lloyd on Mazzy Star, all had good dressage as well: Lindsey scored ver well with a 32, Lauren broke into the 30’s, scoring a 39, and Stacia had a very much improved dressage to score a 36. 

 

Friday morning was an early day for the Prelim riders, as they rode stadium first thing.  James and Annie held their lead with a double clear round, Taren and Nautica rode an 8 fault round, Roberta added just one stop to her score, Kelli had a beautiful clean round, and Stacey rode to 8 faults as well.  For the Training and Novice level riders, Friday also meant show jumping.  Margaret rode a beautiful round, adding just 1 time penalty to her score.  Tina and Mio unfortunately had a difference of opinion about stadium, and Mio has lots of work to look forward to this winter.  Carolyn rode her horses well, adding a few points to her score but crossing the finish line with both horses.  Lindsey and Cooper had a good learning round, they are getting better and better with being able to cope when things don’t go perfectly.  Lauren added just one rail and some time to her score, but had a lovely steady round.  Stacia rode great, and gave Mazzy lots of confidence at her first Novice, adding just one rail to her score.

 

Saturday was a quiet day, with only Taren and Goose and Margie and Sunny competing.  Goose was a super star, jumping double clean to maintain his 6th place position.  Margie and Sunny had a great day, jumping double clear after roads and tracks and steeplechase, ending their day happy from the T3D experience.  The competitor’s party was a blast: after a great xc day there may or may not have been lots of drinks consumed, and the new Land Rover that James and Taren bought recently may or may not have ended up being driven around Galway Downs’ Land Rover course. 

 

I guess we’ll never know, as there is no photographic proof! 

Sunday was stadium for Taren and Goose, and Margie and Sunny.  Both pairs jumped double clean rounds, Taren ending up in 4th and Margie ending up in 6th.  For the Preliminary, Training, and Novice horses, cross-country was Sunday.  All the Prelim horses, with the exception of Annie, jumped clear on Sunday.  Nautica was very brave and game for her first prelim outing, Roberta rode a smart, bold and great round on Ready, Stacey kept improving Serenade, and Kelli had a very obedient and controlled round on Colton.  Unfortunately Annie stopped at the 3rd fence from home, a disappointment for James, but otherwise jumped great.  In the training divisions, Margaret jumped double clean on Remi, ending up 3rd overall at her 2nd ever training level.  Carolyn had an unplanned dismount from Catweazle, but jumped great on Frank, helping him finish his 2nd training level event.  Lindsey, Lauren and Stacia all rode beautifully.  Cooper looked bold and happy, Peanut looked steady and brave, and Mazzy looked confident at her Novice debut.  

 

We are so grateful to have such a great event so close by, and what a way to end our 2012 season!  This winter we look forward to improving our skills and starting 2013 out in February.      

 

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NEW! One-Day Show coming December 2nd!

December 2012 Copper Meadows has decided, after receiving many requests, to run an additional Look B4 You Leap clinic and One-Day show this December! Join us Saturday, December 1st for the Look B4 You Leap clinic with either Taren or James, and stay overnight for the show on Sunday, December 2nd.
Email Taren at tarenatkinson@gmail.com to reserve your space in the clinic, we look forward to seeing you there!

 

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October 1-Day show @ Copper Meadows

The October One-Day at Copper Meadows wrapped up this years' unrecognized events series with beautiful weather and lots of fun for riders.  Divisions were big and competitive at this show, with the Beginner Novice division hosting 14 competitors!  Take a look at the results:

 

Novice:

1st Delaney Killalea and Dutch
2nd Stacia Lloyd and Mazzy Star
3rd Katelynn Murphy and Dare the Odds
4th Kaitlyn Vossler and Mr. Monty
5th= Ashley French and Justastorm
5th= Kristi Clarkson and Wally

Beginner Novice 

1st Breanna Erikson and I Love Lucy
2nd Jayme Grant and Angel 
3rd Sophie Rojas and Crack the Whip
4th Caitlyn Garner and My Irish Laddie
5th Katie Lafata and Duchess
6th Jennifer O'Brien and Peter Peter Parker 

Elementary 

1st Sierra Gibson and Ty
2nd Jordan Edwards and Image
3rd Grace Jackson and Storm King
4th Lexi Michaelson and Hans Solo
5th Kailyn Franz and Battle Born
6th Skylar Hunley and Finn 

Copper Meadows looks forward to providing these shows next year, and upping the experience by adding year end awards.  Riders who compete at the newly named Sun Series One-Day Shows will accrue points that will earn them end of year awards including prizes from Fleeceworks, Professionals Choice, and Copper Meadows.  

Copper will also host an awards banquet featuring a live band and food!  Stay tuned for a 2013 calendar coming soon, and mark your calendars for our Sun Series. 

 

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Woodside has come and gone

September 2012 Woodside has come and gone, with the red head horses doing some things well and showing off some of their signature naughtiness.

The fat orange, Gooseberry Jones, was a super star in the dressage of the CIC 1*, earning 2nd place with a 48, and jumping double clean in the stadium arena to secure 1st place going into Saturday’s cross-country test.

As we walked the cross-country course for Goose, James suggested we call him ‘fast orange,’ rather than ‘fat orange,’ as I would need to make the time to hold my overnight lead in the 1*.

I took that to heart and galloped quickly over the terrain, smoking around the course ahead of my minute markers everywhere.

However, GB Jones decided that the second water obstacle on course was far too scary to jump the first time, and stopped at the large drop. Characteristic orange naughtiness, but no hard feelings to the Gooseberry, sometimes it just isn’t your day to shine. We ended up in 3rd even with the stop, as the division saw lots of carnage over the xc course.

Mr. Jones is looking to redeem himself at Galway’s CCI 1*, and I will be riding old english style into all water obstacles, whip in one hand stretched out behind me as we fly over the log drops. Brown, or Limerick II, was a star at his and my first CIC 2*. The dressage was obedient yet still fancy to score a 53. I rode him in a double bridle for the first time, and what a difference! No naughtiness in the test, just paying attention the whole time. Show jumping was next, and we had two rails and some time penalties. Brown is a hard horse to compete over a two day event, he gets tired easily from dressage and needs his energy to jump clean. But he tried very hard in the arena and the time was extremely tight to make.

On to cross-country! The course was big, lots of large tables and narrows, but Brown tackled it like a champ. Our one stop came at the coffin complex, as I let him get behind my leg in the corner and he was crooked jumping into the question. I circled around and popped over the ditch to the narrow and then started riding really well.

The more confident I became the better he went, and we finished feeling great. The 3* proved to be a good learning experience for Al and James, and he looks forward to making some changes to Alberts tack before Galway. The dressage has come so far, and if anyone won the warm up it would have to be James.

Tension crept in, however, once the boys entered the arena, so the score suffered. Two sets of reins and two bits are in Al’s future, and we are seriously excited to see what that will produce from him.

The show jumping was a great time to school, as the dressage score would keep the pair from winning, so James used to the time to hopefully teach Al a few things. He is jumping great in general, but the obedience is always a factor, so getting him into the show arena and working through things is a great way to improve him.

Cross-country looked great, besides a glance off at the chevron out of the sunken road. The combination was late on course, and James relaxed for a second too long, and Al chose to canter slowly by the triple brush instead of jump it the first time. Again, James took the time to school the question but making Al jump down into the sunken road and out over the chevron.

Students were awesome at Woodside, with Roberts Jennings and Ready or Not placing 2nd on their dressage score in the Training division; Roberts has the clear to go Preliminary at Galway! Stacia Lloyd rode Split Infinity in the Novice division, showing huge improvements in all phases, and putting another confidence building round under her belt for the season.
Stacey Winter competed Serenade in the Preliminary, the 2nd for that horse, and gave her a great ride throughout the weekend. James rode Stacey's other horse Stella Brava in the Open Intermediate division, showing off with a great dressage test and jumping clean with just 3 time penalties on the cross country to go into show jumping in 5th place. Unfortunately the mare was a bit tired and the pair had rails, but Stella receives the 'game ball' for best cross-country performance at Woodside.

All in all it was a great show. Often shows don’t live up to your expectations, but the best thing to do is focus on the positive and look toward your next Event.

We are so lucky to be riding these awesome horses, and even though they can be frustrating as hell we love them and love our crazy, gypsy horse show life. Check out pictures from our weekend here

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Copper Meadows September Horse Trials and Area VI Championships a Huge Success

September 2012

The Event at Copper Meadows was put on without a hitch this September, with a record amount of entries that made the Championship divisions extremely competitive.

The Limerick team performed especially well, with many of the riders finishing in the top five after three days.
In the Intermediate division, Taren rode Limerick II to 1st place after dressage, and kept the lead throughout, winning the class on Sunday with an 8 fault show jumping round. Stacey Winter on Stella Brava took 2nd after dressage, and had a stellar cross-country round - until she jumped an incorrect fence! She finished the course in style, though!

In the Preliminary division Limerick was well represented after dressage, with Carolyn Hoffos and Catweazle in the lead, Stacey Winter and Serenade in 2nd, and Taren and Gustav in 3rd. Unfortunately Carolyn jumped an incorrect fence on xc, but looked great around her first Preliminary with Catweazle. Stacey added just time penalties with 'Doris' to drop down a few places, and Gustav took over the lead - keeping it with a double clean show jump round on Sunday.

The Training division showed more excellent dressage work, with Taren and Lucky sliding into 2nd place, Tina Hoover and Destino Mio taking 1st, Roberta Jennings and Ready or Not placing 2nd, and Margaret Crow and Remington placing 4th. Margie Davis and Luminescence tied for 1st in the Training Championships after dressage. Taren, Tina and Roberta kept their dressage placings, finishing on their dressage scores, and Margaret moved up to 3rd after two double clean jump rounds. Margie added just a rail to her score to finish 3rd in a highly competitive division. Carolyn and 'Frank' finished their first training together with just a rail and a few time penalties but feeling confident for the 5 year old horses' first Training.

In the Novice divisions, Lindsey Lewis and Mini Cooper placed 4th in the Novice Rider Championship, showing a huge improvement in all phases. Kim Spero and Rollie were back to Novice, finishing 3rd after dressage and adding just a stop on xc to their score, but posting a lovely double clean show jump round. Rounding out the show was Katie Lafata and Duchess, competing at their second event and placing 6th. The pair showed huge improvements from June, and are looking forward to showing in October.

Copper Meadows would like to thank our sponsors for their excellent contributions! Please take a look through the show program here to see a list of entries and ads from our generous supporters.

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Shepherd Ranch Recap

August 2012 The Limerick team traveled up the coast this weekend to compete at Shepherd Ranch Horse Trials, a course that is designed by James.
Taren was lucky enough to ride Gustav in the Preliminary, and they finished 2nd after a successful weekend. Taren also rode Erin Rousey-Turner's Flying First Class in the Open Training division, finishing 9th on their dressage score. If Erin's ankle doesn't heal before the September Copper show Taren looks forward to riding Lucky again in the training there.
Stacia Lloyd rode her own Mazzy Star to a 7th place finish in the Open Beginner Novice, finishing on her dressage score and looking like a professional as she piloted her young horse around her second event.
Tina Hoover showed an impressive weekend with her Sunsprite's Destino Mio, finishing 4th in the Training, and Dianne Dawes completed her last training of the season as she prepares to run Preliminary at Copper.
Stacey Winter rode two horses in the Preliminary, finishing 9th on Serenade in that horses first Preliminary.
Last but not least was Lauren Teets and Peanut, who finished with just a rail and a few time penalties to complete their 2nd ever event, and 1st event away from home.

The weather was fortunately cool, the courses looked well turned out, and as usual the group of Limerick riders had a blast. All the riders will be competing at Copper in 2 weeks.

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Summer Eventing Extravaganza!

August 2012 The Limerick team traveled far and wide this summer to compete all the way from Flagstaff, Az to Kalispell, Mt.
The trip began with the event at Coconino Horse Trials, where Limerick was represented with 14 entries to the show!
James rode 5 horses, all in the Preliminary, which kept super groom Katie very busy as she had her own horse in the Novice as well. Taren rode Brown in the preliminary as well, and all the horses had a super confidence building round through the forest that makes up the cross country course.

Limerick had a few riders in the Training level, with Carolyn riding Catweazle and Margie riding Sunny - both finished really well, and looked especially strong on cross-country.

The Novice division was well represented with Carolyn on her other horse Frank, Margaret riding in her first event with her new partner Remi, and Katie riding Brighton. All riders were amazing; Margaret won the dressage and show jumping, and added just time penalties on xc to finish 4th with her new horse. Katie was stellar, finishing 6th in a competitive division. For Carolyn and Frank, Coconino was their first event back after a few months off, and they put in a consistent round in every phase to finish well.

Beginner Novice saw Christine Mason and Langston and Kim Spero and Rollie competing, Christine in her first ever recognized event and Kim in her first recognized event in a few years. Both ladies put their best foot forward and were cheered on loudly by all their barn mates.

Unfortunately only a few of the Limerick crew were able to carry on to Montana and compete, which meant that goodbyes were in order for some horses and rides. We sent them home to Ramona, and James, Taren, Carolyn, Katie and Margie headed up the road to the Big Sky country.
Tracking their tire tread was Stacia Lloyd with her two horses in tow. The group met in Kalispell after two days of traveling, and set up at the beautiful facility at Rebecca Farm.

James rode in the CIC 3* with Goose and Al, the Intermediate horse trials with Annie Oakley III and Big Ben Hope, and the Preliminary with Diggin' the Blues. Taren rode Brown in the Preliminary, Carolyn competed Catweazle in the T3D and Frank in the Open Novice, Margie contested the Training, and Stacia and Katie rode their mounts around the novice olympics.

To say it was a good show for everyone would be an understatement; to compete at Rebecca Farm is a big test - there were 5 divisions at every level, broken down by age, there were a good 500 horses present. Limerick had James finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th and 7th on his mounts, Taren finishing 10th, Carolyn finishing 2nd on Frank, Margie finishing 7th with Sunny, and Stacia winning the Open Novice section D with Raquel.
It was such a successful trip, and not just because of the final placings. Great strides were made by all riders, and all walked away from the show with more awareness of their horse.

Speaking for all involved, bring on the Summer Eventing Extravaganza 2013!

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Copper 1-Day a Big Success

August 2012

Copper Meadows' August 19th one-day show proved to be a big hit, with 48 riders coming out to participate in the all phase unrecognized show. A break in the Ramona heat was welcome, and appreciated by horses and riders alike. Check out the placings from the show:

Training:
1st Roberta Jennings
2nd Bari Boersma
3rd Tina Hoover
4th Sandra Williams

Novice:
1st Kristi Clarkson
2nd Keelari Mauzy
3rd Lindsey Lewis
4th Kathy Householder
5th Michelle L Slack-Abma

Beginner Novice:
1st Sandra Williams
2nd Brittney Barnard
3rd Leigh-Ann Kazolas
4th Stacia Lloyd
5th= Natalie Kupperman
5th= Michelle Voelker
7th Lexie Selders

Elementary:
1st Morgan Redford
2nd Caitlyn Garner
3rd Carla Chavarria
4th Alyssa Hall
5th Sierra Gibson
6th Isabella Kim

Please join us for the next 1 Day, October 28th!

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James and The Alchemyst place third at Woodside Advanced Horse Trials

August 2012

James rode Debbie Rosen's The Alchemyst to a 3rd place finish this weekend at the Woodside Advanced Horse Trials.
The pair put in a steady and correct dressage effort to place third, and followed it up with a clean jumping and fast cross-country ride to take the lead after Saturday. The boys had 12 faults in the show jumping arena on Sunday, but are looking more and more like a team with every show they go to. This is the third event James has taken Al to, and he plans to run him Advanced at Twin Rivers in September, Woodside in October, and then attend the Galway Downs CCI 3* in November.

Annie Oakley III also competed in the Advanced division, her first event at the level, and was a super star. She placed fourth after the dressage, with a flashy but tense test, then added two stops on the cross country course to her score.
Even though she came home with two stops she was very impressive to watch, and looked as confident as she has at Intermediate level. She did not show jump, as her score would not have counted as a qualifying score for future events - James felt it was better to let her rest on Sunday, and we didn't hear any complaints from her about that! To see more photos from the weekend, check out the Gooseberry blog.

Carolyn Hoffos also competed at Woodside this past weekend, in the Training and Novice divisions, placing 3rd and 2nd respectively. She looked great in all three phases on both horses, and looks forward to moving up to Preliminary and Training level!

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June Horse Trials at Copper Meadows a Huge Success!

June 2012 Copper Meadows in June proves to be ideal weather for 3-Day Eventing, and this past weekend was no exception.
We had a record June attendance with 150 horses starting Dressage on Saturday. Three dressage rings ran, and competitors also show jumped in the afternoon.
The show jumping courses, designed by Jose Nava, were well put together and rode great throughout the levels, giving horses and riders a positive experience before cross-country on Sunday. James, Tommy Neneman and Zane worked tirelessly all week leading up to the event to make the cross-country incredible, and their hard work paid off. The footing was lovely, the fences were beautifully decorated, and the day ran smoothly.

Limerick Equestrian had a great showing this weekend, with two riders competing at their first recognized competition, and a few moving up the levels. Margie Davis and Gillian Ryan competed Training level, and had great riders.
Margie and Sunny qualified for the September champions, and are looking forward to competing at Rebecca Farm this July.
Gillian rode Liz McLean's Sueperstar in her first Training, and although they incurred two stops on xc early on, the ride finished positively and both came away with a great feel for their next competition.
In the Novice divisions, Limerick had Lisa OM, Lindsey Lewis, Stacia Lloyd, Erin Rousey and Crime Dog McGraw battling each other in the Rider division. Huge props to Lindsey for her 3rd place finish and Championship qualification this weekend, and much love to all the Novice riders on their excellent riding all weekend.
Katie got another Novice under her belt, Lisa rode really well on a tired Marnie, and Erin rode the best dressage and stadium to date!
The beginner novice division saw Kim Spero riding, as well as Stacia on her young horse, and two green riders Katie Lafata and Lauren Teets participating in their first ever recognized show. Kim ended her weekend in 3rd with 3 great riders, Stacia gave her young and green horse a super confident outing, and Katie and Lauren both showed how hard they have worked at home - finishing their first event!

We are so proud of the Limerick Team, and look forward to more shows!!

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Team Limerick is proud and excited to announce that The Alchemyst has joined the barn!

June 2012 Deborah Rosen's 4* mount, The Alchemyst, has joined Limerick Equestrian as the newest ride for James this year. We are so excited to have 'Al' in the barn, and look forward to watching him and James compete at the 3* at Rebecca Farm this July. A HUGE thank you to Debbie for the opportunity, Al is incredibly talented and experienced, and will be nothing but excellent for James. Stay tuned to the Gooseberry blog to keep following James and Al!

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Twin Rivers

May 2012

 

It was back to sunny Paso Robles for the Limerick crew in April; James, Taren, Margie Davis, Katie McGraw and Erin Rousey rode in the show.
The highlight of the show was Diggin' the Blues, or King, placing 2nd at his second Training level event with James. King belongs to Amanda Vines, and is excelling in his time at Copper Meadows. Margie, Katie and Erin all competed in the Novice at Twin, Margie on her new mount Sunny.
It was a great weekend for everyone, as Margie got to know her new horse, Katie completed her first Novice with Brighton (jumping clear in the stadium!), and Erin mastered the cross-country with Lucky.
Taren rode Stacia Lloyd's mare Raquel in her first Novice of the season, and now turns the reins back over the Stacia to compete at Copper Meadows in June.
James finished 3rd with Gustav in the CIC3*, after a lovely dressage, amazing stadium and fantastic cross-country. As always, Twin Rivers hosted a beautiful show with lovely weather and excellent food and fun.

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Galway Downs March Horse Trials

May 2012

 

Galway Downs' May show is one of the best in the area: it is a small, relaxed atmosphere, perfect for young, green horses and riders, and also perfect for pairs looking to move up a level.
The Limerick crew was out again at this show, with a few horses moving up the levels: Margie Davis and Sunny completed their first Training level event, with a solid dressage and excellent jumping rounds. The pair looks forward to Copper Meadows and then a trip up north to Montana later in July.
James rode King around his first Preliminary, with an excellent result. King was super on the flat, scoring a 24.1 to take 1st place! He dropped two rails in stadium and added a bit of time xc, but was very bold and good for James - James looks to ride him in Montana at the CIC1* in July.
Erin and Lucky improved on their dressage score by 10 points at this show, and had two lovely jump rounds to end their weekend in fine style.
Dianne Dawes and Gambit finished on their dressage score in the Training level, and Taren piloted her youngster Zsasha around her first Beginner Novice.

Limerick is looking forward to competing at Galway again later this year!

Click here to see James and Big Ben Hope

Click here to see Taren and Zsasha

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Galway Downs March Horse Trials

April, 2012

 

The Limerick Team found themselves once again at lovely Galway Downs, to compete at all levels.

James contended the CIC 3* with Gustav, Gooses' first 3*, and had mixed success.
The dressage was steady and fluid, not scoring particularly well but leaving James feeling like Goose was obedient and accurate.
Show jumping ran next, and Gustav was incredible. He absolutely shines in the SJ arena, and jumped a perfect double clear.
The boys went into cross-country in 5th place, and unfortunately picked up two stops around the big, tough cross-country course. James felt as though Goose was a bit backed off, and when we arrived home from the Event Dr. Oman of ECLAP took a look at him to evaluate soundness. The decision was made to inject his hocks, and James is hoping that this will make a difference for Goose.
They look forward to competing at the CIC 3* at Twin Rivers in two weeks.

Taren rode Limerick in the Intermediate, and it was a learning experience for them!
'Brown,' a lofty and careful jumper, needed a strong ride throughout the course, and wasn't keen on jumping the ditch and brush toward the end of the course.
The pair returned to Galway the following Tuesday to school the questions, and had a super positive ride, sorted a few things out, tweaked a few riding habits, and look forward to a more successful go at Twin Rivers.

Carolyn Hoffos and Zayed, her off the track TB, put in a solid performance in the Training level, with a lovely dressage and two great jump rounds.

James finished 4th on Amanda Vines' Diggin' the Blues, in the Open Training after three very nice phases.

James also rode Gillian Websters' mare Ebony Park to the win in the Open Preliminary, after a double clear show jumping round moved them up from 4th to take the blue.

Margie Davis finished on her dressage score to secure 3rd in the Novice, Margaret Crow and Carlita finished 4th in their very first Novice, and Gillian Webster finished 8th in the Novice with her 4 year old Bada Binga.
Dianne Dawes made the drive from Nevada to finish in the Preliminary with a beautiful performance all weekend - the pair is looking really solid at Preliminary.

Check out Dianne's stadium jumping here and James' ride on Gustav here.

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3-Day Ranch: 3 Days of Crazy Weather

March, 2012
Limerick Equestrian packed up all their warmest clothes this past weekend for the Event at 3-Day Ranch in Aguanga, Ca.
Although the forecast called only for rain showers on Saturday, the Event gave much more than that with rain, hail and snow!
The team still managed a great event in the inclement weather, with James finishing 4th in the Open Preliminary on Big Ben Hope, Taren finishing 12th in the Open Prelim on Limerick II and 7th in Open Beginner Novice on Stacia Lloyd's Split Infinity, Carolyn finishing 3rd in the Training with Catweazle, Margie Davis finishing 6th in the Open Novice with DMI's Bruce Almighty, and Stacia Lloyd riding her own Mazzy Star to a 6th place finish in the Elementary division.
The organizers, secretary's and officials were excellent at 3-Day, and we're looking forward to showing here next year. Click here to check out James jumping his stadium round in the snow! And click here for a link to the scores from 3-Day Ranch

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Limerick Equestrian Goes Local

March, 2012

Limerick Equestrian turned out for the Galway Downs Jumper Show on March 11 to get some show jumping miles and test a few young horses. Taren rode a sale pony, Kona, in the 2' and 2'6", and was really impressed with how much Kona learned in just a few classes.
Lauren Teets also participated in the 2'6" division with her horse Peanut, and earned points for her high school jumping team by placing 2nd and 3rd. Carolyn Hoffos and her horses Catweazle and Zayed were next, and showed huge improvements in their rounds at the 3' and 3'3" level.
James rode Ina McRoy's horse Cheval in the 3' class as well, and was very happy with his progress. King, a TB owned by Amanda Vines, got out in the 3'3" and 3'6" classes, and was super - jumping three clean rounds. Taren and James finished off the day with Limerick and Big Ben jumping in the 4' class - both double clear! It was a fun, relaxing day at Galway, and the team looks foward to the next show!

 

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Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles

March, 2012

Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, Ca hosted their Spring event, Beginner Novice through Advanced, and the Limerick team travelled up to the central coast to be a part of the fun.

James competed Gustav in the Advanced division, finishing in 4th place in a highly competitive division. Gustav will show next at the CIC 3* at Galway Downs.

Erin Rousey-Turner competed her own Flying First Class in the Beginner Novice Senior division, also finishing 4th out of 22, on her dressage score!

It was a relaxing weekend with only two horses, but we are looking forward to more action at 3-Day Ranch in two weeks. Check out the scores from the event here

The Limerick team turned out this past weekend to support one of California's - and the nations' - best Eventing venues: Galway Downs in Temecula. Robert Kellerhouse opened the facility to a group of Southern Californian and Arizonan trainers for the weekend, as well as hosting an Ian Stark clinic Saturday and Sunday.

James arrived early Thursday and Friday to work with Ian on designing the 3* track for the upcoming year; part of the process of earning a 'R' course designing license is apprenticing, and James took advantage of Ian being in town to ride around with him and learn about creating a championship Advanced level course. Ian designs almost every major event overseas, and has recently been given the job of designing the courses at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Mt, so it was excellent for James to get a chance to pick his brain. Additionally, James was given the opportunity to ride The Alchemyst, Debbie Rosen's 4* horse, with Ian on Friday afternoon in a private lesson. Ian had James jump Al through the 3* questions around Galway - James' smile was too big to miss! A huge thank you to Debbie for letting James sit on your magnificent horse.

Saturday dawned early and a bit rainy, but thankfully cleared up as the day progressed. Lindsey and Cooper were the first pair to hit the cross-country, and schooled through all the Novice questions with ease - they are truly looking like a solid Novice/Training pair. James took out a Preliminary group first, including Carolyn Hoffos on Catweazle, Gillian Webster on Ebony, Dianne Dawes on Gambit, and Tina Hoover on Sunsprite Destino Mio. The girls were rockstars, and jumped around the Preliminary and 1* questions without a hitch.

After the first rainy groups, Christine Mason and Langston and Erin Rousey-Turner and Lucky tackled the Beginner Novice and Novice questions around Galway. Both pairs are looking very confident about riding out in the open in a new place, and dealing with the sometimes chaotic feeling of schooling cross-country! James' second group was a Novice/Training group which saw Carolyn bringing back her horse Zayed, Gillian on her other mare Ellie, and Shirly McCune from Arizona riding her own Wilson. From what I hear, the girls made Novice look easy!

The last group of the day was a Training/Prelim group consisting of Susan Friend and Patrick, Laura Borgesani and Blue, and myself riding Nautica. We were able to school many Preliminary questions, and I'm excited to move Teaky up this year! She is feeling like a seasoned Eventer these days. After the last group it was time to watch James school Annie Oakley III, owned by Carolyn. James and Annie have a new partnership, and have competed at the Intermediate level all year. They were jumping around all the 3* questions, however, and making it look easy!
Click here to check out the video from the day

Saturday night was a catered dinner at Terry and Linda Paine's home, across the street from Galway at Kingsway Farm. Their home is lovely, and most importantly warm! It was a good time catching up with all the trainers and riders who came to the clinic - a great first competitors party of the year.

Sunday was all about pushing the envelope. Each group was the same, and everyone was challenged with tougher questions. Lindsey and Cooper tackled quite a few Training fences, and learned a lot. Cooper is a fantastic jumper, and Lindsey's riding is so solid - I can't wait to watch this pair compete this year! Christine and Erin were able to put a few fences together in a course on Sunday, and again they made it look easy.

James' groups focussed on stadium jumping for the first half of the lesson, and then moved to the xc course; unfortunately I didn't get to watch too closely, but from what I heard the lessons went very well. James took the opportunity to school Tina's horse, and Shirley's horse, as well as Laura's horse.

The Limerick team finished up the weekend smiling and looking forward to the Event at Galway in two weeks, I think everyone is ready to be back in the swing of the show season. Margaret Crow and Carlita, although unable to make it to the clinic, are entered to ride at Galway, so we look forward to the team making their first Southern California debut. Limerick II will be competing in the Intermediate, as well as Annie and James, and Erin will be riding in the Beginner Novice. Carolyn will take Catweazle and Zayed in the Training, and Nautica will run Training as well. We can't wait!

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Getting Involved: Limerick Equestrian looks ahead to 2012

Happy Holidays! Hopefully the winter is treating everyone well, and riders and horses are getting some downtime and rest. If you’re like us, though, you can’t wait for the show season to begin.

Two months of winter rest seems like an eternity. That’s why Limerick is gearing up to participate in the 14th annual Galway Downs fundraising clinic, January 21 - 22. Galway Downs and Robert Kellerhouse have evolved so much since the days of running the show at Showpark in Del Mar, and the entire Galway crew has contributed to expanding and supporting Eventing not only on the West coast but throughout the nation.

James and Taren will both be available to teach at the clinic, donating the lesson fees to Galway for their upcoming season. It will be two days of cross-country (does it get any better?), and the Limerick team will camp out together. Here is the link to the registration form.

James is also doing his part to get involved with the USEA’s teaching programs, and has been asked to instruct the course design seminars scheduled for 2012.
The first clinic will take place in Florida, at Rocking Horse farm, in February. This is very exciting for James, who is passionate about designing and building cross-country courses, and loves to share his knowledge and passion with eager students.
It is a huge honor for him to be chosen as the instructor for these two clinics, he is looking forward to getting involved with the teaching side of the program and pursuing his ‘R’ designing license. Check out this link to read more: http://useventing.com/education.php?section=courses&id=3025. 

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Limerick Equestrian Ends 2011 Season at Galway Downs

November 2011 Limerick students ended their 2011 season at Galway Downs this past weekend, and in true Clover style it was a weekend all about fun.
The traditional Saturday night Bug and Carne Party (Lobster and steak) was a big hit - we all consumed the delicious lobster that Randy Lewis provided, and drank around a campfire. Good times!
Margie and Bruce ended their season with another win in the Novice division, we are looking forward to working hard over the winter and debuting at Training level next year. Lindsey and Cooper put in one of their best dressage tests to date, even in the mud! Unfortunately, they were eliminated in stadium jumping, so we have some homework to do! 2012 is all about the jumper classes - we are going to be attending every single one we can. Eleni and Remi will be joining us at those jumper classes as well! Katie McGraw's (Super Groom) Bright Impression was a good boy in the Open Novice, and he accomplished what we set out to do - jump between the flags every time he is asked! He and Katie will work hard over the winter and look forward to a whole season of kicking butt at Novice next year.
All in all it was a great show, so much fun to be around the students and people that make Limerick Equestrian what it is. A special thanks to Maureen Lewis, who is hands down the best horse show mom around. I am so happy to be a part of this team, and can't wait to coach everyone next year!!

 

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Pan American Games 2011 - Congrats to James & Gustav!

October 2011

 

It's Silver for Team Canada, and 7th Individually for James and Gustav! Team Canada represented well at the 16th Pan American Games this October, earning the Silver medal in Eventing, as well as the individual Gold medal for Canadian rider Jessica Phoenix. James and Gustav provided one of three scores to count toward the Silver, finishing 7th individually for Canada. The pair added just time penalties on cross-country to end their weekend in the top 10 at this international event, the first international event Gustav has ever competed at.

Please visit the Gooseberry blog, to see videos and pictures from the great adventure, and if you have any questions or comments visit us on Facebook, or email us. Thank you for your support!

 

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September 2011 Horse Trials

The Area VI Championships at Copper Meadows brought great weather and great competition to the Southern California venue this past weekend. Copper Meadows hosted Beginner Novice through Intermediate level Championship divisions, giving away over $10,000 in prize money and fabulous prizes. Competitors were treated to new Championship cross-country course tracks, with new questions to challenge the best Area VI riders and horses. Each division ended the event with show jumping courses designed by Jose Nava - all set at maximum height and challenging enough to make a clear round very influential to the standings.

Bea di Grazia and her lovely gelding Ladʼs Night Out led the Intermediate Championship from start to finish, earning a 22 on their dressage test to put them ahead of the competition by 8 points. They had a flawless cross-country round, and even though they added two rails to their score, the pair ended up at the top. Erin Kellerhouse finished her weekend $2,000 richer with a win in the Open Preliminary Championship division and the Open Novice Championship division. She moved up from third in the Open Prelim Champ to best overnight leader Gina Economou, who dropped to fourth with one rail on Dan Murphyʼs Myster E. Erin took home a specialty prize of 10 bags of shavings sponsored by Mallard Creek.

In the Preliminary Rider Championship division, Addison Johnson took her lead into the stadium arena, and even though she dropped three rails to end on a score of 43.7, it was good enough to beat out all four of her competitors, as there was not one clean show jumping round on Sunday in that division.

 

The Training Rider Championship group was the largest division, with 13 riders battling for the $1,000 check and a free helmet sponsored by Equestrian Habits. Paulina Montgomery, riding her own Kingʼs Cross, finished on her dressage score of 28.6 to take home the Area VI title and the new helmet, with Brigit Rossbach and Amstel moving up from fourth with a double clean show jumping round to end their weekend in 2nd - earning them $200.

Open Training Championship was won by Gina Economou and Barbara Waschmanʼs Groovy. Novice Rider Championship saw the lowest dressage scores of the divisions, and it was Tylia Schoenwald who ended up taking the top spot with her gelding Arame. She entered the show jumping arena with a rail in hand, and needed it, adding four points to her dressage score of 21 to take home the check and a VIP package of tickets from Live Nation Concert Venue.

In the Beginner Novice Championship divisions, Lori Fee held on to her lead all three days on the beautiful grey gelding Good To Go.
Midge Rothwell moved from third to first in the Open Beginner Novice Championship to take home the Area VI title and an air vest donated by PointTwo.

All Championship winners were rewarded with a monogramed winter blanket provided by Copper Meadows, a halter and nameplate from Greenway Saddlery, a gift certificate for $100 off a PointTwo airvest, prize money donated by California Sheet Metal, a personalized trophy from CSM, a free 8 x 10 photo from Captured Moment Photography, an embroidered Fleeceworks jumping pad, and a special Copper Meadows hat. Second place received $200 from California Sheet Metal, a Professionalʼs Choice fly mask, a halter sponsored by Elston Hay and Grain, and a Brown Beauty gift certificate. Prize money went to third place as well, with $50 checks handed out with the yellow ribbon, as well as Professionalʼs Choice sponsored hay bags.

In addition to the Championship divisions, Copper hosted Open and Rider divisions of all the levels as well. With 12 Open Intermediate riders, the blue ribbon ultimately went to Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe and Naboucco de Lessay, as overnight leader Alexa Perkiel dropped a rail and added 1 time fault to move into 2nd. Open Preliminary was won on dressage day by Derek di Grazia and Isle of Japan, the pair maintained their lead throughout the weekend to finish ahead of six other riders. There wasnʼt a clean show jumping round in sight in the Preliminary Rider division, but Amber Shevin and her mare Weltina were the only pair to post a double clean cross-country round and maintain their lead from dressage. They bested the field by 15 points to win the division. Tamara Smith, riding Dr. Joseph Buckleyʼs Boomerang, won the Open training division on their dressage score of 28.2, adding nothing to those marks all weekend. In the Training Rider division, Joy Simon climbed from 5th to 1st on Willoughby Bay, riding to the only double clean show jumping round of the division to finish on her dressage score of 38.6. Rebecca Ratte took home the blue in the Open Novice division aboard Simply Simi, while Madelyn Holtzman and Ringwood Murphy maintained their 30.0 dressage score to finish 1st in the Novice Rider class. Jill VandenBurg Curtis and Yederman finished on their impressive dressage score of 22.5 to win the Open Beginner Novice, and Erin Rousey and Flying First Class added just 1.6 time penalties on cross-country to win the Beginner Novice Rider.

The weather all weekend made Copper Meadows a great place to be, and for all the competitors who made it to the victory gallop, winning was sweet. Copper looks forward to hosting the Area VI Championships again in 2012, improving the cross-country courses even more and gearing up to challenge the best horse and rider pairs in California! Visit the website to see the final scores and more photos from the weekend: www.copper-meadows.com

 

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September 2011 Horse Trials

September Championships Entry Status/Ride Time/Results

Find all the info about the Entry Status, Ride Times and Results at URL: http://eventingscores.com/eventsr/copper/ht0911/

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One-Day Show @ Copper Meadows

August 7, 2011
There were many familiar faces and new faces as well at the Copper Meadows One-Day this Sunday August 7. The weather cooperated nicely, with a cool breeze all day. Robyn Fisher, from Mill Creek Equestrian Center, judged dressage tests all morning - from Beginner Novice through Preliminary. Stadium jumping and cross-country ran smoothly and everyone that I saw had a smile on. Here are the results from the day:

Elementary
1st - Jennifer Hawthorne and R Fire Dancer
2nd - Lauren Rath and Syntax
3rd - Heather Evens and Flash (pictured)
4th - Alecia Miller and Comanche Moon
5th - Sera Parvin and Woodstock
6th - Julia Weidner and Oliver

Beginner Novice
1st - Kate Gillespie and Furst Fia
2nd - Delaney Killalea and Afterburner
3rd - Nehemiah and Lorie Haynes
4th - Counts Grayson and Amanda Thompson

Novice
1st - Madelyn Holtzman and Ringwood Murphy
2nd - Jennifer O'Brien and Higher Education
3rd - Jennifer Hawthorne and Comic Strip Hero
4th - David Reed and Yours Only

Thanks so much for participating and supporting Copper Meadows, we hope to see you all at the next One-Day in October!

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