Colorado Horse Park closing and cancelling all 2020 shows?

[lorilu]

Janet Foy just posted this: (I tried to post the link to the statement but it was “unapproved”. )
Colorado Horse Park Updates
Parker, Co. – December 18, 2019 – Colorado Horse Park (CHP) will continue to operate as a horse park in 2020 despite recent rumors to the contrary. The Colorado Equestrian Partners are enthusiastic about the 2020 schedule and have implemented changes to ensure that the horse show operates at peak performance.

For 2020, CHP will no longer offer boarding services at its venue, which mirrors operations at its sister equestrian centers in Florida and North Carolina.

“We have decided to no longer offer boarding services and we plan to continue operating CHP as a leading equestrian venue in the country,” said Michael Stone, President of Colorado Equestrian Partners.

In addition, Marion Maybank has resigned as manager of CHP. As a result, the partners are evaluating the different events and leadership needed for a strong 2020 season.

CHP is thankful to Marion and her husband, Mac Easley, for their hard work over the past years and wish them well in their future endeavors.

For additional updates on CHP, please visit www.coloradohorsepark.com.

The Colorado Horse Park, located in Parker, Colorado, is home to several equestrian events including top hunter/jumper, dressage, and eventing competitions during the spring, summer, and fall seasons.

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The Colorado Horse Park | 7522 South Pinery Drive Parker, CO 80134 | (303) 841-5550 www.coloradohorsepark.com | info@coloradohorsepark.com
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[enjoytheride]

I had posted the original link on a FB page and someone from the park has asked to have it removed to not add to “rumors”

It still sounds all sorts of up in the air to me. The orignal info coming from someone representing the park, then a sudden change, Quitting boarding abruptly, the organizer resigning.

[mjhco]

@enjoytheride

I had posted the original link on a FB page and someone from the park has asked to have it removed to not add to “rumors”

It still sounds all sorts of up in the air to me. The orignal info coming from someone representing the park, then a sudden change, Quitting boarding abruptly, the organizer resigning.

The original ‘post’ was from the Colorado Horse Forum moderator who is not a part of the Horse Park and does not represent the CHP.

I am sure there will be more OFFICIAL statements from the Colorado Horse Park as they determine their schedules.

[Silverbridge]

The Colorado dressage schedule for 2020:

http://rmds.org/Calendar/Home

Regionals, and a recognized show in May, are currently listed at venues to be announced. I have been told they’re working to secure Estes Park for Regionals and it will be announced as soon as the venue is finalized.

[AZ_TD]

@enjoytheride

I had posted the original link on a FB page and someone from the park has asked to have it removed to not add to “rumors”

It still sounds all sorts of up in the air to me. The orignal info coming from someone representing the park, then a sudden change, Quitting boarding abruptly, the organizer resigning.

Yes, I would think boarding would help defray expenses in winter when they can’t have big shows. Not like FL. I bet it will be developed with lots of houses in the near future.

[ThreeFigs]

Oh, probably…

[AAHunterGal]

Bumping. Any news or updates? The CHJA schedule still doesn’t have any rated CO shows and they’re having a Town Hall meeting the first week in March to discuss the future of H/J shows in CO. I know this is the Dressage forum, but does anyone here have any updates?

[Roni4444]

@"A"HunterGal

Bumping. Any news or updates? The CHJA schedule still doesn’t have any rated CO shows and they’re having a Town Hall meeting the first week in March to discuss the future of H/J shows in CO. I know this is the Dressage forum, but does anyone here have any updates?

It is my understanding that the ONLY terminations was for the boarding operation and all shows should be a go. You can also reach out to the CHP on Facebook. They message back pretty quickly

[Cowgirl]

The two iconic horse shows that were run and sponsored by the CHP, Dressage at High Prairie (the facility used to be named High Prairie Farms) and Dressage in the Rockies (a show which used to be a CDI and have five or six rings going) are listed as canceled on the USDF Region 5 show schedule for 2020. Dressage at High Prairie was late May/early June and Dressage in the Rockies was early August. So the terminations were more than for just boarding…

[MyssMyst]

@Cowgirl

The two iconic horse shows that were run and sponsored by the CHP, Dressage at High Prairie (the facility used to be named High Prairie Farms) and Dressage in the Rockies (a show which used to be a CDI and have five or six rings going) are listed as canceled on the USDF Region 5 show schedule for 2020. Dressage at High Prairie was late May/early June and Dressage in the Rockies was early August. So the terminations were more than for just boarding…

Yeah, and Region 5 is also listed as TBA on location.

[Roni4444]

Here is the official release - maybe some organizations did not want to risk scheduling their events -

Parker, CO. – December 18, 2019 – Colorado Horse Park (CHP) will continue to operate as a horse park in 2020 despite recent rumors to the contrary. The Colorado Equestrian Partners are enthusiastic about the 2020 schedule and have implemented changes to ensure that the horse show operates at peak performance.

For 2020, CHP will no longer offer boarding services at its venue, which mirrors operations at its sister equestrian centers in Florida and North Carolina.

“We have decided to no longer offer boarding services and we plan to continue operating CHP as a leading equestrian venue in the country,” said Michael Stone, President of Colorado Equestrian Partners.

In addition, Marion Maybank has resigned as manager of CHP. As a result, the partners are evaluating the different events and leadership needed for a strong 2020 season.

CHP is thankful to Marion and her husband, Mac Easley, for their hard work over the past years and wish them well in their future endeavors.

For additional updates on CHP, please visit www.coloradohorsepark.com.

The Colorado Horse Park, located in Parker, Colorado, is home to several equestrian events including top hunter/jumper, dressage, and eventing competitions during the spring, summer, and fall seasons.

[Cowgirl]

@Roni4444

Here is the official release - maybe some organizations did not want to risk scheduling their events -

Dressage at High Prairie and Dressage in the Rockies were both managed and sponsored by the Colorado Horse Park, so if they are listed as canceled, it is THEM who have canceled them. R5 Championships is still TBA. The one dressage show that is still on the schedule is the charity show, Dressage for the Cure. It is managed by an outside organizations.

[Roni4444]

@Cowgirl

Dressage at High Prairie and Dressage in the Rockies were both managed and sponsored by the Colorado Horse Park, so if they are listed as canceled, it is THEM who have canceled them. R5 Championships is still TBA. The one dressage show that is still on the schedule is the charity show, Dressage for the Cure. It is managed by an outside organizations.

YES, you are right! I didn’t double check the RMDS show locations after the “reassuring” CHP release. What a bummer!!

[Cowgirl]

@Roni4444

YES, you are right! I didn’t double check the RMDS show locations after the “reassuring” CHP release. What a bummer!!

Huge drag!!! If you look back over the past 5 years of Bellisimo & Co. ownership, there were a lot of promises made about renovating the facility, adding covered arenas for year round shows, adding stabling, etc. What they actually did was slap lipstick on the pig: they updated some bathrooms (probably weren’t to code), brought in a fancy porta potty, expanded the vet facility, bulldozed all of the arenas and added more geotex and sand (Note: I was boarding there when Helen Kriebel redid the footing under her ownership–she actually hired a national expert and they excavated all the arenas then built up the subbases, drains, bases and footing. That happened around the year 2000 and took four to six months. B & Co. did not do that. They were back in business after a month or two). The banquet facilities haven’t been updated for 25 years, or the offices, the main barns (where they kicked the boarders out) look rough now and are probably not up to code, the show barns are not as well maintained. By the same token, they raised the costs of the shows to competitors by about 1/3 and required shavings to be purchased there at a markup and required vet certificates for each show and eliminated prizes except for ribbons. When they did host big events for dressage, they did not spend any money publicizing them, so they were not well attended. It seems, in hindsight, that they were just trying to keep the lights on until a time at which they could flick the switch and develop the property into something else…Since the CHP was Helen’s dream, I would not be surprised if there was a 5 year clause in there requiring it to be run as a horse park. I bet this is the year of obtaining permits to do whatever evil they are planning to do with the facility and they’d like a minimal amount of show income to pay the bills. I am just speculating, of course, but if you contrast what B & Co has put into other facilities, this is fairly obvious that it was never intended to succeed.

[Caol_Ila]

So sorry to read this. I have happy memories of showing at Dressage in the Rockies in the early-2000s.

[ThreeFigs]

IMO, the footing was better back in the old days. Too bad, so sad. Riding sport is not the force it once was here.

I attended a PARA Coaching event at their Tryon facility. Beautiful, eye-popping facility, but a lot of projects left unfinished (at that time). The hotel was just a hole in the ground. Here in flyover country, we’ve got nothing like that. Arizona, Texas, Illinois, sure. Colorado? Nope. Don’t know about Wyoming, Kansas or Utah…

[Cowgirl]

@ThreeFigs

IMO, the footing was better back in the old days. Too bad, so sad. Riding sport is not the force it once was here.

I attended a PARA Coaching event at their Tryon facility. Beautiful, eye-popping facility, but a lot of projects left unfinished (at that time). The hotel was just a hole in the ground. Here in flyover country, we’ve got nothing like that. Arizona, Texas, Illinois, sure. Colorado? Nope. Don’t know about Wyoming, Kansas or Utah…

You are right: this was supposed to be that for the vast unwashed regions of the USA between Lamplight and Del Mar. At least, that is what we were told. But there was no renovation. There was consolidating and overlapping of shows and money being churned to pay the bills. There was no updating, renovating, improving, etc.

I LOVED Dressage in the Rockies in the good old days when it was a CDI! What a show! There were headsets for learning from top judges while classes were in progress, huge prizes, freestyles and charity events under the stars…I was boarding at the facility when USDF did an annual convention here and hosted Conrad Schumacher for a clinic in the indoor arena. It was still a swanky facility then…it is definitely NOT now.

[Roni4444]

It was also great when they hosted the Dressage Symposium. A great event the first year but started to fall apArt the second year already. What a shame. Thank you for more background Cowgirl. I haven’t been in CO all that long yet.

[Cowgirl]

The first year of the Dressage Symposium in the Rockies was AMAZING!!! I rode both years and volunteered. If I had known how amazing the first year would have been (no advertising), I would have audited all day every day (and given up my sponsored rider spot), taken days off work…it was OMG! They had a raised tented area in between the two arenas where they had all day food and beverage service as well as headsets where you could listen to either one of the two top class clinics going on. Stabling was great and they took good care of us, despite bad weather. The time of year chosen for the event could have been better. People would have come from all over the Rocky Mountain Region had they known about it…and they probably would have stayed and attended the next couple of shows that were held for the weekends after the event.

The second year was a HUMONGOUS drop in quality, in stabling (tent stalls in the hinterland this time) and organization and catering (the “catering” this time was a home cook’s sort of greasy barbecue). I just don’t understand this, from an organization that apparently knows how to put on equestrian events. I was volunteering at the in-gate with several other people and the way it was handled and the way the clinicians were treated (no water, no shade, no chairs, no one to take their coats, etc.) during the second year was embarrassing. But ok, because there was no advertising either. The one BIG mistake they made was stating to potential riders that the clinic was rain or shine (during the snowiest month of the year), which kept many people from paying the HUGE clinic fees in advance. If they had communicated that rides would be moved to the indoor arenas during inclement weather, more people would have signed up. But even so, it was very badly mismanaged.

It was destined not to succeed and that is a huge pity.

[NotGrandPrixYet]

Are there really enough dressage riders in the midwest to support a big facility that could host CDI shows? With the very hot summers, very cold winters, tornado seasons, etc, is it viable? I don’t consider Colorado to be in the midwest, but somebody on here mentioned some of the midwestern states.