Did you all see this just announced on the Colorado Horse Park board? There really isn’t any other information out there about it yet.
https://coloradohorseforum.com/2019/12/13/the-colorado-horse-park-is-closing/?fbclid=IwAR18c4o2XABKe0GEJEQE7f-c4Q9pJP0vv37k9Zii8rg3GgwtjWKymYzjpn8
A friend told me that was happening yesterday😩 We were hoping a bad rumor.
That is not The Colorado Horse Park Board, it is a the Colorado Horse Forum FB page. Latest word from good sources is Park not closing - shows not ending, but boarding is ending, and other changes will be announced next week. I am speculating here - which horse park show series operator might need to reinvest some money or give it to the tax man?
But in other, better news, Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, Calif, where I grew up with horse shows, is getting a chance to continue:
Following. I got 10 different stories from people on FB.
This is the closest rated show to us, besides Spruce and my SO will kill me if I spend 600+ a week on stabling (I don’t even think I can get around a 1.10 course anymore)
Someone said new owners or new management?
OT but how is the Denver stock show? Any other horse shows y’all would recommend? Think 10-12 hours max from Montana.
The Denver Stock Show does have good jumper classes, Gambler’s Choice and Grand Prix (with full stands, which exhibitors really like), fairly competitive with riders from Wyoming (Colts Unlimited) ,Nebraska,Texas, Montana and
Arizona. Pre entries required, and they may have closed by now for January. Weather and roads can be a bitch, but northern people are used to that. Hunter classes are much smaller as the overall show atmosphere is a bit crazy for them. New SS Equestrian Center will be nicer in a few years, but still sand/clay footing most likely.
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From the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association FB page:
📢IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO OUR MEMBERS📢
âš ï¸CHJA would like its membership to know that the 2020 show season in Colorado will continueâš ï¸.
More details will be available in the coming weeks; and we ask our members to be patient with us as we receive official information regarding the Colorado Horse Park management/owner changes, which will be released here, as it becomes available to us.
I’ve been meaning to send one my of horses to Colts Unlimited for a long time but he’s just waiting away in my pasture 🙄 they are fairly close to me in the grand scheme of things. I’d probably train/have them listed as a trainer (if they are even accepting clients anymore) I’ve always been a DIYer. Even when I had a fancy jr jumper and BNT.
I’ll at least thing about the stock show for 2021 at this point. Interested in the Spruce October show. I know Nebraska also puts on a show?
Its also been 5+ years since I’ve shown rated, 2018 was ruined by 2 horses that almost died, I was pregnant most of 2019. Fingers crossed we can keep it together for 2020 (CHP possibly not having shows really put a damper on that already )
I haven’t shown at this show, but at Arab shows in the same facility. LOVE the arena, it has a great feel! However the stalls are TINY. My guy is 15.3 and his nose and tail touch the walls when he stands sideways. Some also had seriously deep holes in them. If you have a bigger horse, I’d request a double stall.
Definitely a double stall for stock show. They have a fairly limited schedule but I think the arena is fun to ride in.
I think the current reality is 2020 shows cancelled by current management, but we’re waiting to hear what the new management will do - sort of like when the next Spiderman movie was cancelled until it wasn’t! :lol: I’m just going to be patient and keep my fingers crossed.
Good to know. I have an itty bitty 15.1 horse but he’s loooong. I didn’t realize the stock show was so early in the year! Looks like a fun show. Maybe next year. Tempted to go down to watch the GP but SO will be working.
Someone said HIPICO Santa Fe was nice, what’s an extra 5 hour trip? If nothing comes of CHP I think my next plan is to do the rated weekend shows here, and Oktoberfest (I looooveee Spruce!)
From the Colorado Horse Park website, posted today:
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.
There are so many horses and trainers there. I wonder where they will all go.
When do they need to vacate the premises? Anybody on here get caught in this?
Cant have been a total surprise if the new owners do not offer boarding at their other two centers? Do fully understand why they don’t want to fool with running a boarding and training center, that list of reasons is long.
But pulling the plug Midwinter the week before Christmas"??? SCROOGE. To say the least. Do they not use a PR firm to avoid this kind of timing disaster for their image with the Colorado horse community?
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Findeight, from what I have read, the boarders were told to find other quarters awhile ago, and many are gone already. Quite a few training centers have been built close to the CHP, and many are advertising stalls.
That probably started the rumors of sale and new ownership, which the CHP press release contridicted. No boarders frees up the two indoor arenas for shows, full time, which was needed, as Colorado weather can be very unpredictable, in all months. 'Management" seems to mean the facility manager, Marion Maybank, not the ownership, many of the Wellington Partners. Marion Maybank will probably surface at another large show venue.
I’m glad the shows are staying! I think it’s a little wrong to call the former information “rumors” though, as that’s what the Colorado Horse Park told you if you called them and asked or reached out via social media according to my friends who did so. How were they supposed to know that the information the CHP was handing out wasn’t the correct info?
The press release was written by the ownership partners, Colorado Equestrian Partnership.
Either way, sigh of relief over here in CO.
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This would be interesting. I hardly ever spend much time “up on the hill” and when I do, it’s in the middle of the night. So I guess I hadn’t really put two and two together that there are indoor arenas up there. That might entice more people to show, knowing there’s somewhere out of the elements to show, rather than a) deal with crap footing because it dumped snow the night before or b) scratch and lose the time and money you spent simply showing up. This year’s spring series was miserable to braid in. I couldn’t imagine showing in it.
On a side note, I hope for the love of everything holy, someone puts up some freaking lights in those barns.
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BroncoMo…We had stall lights in Barn A…the turn on/off switch was by the last stall at the S end of the barn. Or are you talking about some of the other barns at CHP?
Well there’s lights in all the barns but the ones down by the show arenas (I think the permanent ones are A through D?) are hardly worth even having installed. If there’s something else on a switch that you can actually see to braid by, then I am unaware. For the record, yes I wear a head lamp. But it’s the point of it, why not install good lights that people can work by at night? Could be that I’m spoiled with the facilities we get to work in on the QH circuits.
The temp stalls that were across from the show arenas were being torn down when I was there, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t have much for lighting. I can see how more lighting would be preferred by prof braiders even up where I was.
