Anyone want to share their thoughts on showing there? The good and bad? We are talking about it for some summer shows.
Hey, me too! I’ve been told that it’s very nice, but would love to hear the insider scoop.
I love Lamplight. It’s big, it’s pretty, and they have nice big warm-up and show rings, the footing is nice (just re-did it a couple years ago I believe). I know some people that dislike it because it is so big and spread out. There are some long days there, I think that it is managed a bit better now than in the past, though we all know how horse shows go.
Honestly, Lamplight is one of my favorite places to attend shows and with the recent renovations that have been done, it is even nicer.
LOVE IT!!! It’s beautiful, the people are great, footing is good and well maintained, and the area is a great place of out of towners. Lot’s if good restaurants, cute towns. It’s expensive, but hey, what AA show isn’t?! Not as bad as say, Traverse City, which I loved, but cost me $1200 for just my hotel for 7 days, not to mention my staffs’.
The show management are as friendly and helpful as any place I’ve been, and better than most. Any questions?
Lamplight is the best facility in the area in my opinion. The footing is very good now and the amenities are nice. Although it is spread out, you have lots of hacking room so there is a plus side. Depending on which management is running it, you might have a different experience. The stall are on the more expensive side and you need to get your entry in early to get the best pick of what stall location you want. The classes offered are usually good and many of them are pretty full. Equifest is probably my favorite show to go there for. I would also suggest booking hotels early to have your pick. If it is running at the same time as the Fox River Valley Horse Trials, the hotels will get very overbooked!
Lamplight is awesome! My favorite venue.
Love Lamplight!
I’m local, so can’t give you the out-of-towner point of view.
It’s a beautiful facility. The rings are a nice size. The footing is pretty good. Good food selection - OMG, love the crepe people! And there’s even a small bar near the barns where you can get a glass of wine in the afternoon.
I don’t find it all that spread out, but I suppose it’s all relative. Compared to Ocala or Kentucky, it’s fairly compact. You will probably want a golf cart or bike to get around.
The weather here can vary greatly in the summer - from cold and rainy in the 60’s to stifling hot and humid over 100.
THERE ARE CREPES?
Done. I’m going.
The new owner is investing quite a bit to upgrade all aspects of Lamplight. There will be lots of fun new additions for the 2015 show season. Nina is committed to making Lamplight the premier show facility in the area!
I am lucky enough to be working with their team! Love Nina and have never seen such a gorgeous show ground ever! She is really upping their game this season!
I haven’t showed at (or even seen!) Lamplight since the new owners took over and renovated it, but I’ve heard great things. Back before the new owners/renovations, Lamplight was one of my favorite places to show. It’s a gorgeous facility. I can’t wait to get back there and visit - I may go for Equifest this year or next.
Lamplight is a nice venue and while I’ve not been an exhibitor for many years, I’ve been told time and time again that there is certainly a trend of improvement year to year which is always good to hear.
The worst parts for me were the schooling rings and the lack of turnout. The two main hunter rings share a schooling ring and it seems fairly ample sized but since there are no extra hacking rings, it turns into the hacking ring as well. There were several times last year that it was so busy with those schooling to show, hacking, and lessons that I finally threw in the towel and left. The other options are the grand prix schooling ring which they typically won’t allow hackers to enter, and ring 5&6 schooling rings which are too small to accomplish much in.
The Grand Prix ring, rings 2 and 3, and the schooling ring for rings 2 and 3 all have new footing. Most people were raving about it but my horses didn’t seem to love it and it felt like it had ridges in it as I walked courses. Not the smooth surface you typically find with the ESI footing. Rings 5 and 6 still have old footing. It is deep and slick when wet which is tricky given that rain is a given in June (when their biggest shows are).
The facility is nicely spread out which is a relief from some of the more crowded facilities we have to spend time at. Additionally, it is beautifully landscaped with a nice bridle path stretching from one end to the other. It’s too bad with all that land they couldn’t find a spot for some small turn outs. You’re hard pressed to talk me into staying more than a couple weeks if my horses aren’t going to get to go outside.
The days sometimes run long, but that’s horse showing! Lunging areas were too slick/deep/dangerous to be usable (in my opinion) after it rained. They did a nice job, however, maintaining those lunging areas with regular drags through the day - something that gets overlooked at many shows.
The show offers classes for everyone and draws top competition for Derby Day and the Grand Prixs. Definitely worth your while to go check it out!
Did you know that there is a forest preserve right across the street from Lamplight that has wonderful trails and event fences? Get off the property and enjoy riding your horse on grass trails in huge open fields.
Absolutely LOVE lamplight. I miss my days showing in Northern Illinois and frequenting Lamplight in the summer. Such a gorgeous show ground, many rings, superb footing, and gorgeous attention to detail. I believe in the last few years a new owner bought the facility and really even turned it into something greater than it already was. Never heard of anyone turning their nose up to Lamplight! Enjoy!
ETA: didn’t read the other comments, saw that others mentioned the new owners too.
I showed there about 4-5 years ago so I’m not sure if anything has changed since then but its beautiful! Crepes are amazing! There’s a bar by the main jumper ring. I showed in the upper rings and the footing was great (it rained the whole 2 weeks we were there) but the footing in the lower rings where ponies, 2ft events, lower level jumpers, etc were completely flooded. Granted this was a few years ago so I’m sure thats changed.
The one bad thing was the bugs and the water. Make sure you scrub your horses legs with soap cause the water gave all the horses (not just ours) really bad fungus that summer. Mosquitos were bad because of stagnant ponds near the tented barns.
Needless to say I love the show, how it was run and the classes. Junior hunters/Eq/International Derby (what I did) had smaller numbers but still very stiff competition. Less than 10 in the juniors and less than 15 in the Eqs. Maybe 30 in the International Derby and 50 in the National Derby?
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The one bad thing was the bugs and the water. Make sure you scrub your horses legs with soap cause the water gave all the horses (not just ours) really bad fungus that summer. Mosquitos were bad because of stagnant ponds near the tented barns.[/QUOTE]
Love, love, love the shows at Lamplight, but this is the one bad thing about it. They use the water from those stagnant ponds to water the rings and the horses get nasty fungus. Get scrub from your vet before you go!
That being said, the grounds are beatiful, the competition is great, and overall they are really fun shows!
Sounds lovely! I didn’t have any hotels pop up for the Wayne, IL area. Any suggestions on other towns that are close. I see Wheaton/Carol Steam area.
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Sounds lovely! I didn’t have any hotels pop up for the Wayne, IL area. Any suggestions on other towns that are close. I see Wheaton/Carol Steam area.[/QUOTE]
St. Charles, Geneva, South Elgin, Bartlett are all pretty close.
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Love, love, love the shows at Lamplight, but this is the one bad thing about it. They use the water from those stagnant ponds to water the rings and the horses get nasty fungus. Get scrub from your vet before you go!
QUOTE]
If I am not mistaken, the new owner is not using the water from the ponds for the rings. There have been so many improvements and the facility is beautiful, rings are well maintained. For me, the biggest issue is parking. Lamplight isn’t that big property wise and there isn’t much room for expansion.
St. Charles is the closes village for hotels. Going south of Lamplight, look in Geneva & Batavia. North of Lamplight is Bartlett & South Elgin. As you get closer to I-90 to the North and/or I-88 to the South, you will find more hotels. It is pretty limited in close proximity to Lamplight. There are some good restaurants not too far and plenty of the chains. Since the bridge at Stearns Road was completed, it is easy to get to Randall Road where there are an abundance of restaurants and hotels to the North.
I feel pretty lucky to live 5 minutes from the show grounds and my horse is less than 20 minutes away. Great to run over and watch a few classes and it is a short trip for my girl.
