GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Calendar of Equestrian events near Roanoke, Va., for Oct. 31-Nov. 1

Sara Siegel and Subtle Contrast. Photo by USEA

Weekend highlight: Several hundred eventing riders from around the country will be at the Virginia Horse Center for the Fall Virginia Horse Trials and Area II championships from Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Competitors (from beginner novice to 2-star) will enjoy improved footing, brand new courses designed by John Nicholson (in his United States debut), an elaborate rider party on Saturday evening, outdoor show jumping and $4,000 in prize money for the international classes. But there’s more to the combined training event than just the competition. A week-long extravaganza will include:

  • Clinic with New Zealand 4-star Event Riders Tim and Jonelle Price, along with the United States’ own 4-star standouts Sharon White and Doug Payne on October 27-29.
  • Horse-and-rider combinations will have the chance to participate in schooling rounds on Thursday prior to the event in dressage and show jumping. The schooling rounds are open to all riders, not just those that choose to compete over the weekend in the trials.

Admission and parking are free to all spectators. Dogs and children are welcome, but please keep your dogs on a leash.

HORSE SHOWS

TRAIL RIDING/MISC.

REGISTER NOW

  • Horse Head Wreath Workshop, 10 a.m. on Nov. 14 at the Blue Ridge Public Library (For more information or to register contact:  Delila Spradlin at bilju@yahoo.com, Only 15 spots will be available. $30 deposit required to reserve space.)

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Like Roanoke Equestrian on Facebook for continued updates on horse shows in the area. Have a show coming up? Contact us at Roanoke.Equestrian@gmail.com to add it to our calendar. 

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Calendar of equestrian events near Roanoke on Oct. 24-25

Year-end championship and Battle of the Barns prizes are up for grabs
on Saturday at the New London Horse Show.
Photo via Facebook.

Weekend highlight: The New London Horse Show Series will wrap up for the season on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Coyote Crossing Cattle Company (4178 Headens Bridge Road) in Bedford, Va. Saturday’s show,, will include a Costume Class with a $50 gift card to Tractor Supply to the winner and a Battle of the Barns (Teams of 5 horse-and-rider combinations), which benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The show, to be judged by Elizabeth Rapier, includes classes for English, Western, Halter, Minis, Ranch, Trail and Gaited. The show also includes an Equitation Championship Hack Off for the winners and reserves in the Hunt Seat Equitation age division classes. The winner of the championship will win a Perpetual Trophy sponsored by the Liberty University Equestrian Center. This show is Blue Ridge Horse Force sanctioned.

OTHER HORSE SHOWS

Note: The Thoroughbred Celebration Horse Show scheduled Oct. 24-25 at the Virginia Horse Center has been canceled.

REGISTER NOW

  • Registration for the Phillip Dutton Clinic sponsored by Healing Strides of Virginia on Nov. 7 in Boones Mill, Va., closes on Monday, October 26. Space is limited and is on a first come, first serve basis. Auditors are also welcome.

LOOK AHEAD

Like Roanoke Equestrian on Facebook for continued updates on horse shows in the area. Have a show coming up? Contact us at Roanoke.Equestrian@gmail.com to add it to our calendar. 

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Calendar of equestrian events in the Roanoke area Oct. 17-18

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHT: The Great American USDF Regional Dressage Championship and VADA Fall Show will be held Oct. 15-18 at the Virginia Horse Center. The U.S. Dressage Finals is an invitational competition using the USEF/USDF Regional Championship program to qualify. The championships will encompass the entire horse center and will have 12 judges. Saturday night will feature Grand Prix musical freestyles and a dog costume show.  

OPEN SHOWS

COMBINED TRAINING/DRESSAGE

TRAIL RIDES/MISC.

  • Southside Trail and Driving Club Benefit Ride, Oct. 18, Day Creek near Montvale in Bedford County. 26-mile ride leaves at 9 a.m. Others who don’t want to do entire 26-mile ride can ride at their convenience. Cookout meal to be provided at 5 p.m. Please RSVP. (Directions to Day Creek: From Bedford take U.S. 460 West. Turn right on Rt. 697. Go .06 mile, turn left on FS 196. Parking is 0.4 miles on left. Turn left on FS 2087 to enter parking area.)
  • Meet An Arabian Open House at Amethyst Acres, Oct. 17, Buchanan, Va. (RSVP required to deb@amethystacres.com) 

LOOK AHEAD

Like Roanoke Equestrian on Facebook for continued updates on horse shows in the area. Have a show coming up? Contact us at Roanoke.Equestrian@gmail.com to add it to our calendar. 

The Gala of The Royal Horses coming to Roanoke for debut U.S. tour — CANCELED


The Gala of Royal Horses features four breeds including Friesians.
Photo courtesy The Gala of Royal Horses
Note: This event has been canceled.
A new equestrian performance is coming to Roanoke on Nov. 12, 2015.

 The Gala of The Royal Horses Inaugural North American tour is coming to the Berglund Center as part of its first U.S. tour.

Tickets, priced at $28, $38, $58, $78, go on sale Monday, October 12, at the Berglund Center Box Office, HomeTownBankTix.com, and 877-HTB-TIXNow. Kids/Military/Senior discounts available as well as a limited number of VIP seats. For Group Discounts please call 540-853-5382. 

The Gala of the Royal Horses is an entertainment event combining beautiful horses from around the world with live performers, creating a breathtaking event for the entire family.  The Gala of the Royal Horses is a “must see” for horse lovers and families. 

“The Airs Above Ground” are part of the maneuvers
performed during the show. Photo courtesy The Gala of Royal Horses

Following in the family footsteps of seven generations, Rene Gasser, producer of the Royal Horses, has recreated a show for this tour much like the famous riding schools in Vienna and Spain. 

Gasser has previously produced ‘Lipizzaners with the Stars’ The Gassers are an old Swiss circus family. Rene inherited seven generations of circus tradition. In his career, he has worked as a lion trainer, acrobat, gymnast, and strongman, as well as horse trainer, among other acts.

His current show showcases four breeds and their service to man during the ancient wars.

The Gala of The Royal Horses will feature a number of performances involving the Andalusian, Friesian, Lipizzaner and Arabian breeds and the event is dedicated to showing off the amazing beauty and maneuvers these horses are capable of including the maneuvers once used on the battlefield now known as “The Airs Above The Ground.”
 
“The unique qualities of the Royal Horses single them out from all other breeds in the Equine world. Their physical beauty & grace, coupled with exceptional courage and nobility make them an object of admiration and a source of inspiration for horse lovers everywhere,” Gasser said in a news release.

Along with the magnificent stallions, Spanish flamenco dancers will feature in authentic vibrant costumes accompanied by the mellow notes of a guitar to bring the sights and sounds of Spain a heartbeat away.

“We’re going to have horses dancing alongside some tremendous flamenco dancers, and I think people are really going to be excited about watching this,” Gasser said.

VIDEO 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6dsOYiBy5-Y?feature=player_embedded

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Calendar of equestrian events in the Roanoke area Oct.10-11

The Virginia Horse Center’s Coliseum will host the House Mountain Horse Show for hunter/jumpers this weekend.

 OPEN SHOWS

VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER

  •  House Mountain Horse Show:  The two-day regional schooling horse show for hunter and jumper riders will be held in the Coliseum and includes a Costume Class at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Judy Spitzer, Eric Dirks and Jessi Lohman will judge.
  • Old Dominion Saddlebred Show: Benefiting the Old Dominion Futurity, the show will feature 3-gaited, 5-gaited, fine harness, park, pleasure prospect, equitation, academy, children’s, fun classes and more in the East Complex.
  • Therapeutic Riding Association of Virginia Fall Horse Show, annual show for riders with disabilities will feature a variety of classes including dressage, equitation, obstacles, pole bending, costume and United Professional Horseman’s Association classes. Will be held in the Bent Tree Barn (5) and Woods Hill Barn (6)

LOOK AHEAD

Like Roanoke Equestrian on Facebook for continued updates on horse shows in the area. Have a show coming up? Contact us at Roanoke.Equestrian@gmail.com to add it to our calendar. 

AQHA Level One Novice Championships sloshes through the rain at Virginia Horse Center

The Youth 14-18 Novice Champion East went to Micayla Bragg of Vero Beach, Florida,
and her horse JDG Invited by Chip.

The Virginia Horse Center hosted the AQHA Level One Novice Championships East over the past week through some less than ideal rainy weather. But once you were in the Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, it was easy to forget the drizzly weather outside. The horses were gleaming and gorgeous, the exhibitors perfectly donned in sequined show clothes (sometimes perfectly white) and the arena was heavy with activity as the show moved swiftly by holding two classes at a time.

Laura Owen of Roanoke and ZipposHandsomeDevil had several placings
at the show, including a Reserve Championship in Rookie Amateur Trail.

The Virginia Horse Center was proud to have attracted the championship and the one-year contract also included and option to return. However, on Saturday afternoon while this year’s show was still deep in showmanship patterns, AQHA announced that next year the championships would be held during the spring in Raleigh, N.C.

This year’s show attracted about 600 entries from states across the Eastern U.S. Another Novice Championships show was also held in Las Vegas for West Coast exhibitors. Local exhibitors included Tabitha Thompson and Laura Owen of Botetourt County. Owen had several placings at the show including a Reserve Championship in Rookie Amateur Trail on her horse ZipposHandsomeDevil. Thompson also had placings in Novice and Rookie Amateur Ranch Riding with her horse Too Tuf to be Fancy.

Tabitha Thompson and Too Tuf to be Fancy
An Amateur Novice exhibitor.

Rachel Trebesh of Florida and Only a Natural

Mariah Collins, of Canada, and Little Zip of Scotch

PT Enterprise and Jennifer Stossel-Anderson of New York

Elizabeth Johnson of Alabama and MR RV Radical Chip

The Youth 13-and-under Showmanship finalists.

Micayla Bragg cries as she realizes she has won the Youth 14-18 Showmanship title.
Crusin to the Max and Devon Wainwright of New Jersey

Double check horsey plans for the rainy weekend

The AQHA Novice Championships – East Horse Show continues this weekend at the Virginia Horse Center.

This weekend had lots of horsey offering in the area, but Mother Nature had other plans and now many of those events are canceled due to forecasts of significant to extreme rain for our area.

The Botetourt County Horseman’s Association has postponed their Lunch & Learn event. The state horse shows at the Virginia State Fair were canceled as well. If you had plans with your horse this weekend, you should definitely double check with organizers.

Franklin County Fair’s horse show, which was postponed last week until Oct. 3, is also canceled. The fair is attempting to reschedule the show for Saturday, Nov. 14.

Outside the barns at the horse
center on Tuesday. Photo via Facebook.

The AQHA Novice Championships – East show continues at the Virginia Horse Center. Some water has infiltrated the barn aisles and things are quite soggy at the center, but most of the participants seem to be keeping a sunny attitude. Reports that the horse center have included that there are plenty of covered areas to ride. Find a schedule of this weekend’s classes here.

If you’re stuck inside watching the rain pour down on us outside, the Quarter Horse Congress opened on Oct. 1 and has live feeds from each of its arenas (provided by iEquine.com) for the duration of the show, which runs through Oct. 25. This weekend will feature a variety of reining and cutting classes. Cutting will be on the Coliseum feed. Reining will be on the Celeste Center feed. You can download a complete schedule for the show here.

Also streaming online through the USEFnetwork, the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East will be broadcast Saturday and Sunday from Gladstone, N.J.   The Talent Search is an equitation competition that tests a rider’s ability to ride a jumper style course effectively while maintaining the classic American forward style of riding. View the competition’s Prize Book for more information.

Roanoke is expecting between 2 to 6 inches of rain through Saturday night. Please heed warnings and take precautions for your animals and your families if flooding should occur.

Botetourt County Horseman’s Association to host clinics, speaker

Update: The BCHA has postponed this event due to inclement weather in the forecast this weekend. A new date has not yet been set by the association.

The Botetourt County Horseman’s Association will host two events in October for area horsemen.

George Schaefer will hold a shortened version
of his Natural Horsemanship clinics.

On Sunday, Oct 4, the club will hold a Lunch & Learn event at the Green Hill Equestrian Center near Salem in Roanoke County. A hunter pace, a Dressage clinic with Gabi Hooten and a Natural Horsemanship clinic with George Schaefer are scheduled. There will also be a tack sale on the grounds. Bring your own table, tent, or tailgate. $5 for a spot and no reservations are necessary, just check in at the registration desk. Vendors and individuals are welcome. All proceeds will go towards the purchase of a large animal rescue sling for Botetourt County Fire & Rescue in Fincastle.

COST:

  • BCHA Members: $5  for the day, includes lunch. (Must have active membership as of October 1st)
  • BCHA Member Guests & Member Renewals: $20 for the day, includes lunch and a year individual BCHA membership
  • General Public: $25 and it includes lunch and a year individual BCHA membership.

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the club will have Robin Tilghman, of the American Competitive Trail Horse Association, speak at their regular monthly meeting. Learn more about ACTHA and bring your questions. Open to both members and the public at 7 p.m. at Bellacino’s in Daleville.

ACTHA recently held a ride at the Explore Park in Roanoke County where more than 60 riders traveled
from across Virginia and North Carolina to compete but there have been few other events locally.

On Sunday, Nov. 8, the BCHA is planning a Fall Hunter Pace at 5300 Lithia Rd., Buchanan.
Four divisions will be offered:

  • Open:  cover the course at optimal time with 18 fences at 2 feet
  • Hunter Pleasure: walk, trot, canter with minimum of 10 fences at 2 feet – Honor System
  • Trail:  ride course at your leisure; 1 trail obstacle required
  • Gaited Trail 

Registration begins at 10 a.m. Open Division will ride first, starting at 11 a.m., other divisions will follow. 
Hunter Pleasure division will not begin before noon. Trail will run last. Ribbons will be awarded to the top six teams in each division, with teams consisting of two to four horse/rider pairs.

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Calendar of equestrian events in the Roanoke region Sept. 26-27

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHT: POSTPONED  |  This show has been moved to Oct. 3. On Saturday, September 26, the Franklin County Agricultural Fair Open Horse Show will anchor the 2015 Franklin County Fair. The horse show will take place at the Ginther Farm, 3128 Sontag Road in Rocky Mount, within a mile of the fairgrounds at Franklin County Recreation Park. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and the show will start at 9 a.m. Organized by the Franklin County Equestrian Club, the horse show will be sanctioned by the Blue Ridge Horse Force and Franklin County Equestrian Club and will feature 56 classes. Entry fees are $8 per class. Championship and Reserve Championships will be awarded in Western, Walking/Racking, English and Gymkhana Youth and Adult divisions and the Game division. Concessions will be available. For questions or more information, call Patricia Wray at (540) 420-8169 or email FranklinCountyEquestrianClub@yahoo.com.

HORSE SHOWS

 TRAIL RIDES/MISC.

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Share your favorite memories of riding at the Virginia Horse Center

The Virginia Horse Center is in Lexington, Va., and hosts a wide variety of equestrian events throughout the year. Photo by Virginia Horse Center

Perhaps you grew up riding and showing at the Virginia Horse Center. Maybe it was the site of one of your proudest riding accomplishments (or one of your most embarrassing moments in the saddle)! Whatever it may be, the Virginia Horse Center wants to hear it from you. 

Throughout the fall and winter, they will be spotlighting favorite moments, memories and photos from the riders, exhibitors and spectators who have helped make the Horse Center what it is today. All who share will also be eligible to win Virginia Horse Center prizes!

Submit your own photo or written memories by email to: emr@phelpsmediagroup.com, subject line “VHC Memories.”

WIN A HORSE TRAILER WHILE SUPPORTING THE HORSE CENTER

The horse center is raffling this new
horse trailer or $15,000 cash.

The horse center will be raffling a brand-new 2015 Platinum Coach Bumper Pull 2 Horse Trailer or $15,000 cash. Raffle tickets can be purchased for $100 and all tickets will directly benefit the Virginia Horse Center Foundation. Only 500 will be sold. Two hundred tickets still remain. Raffle tickets can be purchased now by calling (434)985-4151 or by emailing info@blueridgetrailer.com or at the Virginia Horse Center Office at (540)464-2966.

Also, for every new, tandem axle trailer purchased through Blue Ridge Trailer Sales in Ruckersville, Virginia, the buyer will also receive an entry. Applicable trailers for a free raffle ticket include all horse trailers, dump trailers, equipment haulers, landscaping trailers and cargo trailers sold at Blue Ridge Trailer Sales.