The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking proposals from qualified individuals and organizations for the maintenance and operation of the equestrian centers located at Peter F. Schabarum Regional Park and Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. The request for proposal release date will be Thursday, Aug. 1, and interested proposers should submit a proposal for one or both facilities. There will be a mandatory proposers conference and site inspection on Thursday, Aug. 22. Those interested in submitting a proposal for both facilities must attend both conferences and site inspections. Additional information may be obtained by emailing the the county at equestrianrfp@parks.lacounty.gov. You also may downlaod a proposal from the official website at http://lacounty.info/doing_business/main_db.htm. See the ad on page 99.

Join Big Horse Feed and Mercantile in Temecula on Friday and Saturday, June 28-29, as the store celebrates its 15th Annual Anniversary Sale! Come early and take advantage of super savings and great deals on items and products for you, your family, your horses and your pets — all in one location! The first 100 customers each day receive a free Big Horse grain scoop with fun giveaways, and there will also be hourly drawings each day for many great prizes. And don’t forget to enter Big Horse’s free drawing for a $200 gift certificate! More than just a feed store, Big Horse provides a variety of products for a wide range of riding and driving disciplines, combined with friendly service. Known for its eclectic combination of equestrian, outdoor and lifestyle living retail products, Big Horse has become a “destination location” for the public of all ages! For more info, see the ad on page 3, and call (951) 676-2544.

Save the date for one of the National Reining Horse Association’s leading events, as the Reining By The Bay slides into the Horse Park at Woodside, from July 17-21. With top competition, generous sponsors, an amazing venue and fun for the entire family, you will not want to miss out! Some of the exciting classes include a $95,000-added 4/5/6 Year-old Derby, a $55,000-added 3 Year-old Futurity, two slates of NRHA Ancillary divisions, plus a Masters Division for reiners 60 years or older. For more info, see the ad on page 27 and call the Brumley Management Group at (602) 677-3774 to get details and a schedule of events!

Come enjoy talented, gorgeous horses and the beautiful wine country of Temecula at the 52nd All Morgan Spring Classic Horse Show, presented by the Morgan Horse Club of Southern California (MHCSC) May 25-27 at Casner Ranch. A full slate of classes including halter, English, driving, Western, hunt and carriage classes will be on tap, and for the younger set, there will be walk-trot and leadline classes. This year, MHCSC has added two new events of interest to the general public: on Saturday afternoon, there will be a presentation on Cowboy Dressage, narrated by Garn Walker, a well-respected Northern California trainer and judge. On Sunday, there will be a “Showcase of Morgans” available for purchase. Come enjoy and learn more about this wonderful breed! Call Mary at (951)737-1294 for details.

The region’s best reined cow horses, riders and trainers will rock Casner’s Ranch in Temecula May 17-19 as the Seventh Annual Sherri Gilkerson Memorial Bridle and Hackamore Spectacular comes to town. Both the Southern California Reined Cow Horse Association (SCRCHA) and the Arizona Reined Cow Horse Assocation (AzRCHA) work hard each year to make this a truly special event for exhibitors and spectators. This year’s event will offer $28,000 minimum in added money and prizes, and don’t miss the Big Horse Wine Country Classic, held concurrently (May 17-19), with NRCHA shows and AQHA cutting available. Call Kelley at (714) 255-7488, or learn more at www.AZRCHA.com and www.SCRCHA.com. And see the ad on page 87!

The W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center and Cal Poly Pomona are proud to present a Clinic and Master Class with Sylvia Zerbini, to be held May 17-19 in Pomona. Most recently the star of the acclaimed equestrian spectacle Cavalia, Sylvia’s gift for orchestrating nine Arabians at once in her mesmerizing Grande Liberte performance has earned accolades from widespread media. She will share her knowledge of liberty training in this rare opportunity in which she will work with horses and their handlers, individually guiding them into a more natural, gentle and effective way of communicating together. Space will be limited, so reserve your spot early! Call (909) 869-4988, or email krpina@csupomona.edu. See more on page 3.

It’s that time of year again! Broken Horn Saddlery’s Sixth Annual All English Sale is getting near — two days only on April 20-21. Doors will be open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from 9 to 5. This is more of an “event” than just a sale, and you can expect awesome specials and discounts on horse products, supplies, apparel and English tack. There will be thousands of dollars in hourly drawings and four English saddles will be available as grand prizes! To enter the great drawings, you must dress English or present a photo of yourself in English riding attire. Since 1956, Broken Horn has been the West’s largest tack store and a premier manufacturer of quality tack, custom saddles, year-end awards, tack repair and so much more! The store is located within easy access of the 10 and 605 freeways in Baldwin Park. Check out the ad on pages 52-53, and call (626) 337-4266 to learn more!

Join Pat and Linda Parelli, and the Savvy Team, for a Horse And Soul tour stop at the Murieta Equine Complex. This world-wide tour will be in Rancho Murieta on May 4-5, featuring topics such as the Seven Games, colt starting, horse psychology 101, fool proof lead changes, rider makeovers, mastering your body position and more! You’ll go home with more knowledge, more love, and more savvy than you showed up with! Tickets are just $25 per person, for two full days. Military, police, firefighters, EMT’s and kids 16 and under get in free! Come for the horses and stay for the education! For more info, see the ad on page 3.

The Galway Downs International Horse Trials will welcome top-level riders & horses from the United States, Canada & other countries, on March 28th-31st at the Galway Downs Equestrian Center. Riders will be competing in three international divisions—the CIC3*, the CIC2* and the CIC1*. Each of the more than 60 horses expected to start will perform in dressage on Friday morning & then negotiate the demanding show jumping course in the late afternoon. Then, on Saturday afternoon, they’ll gallop over the more than 30 jumps on the cross-country course designed by Ian Stark of Great Britain, the Galway Downs course designer since 2007. General admission for the event is only $10 per day in advance, $12 at the gate, with children under 12 free when accompanied by a paying adult. Patron’s passes—which include seating in the ringside tent, lunch & a full selection of beverages—are also available for $55 per day or $150 for the weekend in advance. See the ad on page 77, and for advance reservations, go to www.galwaydowns.com.

New year, new goals…whatever type of riding or level you enjoy, if you’ve been thinking about finding a trainer to reach the next level, there’s no better location to commence your search than the Horsetrader’s Trainer’s Directory. Four pages of top trainers begin on page 58, and you also may find them online on Horsetrader.com. From dressage to mounted shooting, jumping to reined cow horse, these best-in-class professionals offer you education that will last a lifetime. Be sure to check them out!