SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO—As the 2018 outdoor season comes to a close, Blenheim EquiSports welcomed the horses and riders who have prepared for the Young Jumper Championships throughout the year. About 50 young horses from ages four to seven competed on the grass of The Oaks International Grand Prix Field Sept. 23 in this year’s YJC Western Regional Finals, presented by Electronic Vet, during the International Jumping Festival.

Many of the future equine stars qualified through competing in young jumper classes for free at Blenheim EquiSports. A group of six wide-eyed and wonderful 4-year-olds competed on The Oaks International Grand Prix Field in their division of the Futurity Regionals. With a flat phase and jumping course on Wednesday, and a full course over slightly larger obstacles on Thursday, the youngsters were judged on rideability, jumping scope, technique, and movement. Two experienced horsemen, Will Simpson and Jason McArdle, adjudicated. U.S. bred C Everest (Cancara Z x Diamond Dancer by Blue Diamond), with rider and owner Kristina Cain, remained consistent over the two days to take home a well-deserved victory.

HUNTINGTON BEACH—The California Reining Horse Association Slide on the Beach, the club’s third in a four-event season, brought to life the Huntington Beach Central Park Equestrian Center Aug.4 for a one-day show.

Although not a National Reining Horse Association Affliate qualifier, this show is a popular one that brings out top competition to a different venue.

Non Pro competitor Heather Smith-Porter and Lil Joe Tag (Whiz N Tag Chex X Katie Jo Fritz) were among them, as Smith-Porter took her gelding to titles in four classes—Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro, Prime Time Non Pro and LImited Non Pro. Cindi Smart-Zeigler, riding her Doctor Pepper to the Novice Horse Non Pro victory.

In the Rookie Division, Dee Allen was a hit with her Twogunsarebetter, winning championships in the L1, L2 and Prime Time rookie divisions. Mary “Riley” Cachat rode her Dun Its Legacy to the Youth 13-under Championship, and Alondra Sosa rode Luis Torres’s Smokin Montana Baby to the Youth 14-18 Championship.

In the Open Division, Tom Foran captured the Novice Horse title on Robert Hutcherson’s Check Your Gun Lad, while Daphne Foran won the Open Championship on Gail Hutcherson’s Wimpys Whiz Steps. The Limited Open Championship belonged to Roslyn Proffer riding A Diamond Shy, owned by Robert Holloway.

Next up on the CRHA schedule will be The Challenge on Oct. 24–28 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

DEL MAR—As summer fades to a close, 119 equestrians in three age sections hit the books—the USEF Rule Book, that is—to practice the equitation tests that are uniquely built into the two rounds of the California Professional Horsemen’s Association Foundation Equitation Championships. Those who had put in extra hours with the counter-canter had an edge throughout the Championships, held Aug. 25-26, at the Showpark Summer Classic at the Del Mar Horse Park.

With more than 50 starters, the 21-under division was the biggest of three. Designed to be more of a jumper-oriented test than the 14-under and 22-over divisions, the 21-under was held on the expansive grass Grand Prix field and included a liverpool. However, the courses used by the other two age groups in the smaller sand arena were no less demanding.

For the 22-over and 14-under sections in the sand arena, tests included a halt-and-counter canter on the first day and on Day 2 a set number of strides from fences 2 to 3, as well as a counter canter on a left bend from a Swedish oxer to a grass-draped vertical option towards the end of the 3’3” course.

WOODSIDE—From the venue to the competition to the prize money, the Reining By The Bay is spectacular. This year’s 20th anniversary version, held July 23-29 at the Horse Park at Woodside, was no exception—so it was the perfect place for Luca Fappani to explode on the scene.

The 14-year-old son of Andrea and Tish Fappani, riding Spooks N Jewels, dominated the $55,000-added Non Pro Derby, sweeping levels , 3, 2 and 1. He also took the 13-under Youth Champiopnship. All told, the teen-ager topped 45 other non-pro entries and boosted his career earnings—after just two years of competing—to almost $28,000. All but about $5,500 of that came from his Non-Pro titles in California.

“It feels good to do good on my mom’s horse,” the young reiner said. “He’s really fun to ride, and I like having him at home and my Mom giving me the opportunity to show him.”

Luca’s dad, Andrea Fappani, fared well, too, winning both the $130,000-added Open Derby L4 title on Chic Dreamin, owned by Silver Spurs Equine, and the $65,000-added 3-year-old Open Futurity L4 crown on Designed To Spark, owned by Rancho Oso Rio, LLC. He also took the Open Futurity L Reserve on Diamonds In My Genes, owned by Rhodes River Ranch.

LAS VEGAS, Nev.—There’s deeply rooted tradition in the discipline of reined cow horse, and the horsemen and horsewomen preparing for fall aged events will surely abide by the time-honored techniques and practices that make this sport so beloved.

But innovation surrounds the events that showcase these horses, and no one has been more leading-edge than the National Stock Horse Association, which is moving its signature event from Paso Robles to Las Vegas this year.

South Point Hotel and Casino, designed and built with equestrians in mind, will host the 2018 NSHA Futurity, Derby and World’s Richest Stock Horse competition Aug. 21-26. It will be the first time this event, which began decades ago as a summer coming out party for trainers to show their 3-year-old prospects before the venerable National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity, takes place outside California—the cradle of reined cow horse. The NRCHA moved its World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity to Fort Worth, Texas, last year.

TEMECULA—It had been a while since a reined cow horse show filled Green Acres Ranch. But, after hosting the two-day Southern California Reined Cow Horse Association Big Horse July Jubilee July 13-15, it looks like events will be coming back for a long time.

Previous SCRCHA competitions had been held up the road at beautiful Galway Downs, but when facility changes were made for the SCRCHA July show, some members didn’t see the altered arrangement as their best option. Vice President Roy Rich of Green Acres spearheaded an accelerated effort to relocate the club’s summer series to his ranch.

It was a sort of return to history, pointed out SCRCHA Vanessa Norris, who said Green Acres actually is where the SCRCHA originated.

DEL MAR—The Del Mar Horse Park’s Grand Prix Field was buzzing with FEI CSI2* excitement July 28 when 36 horse-and rider-combinations were put to the test over Ivan Tagle’s $35,500 Gold Tour Grand Prix track. With 12 clean, it was Karl Cook aboard Signe Ostby’s gray Holsteiner gelding, Caillou 24, who took the victory in an impressive time of 35.81.

The second to return in the jump-off was Thursday’s FEI 2* Gold Tour Speed Stake winner, Ashlee Bond with Donatello 141. Galloping around clean in 37.34 seconds, they once again set the time to beat. Shawn Casady and Cicomein VDL, who were second on Thursday, were next and put the pedal to the metal. Not quite fast enough, they crossed the timers in 37.60 seconds, just .26 seconds slower than Bond.

DEL MAR—“I usually wouldn’t push a 7-year-old into these types of classes,” admitted Ashlee Bond after winning the FEI CSI2* $35,000 1.45m Gold Tour Speed Stake July 25 on Donatello 141. “But he just feels so confident and ready. Every time I’ve asked him to step up, he’s done it with ease and today was no different.”

The energetic Bond and Donatello, a Westphalian gelding owned by Little Valley Farms, were one of 48 horse-and-rider combinations to take on the grass grand prix field at Showpark in one of the signature events of Blenheim EquiSports’s Showpark Racing Festival. Going 17th in the order, Bond edged out the leading time held by Eduardo Menezes, and could not be caught by the following 41 entries.

“I definitely wasn’t planning on going fast and taking the win,” said Bond. “I really can’t believe I just won that class.”

ELK GROVE—The region’s top reiners brought Brookside Equestrian Center to patriotic life July 5-8 for the West Coast Reining Horse Association’s Star Spangled Slide competition, which was the club’s fourth NRHA Affiliate Show of the 2018 season. The WCRHA’s big WCRHA Year-end Show, Futurity/Derby/Maturity will be at the Murieta Equine Center Aug. 23-26.
More online: http://bit.ly/808_WCRHA

BURBANK — Under a cloudless sky, the Reiner Shine horse show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on June 8-10 brought together some of Southern California’s best reining horses and riders.

The event, put on by the California Reining Horse Association, marked the second opportunity for competitors to qualify for the National Reining Horse Association Futurity later this year in Oklahoma.

Riding her Gunna Juice You, Marilyn Scheffers marked a 72.5 and swept the NRHA Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro classes in a Saturday highlight. Close on her heels with a 72 was Allison Williams riding her RickyCacInHollywood. Williams placed second behind Scheffers in the NRHA Non Pro.