What a great week to be on the Gulf Coast! We were lucky with the weather that stayed north of us and we had a jammed pack week of special events. This week has always been known as our “celebration of hunters”. This week also for the past few years was also a World Champion Rider event, but it was sad to have to tell so many exhibitors that the governing body over WCHR felt that this event was not worthy. Maybe next year the vote will be different.
We started this week streaming with Show Net and we had about 300 watching our USHJA International Hunter Derby. It seems to be a big success for everyone.
On Thursday afternoon we had the jog for 39 horses for our USHJA International Hunter Derby followed by the riders meeting and drawing the order of go along with huge pile of sandwiches, brownies and soda and beer.
We finished our third week in Gulfport today and wow has time zoomed by. As of today we are half way through our Winter Circuit in Gulfport and each week seems to be getting better and better and I know it’s because of the wonderful exhibitors we have showing this year.
Our Spring Shows, The Atlanta Spring Classics, starts on March 21 and runs until April 1st. Our spring shows are USEF AA rated and we host a $25,000 Grand Prix each week. For the past few years these shows has been light and our grand prix has had less than 20 entries. Being a light show, this is a great opportunity for barns seeking AA points and easier jumper money to join us and reap the rewards of a smaller AA show.
February 15, 2012 – Gulfport, MS – Beginning this week at the Gulf Coast Winter Classics, Amateur and Adult Jumpers will have a dream prize up for grabs! Running from this second week of competition through the end of the fifth week – February 15th through March 4th – competitors in the Amateur and Adult Jumper sections will be awarded points toward a fabulous South American adventure.
We had a great first week in Gulfport. Today the $25,000 Adequan Grand Prix presented by Johnson Horse Transport was won by Nepal with the owner and rider Jay Land.
Today was a kind of sad day in Pensacola because it’s the day we say good-bye and pack, but are very excited to head to our flagship show in Gulfport. Success is the best word to describe the new Florida winter circuit in Pensacola. We did not get the numbers we were hoping for our first year but all the divisions filled and our Grand Prix classes jammed the stands with spectators. We have signed on the dotted line to come back next year and maybe even for four weeks.
As I continue flying back and forth from Jacksonville to Pensacola I am very pleased to report that all is well in east and west Florida. Both circuits are lighter than expected but the weather has been fantastic; the classes have had top horses competing and the Grand Prix events have had spectators each week on the mild winter Saturday nights.