Tag Archives: Dressage on the First Coast

Jacksonville Equestrian Center Update

In compliance with the City of Jacksonville, Parks and Recreation Department, and Mayors Office, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center will be closed until further notice, as are all other City venues.

The events currently affected include, but are not limited to:
Dressage on the First Coast, March 14-15
FRHA Reining Show, March 20-22
Shamrock Showdown Barrel Show, March 27-28
Jacksonville Spring Classics, April 2-11

This list will be updated as we have additional information. We will stay in close contact with all show managers on upcoming events.

Please use the “Contact Us” form on our website if you have any further questions. We can also be reached via phone on our main number at 904-255-4254.

Health and safety are our number one concern. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

http://www.jaxequestriancenter.com/send-us-a-message/

December Fun at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center

Amy Speck-Kern and her Grand Prix mount Amadeus earning their USDF Gold Medal. (Photo courtesy of Harry Furey)

Let It Show, Let It Show, Let It Show

Jacksonville, FL (December 18, 2018) – The holiday and school vacation season is here and the Jacksonville Equestrian Center has promised to let it show, let it show, let it show.

For horse lovers, Dressage on the First Coast, December 1-2, brought more than 50 skilled riders and horses together to compete, delivering performances that suggested future international champions may be in their midst.

Among the top riders that weekend was Germany’s Franziska Seidl, who posted one of the highest scores of the show (74.750%) while winning the 2018 FEI Freestyle, as well as the FEI Grand Prix (68.913%), on her 16.3-hand Brandenburg gelding, Romano K. Seidl then won the 2017 FEI Grand Prix and Freestyle tests, riding her 16.3-hand bay KWPN gelding, Sigalia.

“We had an exciting but wet show in Jacksonville,” laughed Seidl. “Romano won his classes and was Reserve Champion in their level. Sigalia is still very fit (almost too fit) and won his Grand Prix. Overall, it was a special weekend because my parents, who were visiting from Switzerland, enjoyed being with us in Jax!”

Amy Speck-Kern from Loxahatchee, FL scored a new personal best, earning her final score for her USDF Gold Medal while riding her 16.3-hand, chestnut KWPN gelding Amadeus (Welt Hit X Fleming) to reserve honors in the 2018 FEI Grand Prix. “We had a great weekend at Dressage on the First Coast,” she added. “It’s been quite the journey from the first time Gwen Poulin and I saw him in Holland as a three-year-old to becoming a real Grand Prix horse!”

Show manager Carlie Evans said, “There were nice scores all around and lots of riders earning their first qualifiers of the show season. The Jacksonville Equestrian Center is a great place for a show. It has a great arena and good footing. Since it rained that weekend, it was nice to have the indoor arena, and covered warm-up rings.”

December 7-9, the Jacksonville Equestrian Center bow-wowed visitors with more than 100 dogs competing over three days in the USDAA Pals and Paws Dog Agility Club Show, one of four such trials held annually for canine sport enthusiasts from the Jacksonville, Orange Park, and surrounding areas. The US Dog Agility Association (USDAA) was formed in 1986 and serves members in the US and internationally, and sets the rules and standards that ensure that all competitions (such as those held at Jacksonville Equestrian Center) abide by the same rules.

“We have been using the Jacksonville Equestrian Center for several years and love the facility. It provides protection for our dogs, our competitors and spectators from wind, rain, and sun,” said Pals and Paws organizers, who added that the December show marked the 25th anniversary of the club hosting USDAA trials, and marked the retirement of a local canine competitor and one of the top Belgian Tervuren dogs in USDAA history.

Demonstrating their own degree of agility were the horses and riders competing December 8 in the Dixon Arena at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center in the third and final Holmes Ranch Jacksonville All Breed Open Horse Show of the season. The series, presented in September, October, and December by the Lawtey, Florida-based natural horsemanship and foundation training facility, offers more than 50 classes at each show, with year-end awards in halter, hunter, western, gaited, and trail divisions.

“This is the kind of great facility that helps horse shows grow. We’ve seen firsthand the popularity the show has gained since adding jumping classes,” said All Breed Open Show organizer, Ruth Holmes, who also credited good footing, and the all-weather accessibility of the Jacksonville Equestrian Center indoor arena and warm-up rings, with encouraging the show to expand and offer more over fences classes, including a Hunter Hack division for beginners (one jump) through seasoned hunters (four jumps).

Up next at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center is the Youth Equestrian Development Association Show (December 15), No Bull Grand Slam Barrel Racing Show (January 4), Gypsy Vanner Show (January 10-13) and National Team Roping Finals (January 24).

For more information and to find out about other upcoming events, please visit www.jaxequestriancenter.com.

Jacksonville Equestrian Center
Tim Jones
904-255-4225
timjones@coj.net
13611 Normandy Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32221

Dressage on the First Coast Kicks Off December Events at Jacksonville Equestrian Center

Shelly Van Den Neste and The Governer SRF. (Photo courtesy of Shelly Van Den Neste)

Jacksonville, FL (December 11, 2017) – The Jacksonville Equestrian Center recently began an eclectic month of events with the Dressage on the First Coast Fall Show this December. The show was put on by the Northeast Florida Dressage Association, and featured nearly 40 classes ranging from Training Level through Grand Prix. Riders competed for top scores in the Jacksonville Equestrian Center’s beautiful outdoor show rings.

The Jacksonville Equestrian Center has been known for years as a host of successful dressage shows in Florida. “The staff was professional and on the ball,” said show manager Carlie Evans. Organizations like the Northeast Florida Dressage Association benefit from the facility’s knowledgeable staff, first-class amenities, over 400 permanent stalls, superior arena footing, and close proximity to major highways, downtown Jacksonville, and sunny Florida beaches.

At the Dressage on the First Coast Fall Show, the horses arrived at the equestrian center for a weekend of fun and friendly competition.  “We received lots of great comments on the facility from the old regulars and a few new people that had never been there before that said they will definitely come back,” said Evans.  Winner of the FEI Freestyle Test of Choice, Shelly Van Den Neste, said that “the Jacksonville Equestrian Center has always been one of my favorite but the outdoor arena is so much better now with the new all-weather footing!”  Van Den Neste rode The Governer SRF to a win with a score of 67.525.  The show included Great American/USDF Regional Qualifying classes, USDF/Dover Adult Amateur Medal Program classes, and a USEF Dressage Level 3 Competition. Now that the show has concluded, the Northeast Florida Dressage Association plans to return to the Jacksonville Equestrian Center in March 31 – April 1, 2018, for the Dressage on the First Coast Spring Show.

In an East meets West scenario the Jacksonville Equestrian Center also hosted the Florida Quarter Horse Association (FQHA) Last Chance show in their beautiful 150’ x 300’ indoor arena.  The event featured two days of competition ranging from trail classes to driving for juniors, amateurs and professionals alike.  This show was the last show of the calendar year to earn points and double points towards the year end awards.

The month will finish up with Community Schooling Day on December 27, which horses and riders are welcomed from 10am – 4pm to ride in the state-of-the-art indoor arena for a fee of $10 per rider ($20 if the rider has more than one horse).

Nearly every event at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center is free to spectators. To find out more about the facility and about upcoming events in December and throughout 2018, please visit www.jaxequestriancenter.com or call (904)-255-4215.

Jacksonville Equestrian Center
Debbie Stegner (904)-255-4215
dstegner@coj.net
13611 Normandy Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32221

Rebecca Cohen Continues Winning Streak at Jacksonville Dressage Show

Rebecca Cohen and Downtown continue their winning streak as they count down to the USEF National Championships at Gladstone. (JRPR photo)

Wellington, FL (May 15, 2012) – Dressage rider Rebecca Cohen may be a 16-year-old teen, but she can still find time to enjoy a mother-daughter bonding experience while executing a winning round in the dressage ring. Cohen, who lives in Wellington, recently competed at the Jacksonville Dressage on the First Coast, riding away with the win in the Young Riders Team test on her horse Downtown.

“I am so proud of Rebecca and we had a great time at the show. Rebecca was really poised and in control. We went to the show without a trainer and without a groom and Rebecca took care of everything herself,” said Carol Cohen, Rebecca’s mother. “It was a great mother-daughter bonding experience. We had a ball.”

Cohen is coming off a winning winter show circuit and has her sights set on competing at the NAJYRC in Kentucky this summer. In 2010, Cohen was on the Region 3 Junior Team and helped her team bring home a bronze medal. She won the FEI Junior and Third Level division at Regionals and also earned a spot at the Festival of Champions.

Continue reading Rebecca Cohen Continues Winning Streak at Jacksonville Dressage Show

The Dressage on the First Coast Spring 2011 show program “Thank You” ad from Jerry Rehkopf

Click for larger image

My Northeast Florida Dressage Association (NFDA) club’s Dressage on the First Coast Spring 2011 show is coming up this weekend (April 9-10th) and boy has there been a flurry of work to do to get everything ready for it. Everything else has had to be put on hold, even getting my newsletter out before the end of March. My attempt to get it out the week before that was thwarted by a frustrating technical issue of my ESP not ‘talking’ to my ISP which took me 4 days to finally get resolved.  Hence my March newsletter has become my Spring newsletter or a March/April newsletter.

My wonderful husband offered to do an advertisement for the show program as the EVP of HorsesintheSouth.com. We were trying to decide what he would say in the program ad as I already have an ad for HorsesintheSouth.com in it, so we decided that we would just thank all of our current clients, banner advertisers and affiliates. My graphic designer, Beth Webb, who also did the show program for us on a last minute notice just told me to write up some text and she would make an ad out of it. Well, 3-4 hours later, I came up with this huge text-heavy ad that feels like I am thanking everyone for an academy award or something, it is so long!  I didn’t know where to stop, I am so lucky to have such wonderful clients and advertisers.  And, these are just the current ones!  So I figured this would also be a good editorial so that all of the HorsesintheSouth.com readers and AHorseBlog.com readers will see these accolades instead of it just being confined to a horse show program.

Click on image for larger view.

It reads like this, but the layout that Beth did is gorgeous, as is the show program that she did for the Dressage on the First Coast.

Jerry Rehkopf, husband to Teri Rehkopf the website developer of DressageontheFirstCoast.com and CEO/Owner/Producer of HorsesintheSouth.com and AHorseBlog.com, plus her corporate website SynergyEtc.com, wants to wish the NFDA, Northeast Florida Dressage Association, nfladressage.org, host to the Dressage on the First Coast, USDF/USEF recognized show, and the competitors the best of luck for this show and to thank all of Teri’s clients, current advertisers and website she supports.

The list of her clients in alphabetical order, many of which have been her clients since the early 2000’s, are:

Website Clients:

ASmallCleverness.com – Rubber stamp store for people who love to create with stamps.

EquineSportsTrainer.net – Ashley Davis, Equine Sports Trainer and Performance Consultant.

ALGGraphics.com – Flexo and Screen printer of specialty labels.

DogwoodSportHorses.com – Breeders of excellent bloodline European cross warmblood sport horses for sale; featuring the branded Westfalen, and approved RPSI breeding stallion, Freedom Hall.

DressageontheFirstCoast.com – The website for the twice yearly recognized show; started for the 2005 Region 3 Championships held at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center.

Feedin’ Time – Animal feed & supply store. See the store link on HorsesintheSouth.com/feedintime

FloridaMaritimeLawyers.com – Florida-based law firm which concentrates in trial litigation in the field of admiralty, cruise line and maritime law.

James “Shea” Walsh – HorsesintheSouth.com/sheawalsh; 1988 Olympian represented Ireland. Instruction and clinics locally and abroad.

KDEquine.com – Kathy Daly — Classical Dressage trainer, clinician. USEF “r” Dressage judge; my first website started in 1997. I wanted to give back to Kathy for all of the wonderful training she had and has done for me and my horses. We still get many “phone” training lessons and I used to get “Kitchen Table” lessons when she would stay with me when I lived in Jacksonville and she would get to my place too late for a lesson. One day I am going to write a book for her on these lessons, she is that good at explaining what to do!

PostHillFarm.com – Breeders and sales of show ponies.

Sundance Farm – HorsesintheSouth.com/sundancefarm; Featuring Swedish Warmblood, AWS approved stallion, Synchronicity; Lupe Guarderas, owner, competitor, trainer and Dressage judge.

SuncoastBedding.com – Premium ultra-compressed pine shavings animal bedding.

TripleKBarC.com – Preserving the “Last Chance” naturally-gaited, old-time Albert Dement foundation line of Tennessee Walking Horses. Dement mares for sale to selected breeding homes.

Current Banner Advertisers and Others that we Support:

CanterburyShowPlace.com – Central Florida’s nicest equestrian showplace with an indoor covered and lighted arena, and 3 outdoor rings, 5 show barns, clubhouse and more!

ClassicCompany.com – Show management that we support; production of multiple shows throughout the South.

EquineColicReliefAmerica.com – Amazing product that we have personally used to stop colic.

HorsesintheSouth.Equine.com – Our Classified Ads – co-branded with Equine.com

FlashpointMediaServices.com and FlashPointPhotography.com – Robbie and Greg Meisel who we love and support, specialize in performance and event portrait photography, and press releases for Classic Company, LLC show management.

JaneHeart.com – Gorgeous equestrian and dog lines of jewelry including Secretariat™ and Barbaro™ licensed jewelry.

KAMAnimalServices.com – KAM’s Equine Learning Circle offers FREE webinars every month and we list weekly tips each Monday and support them with a banner link.

MahanFarm.com – 113 acre boarding, show and clinic facility in Tallahassee, FL. Summer camp held in conjunction with Feather Oaks Farm. Brett Barteld, Owner

NagHorseRanch.com – Home of the Nose Shade, formerly called Nag Nose Shade to stop sunburned horses’ muzzles.

NFHJA.com/ North Florida Hunter Jumper Association – We support them, especially during the Jacksonville Winter Series.

Fleet Footing International – Supreme arena footing distributed and used by Canterbury Showplace

RavenwoodFarm.net – Ravenwood Farm Foundation non-profit rescue corporation

SouthernFarrier.com – Brett Barteld; 2nd Generation Farrier; 1990 Oklahoma Horseshoeing School -Certificate Graduate Professional Horseshoeing; Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association Certified; American Farrier’s Association Member

SunHorseTack.com – Fancy and custom-made horse halters and stuff!

USET.org/United States Equestrian Team Foundation – We support them with a non-profit banner advertisement.

YouMightAsWellJump.com – Rob Bowman – amazing artistic photographer

Affiliate websites for your viewing and shopping pleasure:

HorsesintheSouth.com/FEITV

NaturalPetVet.net/horsesinthesouth

And, we have too many blog contributors to list here, so please see the Contributor category on AHorseBlog.com as these keep growing every day.

Jerry and Teri also wish to thank Sheila Van Dusen, honorary EVP, for all of the assistance she has provided since our beginnings in 2000, plus Jason Ellerbee, for his assistance as our Associate Editor and analyst, Chris Dunn and Linda Bourdow for their accounting assistance, Rob Bowman for his amazing photography, Charles Bryant for his amazing programming work on our website and blog, and Beth Webb for her amazing graphic design skills and assistance. Without their help, we would not have been able to keep this monster of a website and blog, plus our client sites and advertisers functioning.