SEPTEMBER 6, 2009 – ROCKWOOD, ON – During the final week of August, Angelstone Farms of Rockwood, Ontario, hosted its first One Day Show open to all amateur and professional riders and their horses from the Toronto area. The show concept was conceived by Angelstone Farms owner and Canadian Grand Prix Equestrian, Keean White, who felt that the farm was ideally suited as a venue for riders to develop their horses in a cost effective way. White added, “since opening our stable in 2008, we have received a great number of requests from our visitors to host a show on our grounds. We began working on the concept of a One Day Show that offered superior footing and jumps, but was cost effective for professionals and amateurs to trailer-in their horses to earn some valued experience.”
Most shows in Canada run a Thursday to Sunday schedule and are costly due to the number of fees riders must pay for each of their entered horses. It is common for fees to total $200-$300 per horse before it even steps foot in the ring. After class entry fees, on-site stabling and daily care costs are factored in, the tally to show a horse over the course of a week can cost thousands of dollars. White recognized that there was a gap between these shows and schooling at home, and felt there was a demand for an event such as this to compliment the regular Canadian horse show circuit.
The first show of its kind was hosted on August 25th and was very well attended by area stables with 80 entries being spread across the day’s four jumper classes. The show was able to provide entries for each of the 1.0m/1.1m/1.2m/1.3m classes for $20.00 per round with no added show fees or expenses. The final class was a $2500 1.3m Mini-Prix, which was won by Whitney Linders aboard her horse “Danny Cool”. During the day, spectators were welcomed to Angelstone’s comfortable outdoor terrace where complimentary drinks were served followed by a BBQ for all the riders in attendance.
Plans are already underway for a series of three additional events for the 2010 show season using the same cost structure as the last event. The first event will take place the last week of April and take place over two days. There will be a $1000 class on the first day, culminating in a $2500 Mini-Prix on the second day which will use a reverse jump order from the results of the previous class. Additionally, White plans to add two additional One Day Shows during the summer of 2010 in between regular dates on the Canadian horse show circuit.
Photos from the event were provided by Ottawa’s Function2 Studios and are being offered to riders at no cost through the Angelstone Farms website. For more information on upcoming shows, readers may visit the following addresses for additional details:
Angelstone Farms Show Site
http://www.shows.angelstonefarms.com
Photo credits and Equestrian Website Design: Function2 Studios
http://www.function2.com
Photo downloads for One Day Show Courtesy of Function2 Studios (August 25, 2009):
http://tiny.cc/angelstone1day
To be added to the Angelstone Farms show notification list email:
keean@angelstonefarms.com
To follow Angelstone Farms on Facebook:
http://tiny.cc/angelstonefacebook
To follow Angelstone Farms on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/angelstonefarm
