Flocking to FL - NSBA

Flocking
To Florida
Exhibitors Embrace
the Sunshine State for
Gold Coast, Gulf Coast
and Fox Lea Circuits
By Connie Lechleitner
M
any NSBA members closed out 2013 and rang in
the New Year at NSBA/AQHA shows in sunny Florida last month during the Gold Coast, Gulf Coast and
Fox Lea Winter Circuits.
The show circuits have become a bit of a tradition, especially for horse show exhibitors seeking to escape the
Northern winter weather. “We have quite a few people who
have been coming here for years,” said Peg Edmondson, the
Gold Coast and Gulf Coast show secretary. “There are some
people who used to come to the shows with their parents,
and now they bring their own kids and clients.”
Dan Trein, who served as a judge at the 2013 Gold Coast
agreed. “People love to go south for good weather and enjoy
the holidays there,” he said.
“I think our shows are attractive because of our weather and the time of year during the holidays,” added Kim
Farrell, of Fox Lea Farm. “A lot of people take time off from
work to show here.”
With two weeks and 12 AQHA/NSBA shows at the Bob
Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds
in Tampa, followed by a six-day AQHA/NSBA show at Fox
Lea Farms in Venice, exhibitors had plenty of opportunities
to show in the Florida sunshine.
The six Gold Coast and six Gulf Coast shows combined
for a total of 12,852 entries, while the six-day Fox Lea Winter Circuit boasted more than 5,200 entries, double its total
from a year ago, allowing many exhibitors to get an early
jump on their 2014 show season.
The Gold Coast and Gulf Coast circuits included dual-approved Open and Amateur classes as well as four NSBA
$1,000-Added Stakes events. Lazy Lopin Ranger, owned by
Margaret Garwood and shown by Heidi Piper, took the bronze
in the Three Year Old Western Pleasure. Dawn Baker rode
HRZ Elegant And Blue for Olivia Hoecker to win the Three
Year Old Hunter Under Saddle, while Pass The Tequila, owned
and shown by Sara Fox won the Non-Pro Maturity Hunter
Under Saddle. Earning the bronze trophy in the NSBA Green
Trail was Dont I Look Good, owned and ridden by Jim Farrell.
Also with AQHA and NSBA dual-approved events and
featuring $7,500 in NSBA added money Stakes classes,
the Fox Lea Winter Circuit also saw tough competition.
Team Zuidema took home two NSBA bronze trophies in
the $1,000 Added classes. She Sure Is Hot, ridden by Katy
Jo Zuidema and owned by Nettie Olsen won the Green
Western Pleasure, while Tim Zuidema and Spyderman
won the trophy for owner Joanne Nimigan in the Three
Year Old Open Western Pleasure.
Judy Davis and Sheza Good Moxie won the bronze in the
Green Hunter Under Saddle for owner Anita Darnell. Eugene Spagnola showed Absoutely Xcited to win the bronze
for Patricia Carlson in the Green Trail. In the Three and
Four Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure, Shawn Vaillant
and Gorman Barger tied for the win, with Vaillant and I Am
Good II winning the tiebreaker for the award. Barger rode
Chex This Hot Amiga to the reserve award.
Vaillant and I Am Good II also earned an NSBA plaque
in the Non-Pro Western Pleasure, one of four $500 added
classes in the circuit. Travis Sancken showed Zippos Hot
Jet to win the plaque in the Non-Pro Trail, while KM Perfect
Ten and Linda Berris earned the award in the Added Select
Western Pleasure. Doodle Jump and Jenna Sunni Jacobs
took home the plaque in the Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle.
In addition to learning about the shows’ winners, The
Way To Go talked to the show managers about their respective show circuits.
Gold Coast: A Grand Old Circuit
“The Gold Coast Circuit is one of the oldest circuits in the
country. It’s 49 years old,” said Peg Edmondson, the show’s
secretary. “It started a year after the All American Quarter
Horse Congress. Ralph Kettler who owned Westin Hook
Farms, and John Riker, who was the manager of the South
Florida Fairgrounds, started it. The original version was a
‘circuit’ of nine shows held along the Atlantic ‘Gold Coast’ of
Florida from Stuart to Miami during the month of January,
hence the circuit’s name, she explained.
The circuit has seen its share of changes over the years, Edmondson noted. “During the energy crisis, AQHA relaxed its requirement of limiting the number of shows in any one consecutive location and the nine shows were compressed into the
West Palm Beach location at South Florida Fairgrounds,” she
said. After the South Florida Fairgrounds replaced its equine
facility with a concert stadium, the circuit eventually moved to
its current location at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.
Rodger Call had two horses in competition at the Florida shows. (Photo by Shane Rux)
(Left) Vicki Kent competed at the Florida circuits (Photo by Shane Rux)
Over the years, the Gulf Coast has jockeyed back and
forth in its schedule either before or after the Gold Coast
Circuit, she said. “Depending on how the dates fell with
AQHA, the two shows would alternate, but for the past several years it has followed the Gold Coast.”
The circuit, held January 1-6, helped horse show exhibitors start out the new year in the show ring earning early
AQHA and NSBA points. “We hosted a total of 6,783 entries
in all divisions for the six shows, and we are among the first
shows nationally in 2014,” Edmondson said.
“The grounds at Tampa gave us a much larger facility
with 471 permanent stalls and the availability of additional barns to provide hundreds more temporary stalls,” Edmondson said. The Florida State Fair Equine Complex includes an indoor arena, covered arena, a Gran Prix arena
with all-weather footing and multiple outdoor rings.
You might not realize it, but out of sheer necessity, the Gold
Coast became the site of the very first split/combined AQHA
show, Edmondson said. The show faced heavy rain when it was
held at the Palm Beach Polo Club. “I stepped out of my camper
and the water was over the steps. We had horses standing in
water. It rained so hard one day that I called Bill Brewer (then
AQHA’s executive director) and said we just can’t do this. He
told us to save ourselves and do what we could. We ended up
having the very first split/combined show as a result.”
Although Kettler and Riker are no longer living, a bit of
a family legacy has kept the Gold Cost privately owned and
incorporated. “Gene Mish, who was a noted hunter jumper
show manager, took over as the sponsor or guarantor several years ago. Mish hired Edmondson to be the circuit’s
show secretary, which she as remained ever since. Today
the show is managed by Mish’s nephew, Michael Morrissey,
who operates Stadium Jumping, Inc.
FQHA’s Gulf Coast Circuit
Unlike its much older and privately owned sibling, the
Gulf Coast Circuit began in 1980 and is produced annually
by the Florida Quarter Horse Association. It was a natural situation to produce an even longer circuit of Florida
shows during the mostly pleasant winter months, and fit
show dates in before the Florida State Fair in February,
Edmondson noted.
The Florida Quarter Horse Association teamed up with
a number of sponsors to present a wide array of prizes to
select winners, including fine leather handbags from The
Dressage Collection, customizable horse-hair jewelry from
Gina Johnson, personalized spurs, whips, and jumping bats
from Signature Spurs, and commissioned, graphite portraits from Jocelyn Sandor Urban Fine Art.
Fox Lea Winter Circuit
For more than 30 years, the Fox Lea Winter Circuit has
been welcoming horse show exhibitors of many different
disciplines to Venice, Florida.
“We are located in Venice, a tourist destination town directly on the Gulf of Mexico that offers quant boutiques, beautiful white sand beaches, a variety of eclectic restaurants,
boating, biking, and golf courses,” said Kimberly Farrell.
“Fox Lea Farm is a family owned and operated horse
show facility that was established in 1983,” Farrell said.
“We are one of the few privately-owned facilities in the
state of Florida. Fox Lea Farm is the home to many different types of horse shows and is a venue for many types of
horse disciplines.
“Throughout the year we host Hunter Jumper, Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, and Dressage shows. We have
horse shows approximately 35 to 42 weekends a year.
Most of the shows at our facility are produced by Fox Lea
Farm, Inc.,” she explained. “A few weekends a year the
facility is leased by different organizations that produce
their own shows.”
The farm’s first show was a USEF-recognized show
held in December of 1984. “This was the first of three
dressage shows called the Dressage Trilogy,” Farrell said.
“In November 1985, we began our first “A” rated hunter
jumper shows, and in1989, Fox Lea held the first FEI dressage competition in the USA.”
“With two weeks and 12 AQHA/NSBA shows at the
Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida
State Fairgrounds in Tampa, followed by a sixday AQHA/NSBA show at Fox Lea Farms in Venice,
exhibitors had plenty of opportunities
to show in the Florida sunshine.”
Fox Lea Farm has held various FEI shows including Olympic qualifying classes and World Cup qualifying classes, and
hosted the United States Hunter Jumper Association Zone 4
Finals in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013. “We
manage and produce 10 United States Equestrian Federation “A” rated Hunter Jumper shows a year, and organize and
produce eight $25,000 Grand Prix per year. In 2013, Fox Lea
Farm awarded approximately $435,000 in prize money to exhibitors participating in their shows,” Farrell noted.
“In the late 1980’s Fox Lea Farm added Quarter Horse
and Appaloosa shows to our calendar,” Farrell said. “We believe from the variety of shows we produce, that we meet
the needs from the grass root to the experienced riders.”
Fox Lea Farm hosts 12 pointed AQHA shows per year
and also some AQHA Special Events. Fox Lea Farm Winter
Circuit in January accounts for six of the twelve shows. “It’s
our most prestigious Quarter Horse show of the year and
brings exhibitors from all over the country, Farrell said.
“The other six shows are held during the Fall season.”
Fox Lea Farm is also home to other Quarter Horse
shows produced by Florida Quarter Horse Association and
has also been home to the Florida Super Eight Appaloosa
Shows, held in March for the past 20 years. “Fox Lea Farm
took over the management of these events in 2007. We took
over for Joe Cavallo after he left to continue his own growing career,” Farrell noted.
After changing to show management team Mark Harrell
Horse Shows, the 2014 Fox Lea Winter Circuit offered a new
schedule and $7,500 in NSBA classes as well as the National
Quarter Horse League’s new Huntfield classes. “I think the
synergy was felt by all from working together, from the Mark Harrell Team, Fox Lea Farm
to the exhibitors attending the show,” Farrell
said. “Adding the great NSBA classes and the
debut of NQHL classes were also big factors
in our growth.”
Fox Lea Farm has worked hard to be an exhibitor-friendly experience, Farrell said. “We
had a lot of sponsorships and awards, and we
offered a circuit rate,” she noted.
The farm also made a number of improvements to accommodate a larger circuit. “We
now have 111 RV spaces available with a larger number of 50 amp services,” Farrell said.
(Left) J Garry McAllister piloted Hot Rod Number Eight
to win the inaugural Huntfield Derby $2,500 Open Trail,
one of several new Huntfield Derby classes added at the
2014 Fox Lea Winter Circuit.
(Photo by Shane Rux)
Florida Candids
Florida Candids
(Photo by Shane Rux)
(Photo by Margaret Roth)
(Photo by Margaret Roth)
(Photo by Margaret Roth)
Florida Candids