Source:  News Release

Langer Equestrian Group Kicks Off the Colorado Show Season at New Venue

Langer Equestrian Group's Colorado shows have made an exciting move this year, relocating to the Norris Penrose Equestrian Center in Colorado Springs and expanding the show season to a total of eleven dates. "We at NPEC are so very excited to be the host facility for the LEG shows," commented Johnny Walker, General Manager of NPEC. "We are looking forward to continuing our tradition of great customer service and meeting the needs of the wonderful hunter/jumper folks."

NPEC and LEG are a natural combination, sharing a commitment to quality horse shows. "NPEC has committed itself to a massive capital improvement project to satisfy the exacting and refined needs of the hunter/jumper community," Johnny added. "Our first project, which we recently completed, was to build an indoor hunter warm-up ring so competitors can stage in a ring that is the same climate as our competition ring. Additionally, we enlarged the main outside jumping ring as well as completely rebuilding the footing. We have renovated our existing show barns with new footing and windows. Our next major project will be to complete the new hunter complex we started last fall. Whereas these are our major improvements, you can expect to see a multitude of other changes, including new lighting in the indoor ring, improved landscaping, etc."

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Colorado Springs native Emily Ryan (Lorilei Cudney and Lee Unruh, trainers) had nothing but rave reviews for the shows in their new location. It probably didn’t hurt that she won the $1,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic and was the Large Junior Hunter Champion during the Colorado Springs Season Opener (Jan 31-Feb 3). Riding her own Parrot Bay, Emily found the straightforward classic course to her liking. “I usually ride my horse in the big equitation classes, so it was nice to ride around the course just staying in the same consistent rhythm,” Emily noted. “There were a lot of jumps in the ring, though.”

Parrot Bay, who is called Curly around the barn because his right ear curls back, is somewhat of a new mount for Emily. While she had leased him for the 2012 show season, she didn’t buy the eleven-year-old Holsteiner until a few weeks before this year's Colorado Springs Opener. She commented that the best thing about him is his personality. “Every time you walk into the barn and say his name, he ‘chuckles.’ He’s a great horse.”

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As a senior at William J. Palmer High School, Emily finds she doesn’t have much time to do much else besides ride. She really appreciates having quality shows right in her backyard and plans to be back for more throughout the year.

Topping the $500 Pre-Children’s Hunter Classic during the Opener was Maggie Moser (Lorelei Cudney, trainer) riding Lybian Girl (Joseph and Gail Abbatiello, owner). According to Maggie, the classic course was set in such a way that everything rode in the perfect step but the oxer in front of the judge’s stand was a little nerve-racking. “I kept thinking, ‘Don’t mess up, don’t mess up,’ but it ended up being my best jump in every round,” she commented. “And in the Classic, I was a little confused by this four-stride line we had to do twice, but it didn’t matter. This show gave me the confidence to really trust my horse.”

The 13-year-old Oldenburg mare is a new ride for Maggie as she just began leasing her. In fact, the Opener was their first show together. "She used to be a jumper so we weren’t quite sure how she would do in the hunters, but she swept all of us off our feet with her attitude and confidence,” Maggie added.

That confidence paid off as Maggie successfully stepped up to the Children's Hunters during the Colorado Springs Winter Classic (Feb 7-10), the second week of showing, and earned the section tri-color. The Pine Creek High School junior competes in Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) as well the A-rated shows. She also serves as the co-captain for the Hunter Run Equestrian team, all while taking advanced placement classes in school.

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Area trainer Ann Hanna, who also is active in the IEA, brought seven horses from Fountain Valley School to the Colorado Springs Winter Classic. Only two of them had ever been to an A-rated horse show. Cleo Elizabeth Mueller was one of Ann's students taking advantage of the nearby show. Riding her own Q It Up, she was champion in the $500 Pony Hunter Classic during the Winter Classic. Stephany McConnell (Molly Rinedollar, trainer) was reserve champion on Helicon Just Notice. "The people working the horse show were great," Ann said. "They helped our kids get through it all. It was such a good experience for our kids and the horses they brought."

Fountain Valley is one of three area schools in the IEA. The equestrian program began there in 1930 but it wasn't until Ann came in to teach more than ten years ago that it incorporated the hunter/jumper discipline. "We used to have to take two weeks off to go to Arizona and show," Ann noted. "But having this high quality of show right in our backyard, we will get to go to four or five shows for the same amount. And with all the hard work LEG is doing to improve the facility, it's great!"

Madee Morley (Tracey Powers, trainer) was another junior rider enjoying success at the Opener, finishing one-two in the $500 Children’s/Adult Amateur Jumper Classic, claiming the championship with Mischievous Mate (Tracey Powers, owner) and the reserve with Touch of Class (Mike Hohltkamp, owner).

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Tracey is pleased with the progress her young student has made. “I started working with Madee when she was seven years old," she recalled. "She was a tiny thing, so we put her on a Short Stirrup pony, and she went through the small, medium, and large pony sections. Once she discovered jumpers, her time with ponies was over. We bought Mischievous Mate from Rebecca Johnson here in Colorado as a horse to help Madee learn the ropes in the jumper ring. He is the most wonderful horse. He really knows his job.” Touch of Class is a new mount for Madee, and Tracey hopes he will take his young rider to the next level in the jumpers.

The challenge for Madee was moving from one horse to the other in the same class. "Mischievous Mate is a very simple, straightforward ride – a 'just steer around the course' kind of horse," Tracey explained. "Touch of Class is only six and a little green. She needs a little more support than the other horse. She also powers off the ground in a way that means the ride to verticals has to be fairly precise because she sometimes goes through them rather than 'popping' over them." As for the new facility, Tracey added, “We loved showing at Penrose this week. LEG has done a wonderful job with the indoor arena. It was nicely dressed up and the courses were very good.”

Also approving of the shows LEG hosts in Colorado is trainer Corky Shaha, who won the 2012 Maui Trainer Incentive. This program has been in place for several years, rewarding hard-working professionals who regularly attend the shows. Corky had been to Hawaii many years ago, and she was excited to head back for warm weather and relaxation. “Maui is filled with so many contrasts. You can go from tropical to dry in just a short drive,” she said. “The fresh fish and vegetables were outstanding, and I think everyone on the island asked us how we were enjoying our trip. They seemed to be genuinely grateful we were there.”

Travelling with client and friend Nancy Moore (whom Corky noted was largely responsible for helping her win the Incentive), the pair spent the first few days hanging out, drowsing and reading. Once recharged, they spent the rest of the time touring various sites and thoroughly enjoying themselves. “What LEG does to acknowledge the work of trainers is wonderful. I don’t know of any other show management in the nation that does what they do. It’s really special.” With the Colorado show season just getting under way, there are plenty of opportunities to get in on the action and try for their own trip to Maui or one of the $1,000 bonus checks awarded to the top five trainers.

Showing at the Penrose Equestrian Center resumes with the Colorado Springs April I and II shows (Apr. 11-14 and 18-21). The Colorado show season has been greatly expanded, so visit the LEG website for a list of dates. In California, the Gold Coast Series started off under sunny skies with Gold Coast 1 Feb 15-17 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, while nearby Verdugo Hills 1 (Mar 2-3) is at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center. The Northern California series will begin with Woodside Spring Preview (Apr 25-28).

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