Horse Trials for a Cause
Donation protected
There was a lengthy conversation that got started up one day between a couple of people. Of the main points covered, a major one was the seemingly growing lack of interest or knowledge of the horse world by the general public. While we have often found Eventing a hard sell among parents and beginners, now we see people show up for lessons that don’t even want to part with their iPhone to groom the horses. How did this affect the evolution of the sport in the future? How do we find the way to introduce and educate the next generation of weekend warriors to fill the ranks of the lower levels that is the base of this sport.
That talk also included the struggle we have as riders with being stuck in the limitations of budgets, calendars, and the familiar. We find ourselves so locked into this one sport that other opportunities to expand our base of horsemanship are hard to come by. As broke eventers ourselves, it is usually a challenge to decide between clinic or show let alone something off show schedule.
We decided to see how could we make even a small difference towards these issues and we started looking at the tools we have available (which are not many) and began to piece together the type of event that we would want to participate in. Taking a frumpy horse show management group and a small 50 horse backyard event we started laying the stones that would lead Sol Events down a new path. A batch of ideas that would put a new approach to organizing events with a different focus on horse and rider. This includes the thought to have every activity support a great cause for things you would not normally think of at horse trials. For the 2015 year all Sol Events will be benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. Each event will host a different type of fundraiser from a Silent Auction and Golf Tournament to a 5K fun run at Circle T. We see this as a chance to not only bring attention to the cause but to also open the door to people that might not even know they have an interest in the equestrian sports.
Some of you may know we have a lot of big changes coming this year. We are branching out to a second facility and taking the steps towards a series of horse trials, shows, and educational activities that all embrace our lower levels riders. For the first year we will be running multiple sports in conjunction with the hope of breaking down barriers within our community, thus allowing different types of riders to gain exposure to other activities and gain unique experiences.
As for the 50 horse backyard event, it is still going strong. Corona Del Sol has slowly changed from our first event that got started on an $8000.00 budget. It is considered a safe haven for green horses and green riders with a goal to bridge the gap from schooling shows to recognized events in a laid back atmosphere. Though it may not be fancy, it is successful in the purpose it was created for, which we see in the loyalty of those who come back time and time again. The 2015 year will see drastic changes to the cross country courses as we are laying out brand new tracks for all levels, adding new complexes and reworking some older questions. This June will be the first event Ariel Valdez Alford will take lead as organizer and the first time we will be hosting a four day camp before and during the event. August will see an educational clinic running with the event with classroom sessions – jump building and riding demos.
Sol Events will now also be running at the Circle T Arena in Hamilton TX. These will be the first English riding activities of this scale to run at this beautiful facility. Mainly built as a world class team roping and cutting venue with the two covered arenas, we will be the first to start development of the surrounding acreage, putting in the cross country courses. The property is not without challenges and special attention is being taken with every jump design and course layout to allow the best quality under the supervision of Adri and Dan Stark. With that and our general mission from Corona Del Sol in mind we are building from the lowest level up. The educational focus we use at Corona will simply be taken to a bigger venue and then slowly branched out to include other equestrian sports (Dressage- Western Dressage – Trail Challenge – Breed Show Classes – Jumper Classes). We will be offering first class clinicians, lecture sessions with upper level officials, and riding demos.
We have a start but there is a long way to go, with an endless list of needs. From jumps to build (our course builders really like to eat every now and then) to the simplest of office supplies (the 5 year old keeps high jacking all the copy paper and markers) any little bit helps.
The more support we can gain the faster we can reach our goals and ultimately the faster the riders can gain more from what we can offer. Please help us get there.
Adri Lea Doyal & Ariel Valdez Alford
That talk also included the struggle we have as riders with being stuck in the limitations of budgets, calendars, and the familiar. We find ourselves so locked into this one sport that other opportunities to expand our base of horsemanship are hard to come by. As broke eventers ourselves, it is usually a challenge to decide between clinic or show let alone something off show schedule.
We decided to see how could we make even a small difference towards these issues and we started looking at the tools we have available (which are not many) and began to piece together the type of event that we would want to participate in. Taking a frumpy horse show management group and a small 50 horse backyard event we started laying the stones that would lead Sol Events down a new path. A batch of ideas that would put a new approach to organizing events with a different focus on horse and rider. This includes the thought to have every activity support a great cause for things you would not normally think of at horse trials. For the 2015 year all Sol Events will be benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. Each event will host a different type of fundraiser from a Silent Auction and Golf Tournament to a 5K fun run at Circle T. We see this as a chance to not only bring attention to the cause but to also open the door to people that might not even know they have an interest in the equestrian sports.
Some of you may know we have a lot of big changes coming this year. We are branching out to a second facility and taking the steps towards a series of horse trials, shows, and educational activities that all embrace our lower levels riders. For the first year we will be running multiple sports in conjunction with the hope of breaking down barriers within our community, thus allowing different types of riders to gain exposure to other activities and gain unique experiences.
As for the 50 horse backyard event, it is still going strong. Corona Del Sol has slowly changed from our first event that got started on an $8000.00 budget. It is considered a safe haven for green horses and green riders with a goal to bridge the gap from schooling shows to recognized events in a laid back atmosphere. Though it may not be fancy, it is successful in the purpose it was created for, which we see in the loyalty of those who come back time and time again. The 2015 year will see drastic changes to the cross country courses as we are laying out brand new tracks for all levels, adding new complexes and reworking some older questions. This June will be the first event Ariel Valdez Alford will take lead as organizer and the first time we will be hosting a four day camp before and during the event. August will see an educational clinic running with the event with classroom sessions – jump building and riding demos.
Sol Events will now also be running at the Circle T Arena in Hamilton TX. These will be the first English riding activities of this scale to run at this beautiful facility. Mainly built as a world class team roping and cutting venue with the two covered arenas, we will be the first to start development of the surrounding acreage, putting in the cross country courses. The property is not without challenges and special attention is being taken with every jump design and course layout to allow the best quality under the supervision of Adri and Dan Stark. With that and our general mission from Corona Del Sol in mind we are building from the lowest level up. The educational focus we use at Corona will simply be taken to a bigger venue and then slowly branched out to include other equestrian sports (Dressage- Western Dressage – Trail Challenge – Breed Show Classes – Jumper Classes). We will be offering first class clinicians, lecture sessions with upper level officials, and riding demos.
We have a start but there is a long way to go, with an endless list of needs. From jumps to build (our course builders really like to eat every now and then) to the simplest of office supplies (the 5 year old keeps high jacking all the copy paper and markers) any little bit helps.
The more support we can gain the faster we can reach our goals and ultimately the faster the riders can gain more from what we can offer. Please help us get there.
Adri Lea Doyal & Ariel Valdez Alford
Organizer
Adri Lea Doyal
Organizer
Baird, TX
