Fox River Valley Pony Club Horse Trials is happening this weekend! I have been to Fox River Valley since 2005 as a competitor, groom, and coach. This year is by far the best yet. Barb McMorris, the organizer and mother of a good friend of mine chatted with me about the horse trials this year.
While chatting with Barb I learned many things about hosting, organizing, and how much hard work and team effort it truly is for an event of this caliber to take place. Sure, only in the last several years have they added Beginner Novice, and this is the first year they are hosting a CIC*, but it is still such a wonderful event, and those that have been come back year after year.
FRVPC HT is located in Barrington Hills, Illinois, just outside of Chicago and has been running for 41 years. It was the first recognized event in Area IV. Elizabeth Bramson physically built the cross country jumps the first year it ran, and still sponsors the event today. It is great horsepeople like Elizabeth that keep our sport running. Thank you! In 1976, FRVPC HT was used a selection horse trial for the USET and Jack LeGoff was involved. There is a deep, rich history here at Fox River Valley Horse Trial.
The FRV Pony Club is the reason this horse trial is running. The entire club comes out, and everybody involved is a volunteer. The Dads are driving the shuttles to and from parking, the Moms are checking everybody in, and the PCers are decorating jumps and making signs. In addition to the USEA recognized Horse Trial, the Pony Club also runs an eventing rally.
This year, the CIC* is new. Barb and the xc course designer were talking about possibilities for the course for new tracks, etc, and doing a CIC* was thrown around. After Maui Jim and Otter Creek decided not to hold FEI events, FRV took the opportunity to try something new. The biggest difference is the cost for the housing and transporting the additional FEI officials. FRV HT just needed a few additional jumps, and the track for the CIC*, but the parking, stabling, and area for jogs were already in place. There are currently just under 10 in the CIC*, but Barb is optimistic for making it a permanent addition to the horse trial.
As I mentioned before, the xc is on a forest preserve. In fact, the entire event in run on public property. The stabling area and rings are on the Barrington Hills Countryside Park District Riding Center. During a luncheon on xc day before the prelim, and this year the CIC* xc goes, sponsors and officials from the forest rpeserve and park district are treated to a celebrity course walk. This year, the celeb is Peter Gray, but others including Allison Springer and Jon Holling have hosted in the past. Barb finds these course walks extremely valuable to show sponsors and officials exactly what eventing is about, and they are very well received.
There is a lot going on behind the scenes to make any event run, but especially when it’s on two pieces of public property, and we commend all those who allow us to do what we love. Thank you! I’ll keep you updated as we go with pictures and videos. And, this is my first “real” post, be kind (and Coren, watch out). 🙂
