Eric Winter. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Galway Downs announced today that they’ve brought Eric Winter on board as the new CCI3* cross country course designer beginning next month at their International Three-Day Event, Nov. 2-5. Galway will be Eric’s first course in the United States.
He takes over from Ian Stark, who has designed at the Temecula, California venue for the last decade. “Ian has designed at Galway Downs for ten years, and we are so grateful for the time and experience he given to us in helping us advance our sport and the level of riding,” Event Organizer Robert Kellerhouse commented.
“Ian’s vision for the cross country courses moved the sport of eventing forward in the United States. He provided great changes to what we have done for our International Event, and having Eric take the baton is very exciting as I believe Eric’s enthusiasm for the sport coupled with incredible experience will help continue to raise the very high bar set by Ian for our cross country courses, and the overall spectator experience. We are thrilled to welcome him to make his American debut at Galway.”
The event has also shared a sneak preview of next month’s three-star course. They’ve made a few obvious changes to the course, most notably brining the track into Sycamore Field which houses the main show jumping arena.
Galway Downs CCI3* course. Courtesy of Galway Downs.
“The front of house for the event is the Sycamore Field. That is a huge change. Spectators are centralized in this hub where they can view the start, finish as well as a combination that comes directly through the Sycamore Field. It’s the key component of Eric’s course and our efforts to make Galway Downs more of a destination experience for the general public,” Robert explained.
Spectators will have a front row seat to Fence 23 AB while also having views of the entire course by means of a Jumbotron live stream. Many iconic Galway questions will remain, and many old favorites, including the bounce bank at 8abc, have been resurrected.
So far there are nine pairs entered to take on the CCI3* in two weeks time. Click here to see entries.
[Galway Downs Welcomes Eric Winter as New CCI3* Cross Country Course Designer]
