COSTA MESA : Riders Compete in Annual Horse Show
The Orange County Horse Show Assn. Championship Horse Show continues through Sunday at the Equestrian Center at the Orange County Fairgrounds.
Riders as young as 7 years old, as well as others up to age 17--amateurs and professionals alike--will be competing for more than $15,000 in prize money and awards.
“Most of the competitors are from the Orange County area, although we do draw from as far south as San Diego and as far north as Santa Barbara,” said Natalie Gilbert, who, with her husband, Jeff, runs Gilbert Equestrian Management Inc. in Redlands.
The event, which will feature 350 horses, is in its sixth year, Gilbert said.
Activities will run daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, riders will race against the clock in pairs and guide their horses over fences in the Santa Ana Feed and Saddlery/Eisers Rotating Rider Relay. That race begins at 1 p.m.
At 2:30 p.m., riders will compete for $4,000 in a high jump open to any class of rider. A bar will be raised in 6-inch increments until only one rider is left to clear the jump.
Admission and parking are free. Those who attend should enter the Orange County Fairgrounds through Gate 5 off Arlington Drive.
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