It’s time to get out and ride in Colorado! Here are some ideas and organizations to peruse for you or your horse crazy kid. Try something new this year or find a new group of horse enthusiasts to hang out with.
Area Clubs for Kids and Young Adults
Colorado 4-H: bit.ly/3uJx7vk
Pleasant Park 4-H and Conifer Wranglers in the Conifer Area
4-H is America’s largest youth development organization, having supported almost six million youth across the country thus far. 4-H reaches over 110,000 youth in Colorado annually, helping them to become confident, independent, resilient and compassionate leaders. 4-H is delivered by Colorado State University Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing on hands-on projects in areas including health, science, agriculture and citizenship. Colorado 4-H’s network of over 10,000 volunteers and almost 100 4-H professionals and staff members provides caring and supportive mentoring to all 4-H-ers, helping them to grow into true leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries.
Competitions this summer at McKeever Arena in Conifer:
June 6 Pleasant Park Gymkhana (Open)
July 10 Pleasant Park English, Western (Open)
July 11 Pleasant Park Gymkhana (Open)
July 18 Conifer Wranglers Ranch Riding
August 15 Pleasant Park Gymkhana (Open)
Pony Club of America
West Woods Pony Club, Arvada: bit.ly/3tFTro0
See link for more clubs throughout the Denver area and beyond.
Pony Club is one of the leading junior equestrian organizations throughout 30 countries in the world. The United States has over 600 individual clubs spread throughout 48 states and the Virgin Islands, with more than 12,000 members.
Pony Club provides opportunities for instruction and competition in English riding, horse sports and horse management for children and young adults up to 25 years of age. Horses and ponies of many different breeds, shapes and sizes are seen in Pony Club activities. It is not necessary for a child to own a horse or pony, but they must have access to one when required.
Programs are offered in dressage, eventing, show jumping, mounted games, tetrathlon, quiz, vaulting, foxhunting and polocrosse. During “unmounted” meetings, members learn about nutrition, farrier and veterinary care, along with other areas of horse management.
Pony Clubbers are encouraged to work their way through the nine stages of the progressive Standards of Proficiency, which test knowledge and riding ability. Pony Clubbers who attain the B, H-A, and A rating levels, meet standards of competence that are recognized throughout the horse world.
Camps and Dressage Shows in Pine
Kris Cooper – Centaur Rising: 2889 S Parker Avenue,
Pine, CO 80470; 303.838.5086; info@CentaurRising.org; CentaurRising.org
Camps Offered: Little Kids Camp, Basic Horse Camp, Intensive Horse Camp, Advanced Horse Camp – June 1-3, June 8-10, June 15-17, June 29-July 1, July 6-8, July 13-15
Dressage Shows: Rocky Mountain Dressage Society: sanctioned – July18 and August 15
Ranch Sorting
Evergreen Ranch Sorting Association, Pine Junction. Find on Facebook. Summer 2021 marks ERSA’s 12th year! There are 40 regular members each year plus guests. There are normally about 25 percent openings available each year. Events are held every Saturday from Memorial Day Weekend through early October. Generally, about half of the members attend each, so there are plenty of opportunities to sort multiple times as well as compete in a weekly jackpot, which is by blind draw in an attempt to level the playing field and compete for prize money of 75 percent of the entry fees as well as compete in a season-long competition for a trophy saddle. Contact Jerry Toman at 303.674.5096 or jerryrtoman@msn.com.
Open Shows
Colorado Stock Horse Association series at Indiana Equestrian Park in Arvada. CSHA hosts all breed open horse shows with English and Western classes once a month throughout the summer for all levels and ages of amateur riders. May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15 and September 19
Mountain Classic Hunter Jumper Schooling Shows at Indiana Equestrian Park in Arvada. June 5, July 3, August 7, September 4 and October 9. Contact Genevieve: g19dionne@gmail.com or 303.246.3974.
Open Shows in Colorado: Check Facebook for show schedules throughout the Denver area and beyond for all disciplines.
Horse Show/Clinic – Wyoming/Colorado: Check Facebook for postings.
Ideas for Riding Experiences
Equestrian Skills Course: 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road, Colorado Springs, CO
This is a place for riders and horses to learn to navigate obstacles found on wilderness trails in a controlled environment. The course contains various obstacles for all ages and skill levels of horses and riders, including water. Go to
equestrianskillscourse.org for more details.
Clinics! Twin Spruce Farm in Berthoud offers several clinics throughout the summer: Obstacle Clinics, Cow Clinics, Ground Pole Patterns Clinics and Jumping Basics. Twinsprucefarm.com
Trail Riding and Horse Camping Ideas: See the “Riding Colorado” book series by Margi Evans for trail riding ideas all over Colorado, or go to my blog at MtnHomes4Horses.com.
Spring Gulch Equestrian Park: Open year-round, 7 am-8:30 pm. 9490 US-85, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. $5 day fee or $25 annual pass, $5 donation if you use the jumps. This is a hidden gem right near Murdochs on Santa Fe (you cannot see from road due to a dam), so close to the foothills. If you haven’t been there, you will be amazed it was there all along. 105 acres of riding, huge sand arena, cross-country jumps of all sizes, banks and ditches. Lovingly cared for by the Central Colorado Chapter of the Mountain States Eventing Association. Occasionally closed on competition days and days leading up to the two yearly competitions. Check Facebook page for closures.
Social/Educational Groups
Jefferson County Horse Council:
jeffcohorse.com
JCHC members “meet” at 7:30 pm the first Monday of the month (no meeting in July). Meetings usually have a guest speaker on various topics of interest to horse enthusiasts.
Evergreen Parade and Rodeo: June 19 & 20. Parade starts at 10 am Saturday through Downtown Evergreen. Channel your inner Cowgirl and Cowboy and volunteer! Contact: Marty Unger at skymoma79@hotmail.com or 303.204.6442
(Pony Club and 4-H descriptions borrowed from their websites)
Heather McWilliams © 2021
