Giddyup! Horse Shows by the Bay rides again... By Erin Crowell Strength, elegance and discipline – these words probably best describe the athletes who have taken over Northern Michigan in recent weeks. At Horse Shows by the Bay, nothing commands attention more than a stallion leaping several feet into the air or a gelding that glides effortlessly across the earth to the rhythms of a song. Think Cherry Festival was a long week? Try four. Horse Shows by the Bay, the equestrian festival held at the Flintfields Horse Park in Williamsburg, runs July 9 to August 1 – bringing over 1,500 horses and their riders to compete in a series of events for more than $400,000 in distributed prize money. Grandeur, pride and history -- this is what inspires Horse Shows by the Bay.
THE VENUE Prior to the Horse Shows event, the 80 acres of Flintfields Farm is fairly quiet. But come late June/early July, the property located just north of M-72 comes alive with the whinny of horses and the sound of engines, clanking metal and voices of workers as hundreds of horse stalls are assembled underneath behemoth white tents. Horse trailers roll through the property, and soon after – the thousands of spectators from across the state and around the country. Horse Shows has a $10 million per year impact on the local economy, says Kimberly Van Kampen Boyer, of Hampton Green Farm, which is one of the event’s biggest supporters, particularly in the dressage category. “Everyone can enjoy this event because there’s so many things to do in Traverse City,” says Maria Lithander, head trainer of Hampton Green’s Florida farm. “Three quarters of the year, (Michigan) is great horse country. The other one quarter, it’s like Siberia,” laughs Lithander. “Michigan is kind of a well kept secret.” Lithander has traveled all over the world, competing and training in places like Mexico where she won over 60 national and regional championships. Her specialty is in dressage, the “step child” of equestrian, as she says, which involves nine progressive levels which incorporate multiple tests within each. The most popular of these is musical freestyle, where horse and rider perform a series of movements, with various speeds, to music. It’s the most elegant event at Horse Shows: braided manes and careful grooming on the horses, short top hats and white gloves for the riders. And of course, there’s the delicate way the horse seems to float through the arena. “Dressage is all about a happy, quiet rider and a happy, athletic horse,” says Lithander. Other events include the hunters and jumpers – both involving horse and rider leaping over an obstacle; however, the primary difference between the two is in execution. The hunter category is judged on the consistency, pace and style in which a horse jumps, providing the best comfort for its rider. Jumpers must complete a series of at least 10 jumps, also of various heights, in the fastest time.
BLOOD LINES When talking about horses—champion horses—the context of the conversation is much like describing a rare car: performance, history, country of origin…price. At Horse Shows by the Bay, the average rider can spend anywhere from $25,000 to a million on an equine, says Horsse Shows co-founder Alex Rheinheimer. Horses range from a variety of breeds and bloodlines, from Dutch Warmbloods and Hanoverians to Oldenburgs and Pure Raza Esponolas (PRE), the latter being the preferred competition horse by Lithander and the breed specialty of Hampton Green Farm. “PRE’s are known for their sensibility,” says Lithander. She will be competing in Horse Shows with Hampton Green’s head PRE stallion Idilio II, a Spanish import who came to the farm in 1999. “He has his own personality,” Lithander laughs. “The other horses on the farm know to stay out of his way.” Just some of his previous accomplishments include 2002 Top 20 Senior Stallions SICAB, Spain; First Place, Intermediate II at the 2006 IDCTA Summer Kickoff Dressage in Wayne, Illinois; and Second Place for the 2006 USDF All Breeds Award Grand Prix Open. The stallion was also once described as “poetry in motion.”
Come see “poetry in motion” as horses and riders from all over the country compete at Horse Shows by the Bay, happening now, July 9-Aug. 1, at Flintfields Farm in Williamsburg. Week three (July 23-25) features the Open Jumper Welcome Prix, Children/Adult Jumpers, Show Hunter Classics, along with a special Dressage Demo by local rider Betsy Van Dyke. Horse Shows by the Bay continues July 30-Aug. 1, as well as a Fall Classics Competition, Sept. 10-12. More information is available at horseshowsbythebay.com or by calling 231-267-3700.
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