NEW JOINT HUNTER/JUMPER & REINING EVENTS TO BE HELD AT DESERT INTERNATIONAL HORSE PARK

LAHJA TO MOVE 2020 MEDAL FINALS TO THE DESERT INTERNATIONAL HORSE PARK AND CRHA TO MOVE THE CHALLENGE

For Immediate Release:

THERMAL, Calif. – Sep. 18, 2020 – Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) in Thermal, California is excited to announce an innovative, new equestrian event which brings together both hunter/jumper and reining competitors for a fun, affordable week in the desert.

National Sunshine Preview (Oct. 23 – 25) will be the first in a series of new shows, co-produced by DIHP and LEG Shows & Events, focused on hunter/equitation riders up to 3’ and jumpers up to 1.20m. The California Reining Horse Association (CRHA) Challenge (Oct. 20 – 25) will run concurrently with National Sunshine Preview and is the first reining event to be held at DIHP. The Challenge is one of the biggest reining competitions in California and DIHP is excited to see reiners “slide” into the desert.

“There is so much about this new event that we are excited about. We are hoping to create a new home for Southern California reining events. In support of this event, we are building three new large sand rings, which will serve a dual purpose by adding just over 250k square feet of new schooling space to the horse park,” commented Steve Hankin, President and CEO of DIHP. “And, we’re enthusiastic about creating a new hunter/jumper event which will bring new groups of riders to the horse park with National Sunshine Preview’s focus on lower height classes and a more affordable price point. The show plans on pricing stalls at $175 for the week, class fees at $40, and an office fee of $50. And now with the addition of the LAHJA medal finals, we’ll have even more to offer hunter/jumper riders.”

“These two events bring together two disciplines in a fun, casual weekend. There will be a crossover team event, a dinner social, and more fun activities throughout the weekend,” noted Hankin.

“With COVID-19 limiting activities in Los Angeles County, this gives us a great opportunity to move the needle on producing affordable and accessible competitions for the West Coast equestrian community,” shared Marnye Langer, Managing Director and CFO of The Langer Group.

CRHA President Mike Berg is excited for the opportunity to move the CRHA Challenge to the desert this fall: “Desert International Horse Park is a great place to host our Challenge, which was originally scheduled to take place at LA Equestrian Center. We really appreciate the generosity of the DIHP opening their doors to us on such short notice and we look forward to cultivating this relationship for future reining events.”

Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association (LAHJA) will also be moving their Medal Finals Extravaganza, featuring all seven of their 2020 LAHJA Medal Finals, to the National Sunshine Preview. “We understand how important the medal finals are to our members, and we want to do everything possible to be able to safely host the finals this year,” expressed Kay Altheuser, President of LAHJA. “We believe that moving the finals to DIHP is the best decision for everyone involved.”

Information and prize lists for the National Sunshine Preview will be available on the Desert International Horse Park website and the LEG website before the end of September. Information for The Challenge will be on DIHP’s website and the CRHA website.

To learn more about the horse park, and view the calendar of shows, go to www.deserthorsepark.com.

Photos © Mark Blakley and Cathrin Cammett Photography / Showfolio