By Cheryl Erpelding
After a hiatus due to the Covid virus, Marnye Langer and her LEG Shows & Events team have rebooted the well-established Gold Coast Series, and they have added western events to the already very popular hunter/jumper divisions. The United States Equestrian Foundation made some positive changes with their new Channel 2 program, which inspired Marnye to bring back her show series and help fill the void of offering a good quality three-day horse show that offers an affordable option to ride and show. However, Marnye noted that the most important thing was to help people have fun showing horses.
Marnye felt that western riders were losing too many horse shows, and that adding a new discipline would be fun for all the competitors to see what other riders are doing with their horses. She had numerous, meaningful conversations to identify the things riders and trainers are looking for in a horse show.
The shows will feature two hunter and equitation arenas, one jumper arena, and a fourth arena with a full complement of western classes, including pleasure, trail, ranch riding, and reining. “I remember going to shows with my mom and seeing so many different kinds of horses and people having fun jumping, flatting, and doing western patterns.”
The nine show series will be conducted at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, which kicks off with Gold Coast February (Feb. 24-26) and at Hansen Dam Horse Park. The full calendar of shows can be found at www.goldcoasthorseshows.com. Both facilities feature high quality arenas with both GGT footing for hunters and jumpers, and sand footing for the western horses.
Hunter/Jumper riders can earn points and medal final qualifications for USEF, USHJA Outreach, PCHA Region 1, and Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association. The western discipline riders will earn points toward PCHA and World Ranch Horse Association awards and special classes. In addition, LEGIS League Series Awards will be presented during the Gold Coast Finale to Gold Coast series high score riders in a number of categories.
Marnye says, “I don’t care what discipline you ride, or what breed of horse you compete on, I wants everyone to be safe, be kind, and to have fun on their horses!” She looks forward to serving the competitors that are looking for a fun show circuit, that fills the void in the Los Angeles area for quality competitions for weekend riders.
For more information, visit the website: www.goldcoasthorseshows.com.
