Around 600 horses and riders are walking through the on-again-off-again rain at Flintfields Horse Park. The grounds are enormous, with 15 horse rings each about the size of a football field. Stables and food venues also dot the park.
What: Traverse City Horse Shows
When: continuing through Sun., Sept. 21
Where: Flintfields Horse Park, 6535 Bates Rd., Williamsburg
Admission: Access to the grounds is free. Prices vary for events.
Matt Morrissey, of Morrissey Management Group, took over operations of the show around 11 years ago and developed the park into what it is today.
“We were expecting like a half an inch of rain today,” said Morrissey, “but we drain pretty well.”
On Wednesday, the show grounds were littered with muddy hoof prints. Still, they had a good size crowd. Around 2,000 people watched as horses jumped over obstacles in the ring, although that number will increase.
Big events are planned for the show’s final weeks with a number of grand prix and national tournaments. This also will be the first chance for the season for competitors to qualify for a big event in the spring: the Longines World Cup in Texas.
“Last year it was in Basel, Switzerland,” said Morrissey.
Northern Michigan is one of only seven places in North America that riders can qualify for the World Cup. Next week’s qualifiers will bring some of the best riders in the world.
“You're going to see Olympic champions,” said Morrissey. “We've got the world number one coming here next week, and he'll be here the next two weeks.”
Charlotte Jacobs finished a performance with her English stallion for another tournament this week – the Young Jumpers Championship – which is for younger horses. She’s been competing for more than a decade.
“This is like the highest level of show jumping you'll see in America,” said Jacobs. “Well, actually all over the world.”
Jacobs said the event she’s most nervous about is the national tournament – the American Gold Cup – which is will happen from September 17 - 21 at Flintfields Horse Park. This will be her first year jumping in that event.
“It's not so much nervous – like scared,” said Jacobs. “It's more nervous like wanting to do well and perform well and do the best I can for my horses.”
“This is like the highest level of show jumping you'll see in America. Well, actually all over the world.”CHARLOTTE JACOBS | competitor
The Gold Cup is a five-star jumping competition which is prestigious and can mean jumping more than five feet vertically.
“I mean, that's as big as the jumps get,” said Jacobs. “You're gonna see some top riders and some very good horses. And if you're interested in show jumping, it's definitely the place to see it
After that, she’s thinking about the qualifiers for the World Cup and whether she’ll enter the ring.
“Hopefully we'll see. I'll jump next week and see how it goes… This is my third year doing the young horse championships, and I've been coming here to Traverse City for like, six years now.”
And while Jacob’s stay is for just a few weeks, for others the Traverse City Horse Shows are more than just a tournament. Ezekiel Peralta is a trainer who lives in Florida but now plans on spending his summers in northern Michigan.
“I know horse people, they're kind of invasive,” said Peralta. “We go over to places and we take over… but this city has been nothing but welcoming to us. I feel like every year and every time that I come over here, I just enjoy it more and more and feel like I'm home.”
Even though they’re wrapping their final weeks of the summer, Matt Morrissey says things will only continue to get bigger.
“This is basically a warm up week, and then the next two weeks are busier,” said Morrissey. “During our peak season, we have about five to six-thousand people on site per day. “
Editors note: The Traverse City Horse Shows is a financial supporter of IPR.
