Giddy-Up! Horse Shows bigger than ever

By CODY EWERS
cewers@record-eagle.com

July 04, 2009 07:25 pm

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TRAVERSE CITY -- More money, more riders and more competitions come to Flintfields Horse Park this year for the 2009 Horse Shows by the Bay summer equestrian festival, including northern Michigan's only polo match.

The four-week event, which kicks off Wednesday and runs through Aug. 2, will award $35,000 more in prize money this year, meaning better competition and growth for Michigan's highest-rated equestrian festival.

Alex Rheinheimer, co-owner of Horse Sports by the Bay and producer of Horse Shows by the Bay, said one of the most important indications of a successful horse show is the amount of prize money awarded.

With $395,000 up for grabs, it's no wonder she has a full slate of competitors coming from all over the country to compete.

Betsy Van Dyke, a local rider and repeat competitor, loves how well the show is run -- and this year's extra perks.

"It is the only show around of its caliber, and by far one of the top shows in the country," Van Dyke said.

Horse Shows by the Bay is a AA-sanctioned event, meaning it carries the highest possible ranking from the United States Equestrian Federation, and is the only one of its kind for more than 250 miles.

Rheinheimer said the prestige of the festival is roughly comparable to Division 1 in college sports.

"We're bringing the best to Traverse City," Rheinheimer said. "The number of horses has more than quadrupled since we started and we are right on par with other summer equestrian festivals in places like Chicago, New York and Vermont."

Spectators are welcome at weekend events and tickets are usually $5 per person. Flintfields is on Bates Road, a half-mile north of M-72 in Acme Township.

Rheinheimer started the festival in 2004 with 250 participants. Now, Horse Shows by the Bay hosts more than 1,500 riders and was chosen to host the U.S. Dressage Federation Region 2 Championships in September 2010.

"We didn't think we would be at this level so quickly," Rheinheimer said.

Horse Shows by the Bay's continuing success is due partly to the location near Lake Michigan.

Rheinheimer and her husband Dean picked Traverse City despite the rough winter months, after seeing similar summer equestrian festivals in Vermont and New York succeed, due to the tourism aspect of the areas.

"You can have a horse show somewhere in a hayfield," Rheinheimer said. "But for long-term success we needed a venue like New York's Hamptons or Vermont's mountains."

And Horse Shows by the Bay's presence in Traverse City is a two-way street, Rheinheimer said.

"We generate about $10 million annually for the Traverse City area," she said. "On average, each horse brings three people to town that spend about $250 a piece each day. Multiply that by the days they'll be here (25) and that's a relatively conservative number. And that's all money from out of town, too; not locally redistributed."

Rheinheimer said once the festival is even more established, this "fresh money" will come more rapidly in the form of summer cottages, time-shares, condos and other markets that haven't been tapped much by her clientele.

The main events will be designed by three different international course designers who must create atmospheres both creative, technical and challenging for the horses.

One course designer, Guilherme Jorge, who hails from Brazil and has helped design for prestigious events such as the 2005 and 2007 FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas and the Beijing Olympics, said Horse Shows by the Bay is one of his favorite events.

"I've been involved with Horse Shows by the Bay since the first year and the quality has been increased each year -- there are no limits for them at all," Jorge said. "It's always an event I look forward to on my calendar."

The polo match will serve as the festival's grand finale on Aug. 2. Two of Traverse City's largest companies, Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel and Team Elmers, partnered with Horse Shows by the Bay to bring the match to town.

"It's basically hockey on horseback," Rheinheimer said. "So, I think the people of the area will be able to relate."

For more information, to see a schedule or to buy tickets, call 267-3700 or go to www.horseshowsbythebay.com.

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