Dads and Daughters Spend Quality Time at Gold Coast 4

After several months of rain and wind, the beautiful weather at Gold Coast 4 (June 17-19) called for shorts and smiles as dads spent their Father’s Day cheering on their daughters through fence after fence. From the pony ring to the jumper ring, dads stood by to watch their kids have a great time with their mounts. When asked why they decided to spend the day at a horse show rather than out on the golf course with the guys, all the dads were pleased to answer, “For my daughter.” Proud father Neal Millard said, “This is a chance to be with Kendall, to see her perform, and to take pride in what she does and loves.” Kendall (Heidi Misrahy, trainer), scored many ribbons in the Children’s Hunters section and various medal classes on her horse, Zeppelin.
One proud father, John Bertram, seemed to be his daughter Claire’s (Cha Cha Jago, trainer) lucky charm as she scored the championship with three first places and a second in the competitive Junior Green Rider section on The Perfect Fit (Maya Wall-Richardson, owner). John was very happy to be at the show and watch his daughter win. “I like to be outdoors, I like the nature and greenery, and it is a beautiful day to be here,” he commented before Claire entered the ring for her over fences class. Claire and her barn mates had a very successful weekend in the hunter, equitation, and jumper rings from the .80M Jumpers to the 3’6” hunters and medals.

In the Jumper ring, Stacy Bacheller ended the show champion of the Children’s Jumpers on her Oasis. Stacy was also successful with her Firenza, taking home top prizes in the 3’6” medals and 1.10M Jumpers, and she earned some top placings in the 1.20M Jumpers with her Summer Solstice.  Although she had to put off her father-daughter time until after she finished showing, Kacie Lehner (Deirdra Davis, trainer) had a particularly successful weekend. Securing championships in the Modified  Junior-Amateur Hunters and Equitation 18-35, Kacie was very proud of herself and Savoy (Deirdra Davis, owner).

The promise of Father's Day festivities was not the only thing that made Kacie's weekend special. With the time, travel, and energy demands of her job as an executive assistant to a producer at Relativity Media, she has not been able to ride very much in the past few months. In fact, she hasn't ridden consistently  since the beginning of December after a George Morris clinic and not at all since April. She wasn't even sure she would show until the last minute. "Putting Savoy in the trailer truly came down to the fact that I had pneumonia while I was in France and then got stuck in New York without clearance to fly home. I realized then more than ever that riding is my release and is what keeps me sane. It's something to look forward to at the end of a long week. It's what drives me and keeps me happy."

In honor of Father's Day, Gold Coast 4 hosted fun sports activities on the grass field.  Frisbees, footballs, and softballs were there for dads to toss around.  Then it was off to Viva's for a fun dinner hosted by the horse show and "Dad-a-ritas" for all the fathers in attendance. Jumper judge Walt Malkiewicz, horse show dad to Gold Coast show secretary Brenda Outwater and now horse show grandfather to Brenda's daughter, had a great time at Viva's. "It was a good way to unwind at the end of the day and toast all the fun we have with our kids and grandkids at the shows," he commented. "It was a great way to spend Father's Day."

While some dads might prefer a golf course to a horse show, the horse show dads at Gold Coast 4 enjoyed the opportunity to spend time and share smiles with their horse show daughters.

For more information on Gold Coast 4, including complete results, visit http://langershows.com/laec/show_details.php?show_id=186.

Summer has just begun, and the competition will only get hotter from here on out. The Gold Coast show season continues with the fifth show in the series July 22-24. Meanwhile, the Woodside Summer Circuit is under way in Northern California with the Bay Area Summer Festival (June 29-July 3). Show season will resume at Hansen Dam with Verdugo Hills League Preview (Oct 28-29) and in Colorado with High Prairie Fall Preview (Sep 8-11).

Photos: Kendall and Neal Millard Photo: Flying Horse Photography; Stacy Bacheller and Oasis earn the championship in Children's Jumpers.  Photo: Flying Horse Photography; Kacie Lehner takes a break from work to win a few ribbons with Savoy Photo: Flying Horse Photography