Weekly Update | May 1, 2020

Dear Friends,

As promised in last week’s letter, we will be sending out weekly updates every Friday until we get the green light to resume operations. So, now for the good news…it’s Friday! The not-so-good news however is that not much has really changed during the past seven days. The USEF remains on schedule to allow horse shows to resume on June 1st in those areas of the country that will allow it.

Here in California, Governor Newsom announced earlier this week a four-stage timeline for the re-opening of businesses. It appears that horse shows will be allowed to start up during Stage 3, which he noted at the time is still months, not weeks away. That of course is not very encouraging. On the bright side however, he did acknowledge that individual counties and cities may be able to move more quickly, but on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the state. And just today, he ended the week on a cautiously optimistic note by predicting that some restrictions are “days, not weeks” away from being lifted.

Orange County has been very fortunate to have dodged the brunt of the pandemic here in California, and consequently may be able to re-open a little sooner than the surrounding counties. To that point, two members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday emphasized the need to “transition back to business as usual.” The hope is that the curve will continue to remain flat to the extent that some businesses in Stage 3 will be allowed to re-open during the Stage 2 timeline.

All of this requires the proverbial crystal ball which none of us have found yet! Absent that discovery, we’re going to hold out hope that we may be able start our first show sometime in June. That is of course pure speculation, but what we do know is that when that day comes, the showgrounds will be ready for action and the grass will have never been greener!

Until next week…Stay healthy and fit!

Robert Ridland
President, Blenheim EquiSports

Blenheim EquiSports, an equestrian event management company based in San Juan Capistrano, CA, produces events in three locations: San Juan Capistrano, Del Mar and Las Vegas, NV. The events include 19 USEF “Premier” rated hunter-jumper shows featuring five FEI CSI events, including a Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League event; the Markel Insurance 1.40m – 1.45m Jumper Series & Final, Developing Jumper Qualifiers & Championships, USHJA International & National Hunter Derbies, Pony Derby Finals, the Whitethorne Equitation Challenge, Medal Finals and more. New for 2020 – an additional four County Horse Shows sanctioned by the Orange County Horse Show Association and the Greater San Diego Hunter-Jumper Association.