<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2W5AHm_0lmZFeXO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2W5AHm_0lmZFeXO00" width="697" height="1045" ></figure>Lake Erie College will provide horse riders with an opportunity to show off their skills in hunter, jumper and dressage events when it hosts its 54th annual Prix de Villes Horse Show this month.The April 14-16 and 21-23 events will feature horse riders from Northeast Ohio and beyond, while students in the institution’s school of equine studies will have an opportunity to compete and help run the show. School dean Pam Hess described the event as “the highlight of a student’s riding career at Lake Erie College.”“Visitors will see the finest competitive riding in teams and individual riders,” said college public relations and communications representative Liz McMahon. “Classes range from beginners to very advanced, with some being about the rider, some about the horse and some about the two together working a team.”The show’s first weekend will include hunter and jumper events. Hess noted that the hunter competition focuses on “correct form” and “the harmony of the horse with the rider,” while the jumper show is a timed competition. There are also plans for a “lead line” event for younger children.The hunter and jumper events will end on the morning of April 16 with what she described as the “quite famous Jumper Prix de Ville.”Equine studies instructor Laura Stockhaus noted that the final jumper competition is a team event, which is “not something that you find at other hunter/jumper shows.” Sixteen teams will compete.The show’s second weekend, meanwhile, will focus on what Hess called “a very traditional dressage show.” She estimated that 65 to 70 riders and horses will compete.“Riders perform in a variety of very specified courses, from the introductory level up to the grand prix, including musical freestyles,” she said, adding that “the one who does it the most correctly, the most beautifully wins that class.”Sophomore equine therapeutic horsemanship student KK McNeill described dressage as “horse dancing.”The dressage events are “recognized by the United States Equestrian Federation and the United States Dressage Federation,” Stockhaus said, adding that “the participants in those horse shows are able to earn points towards national awards.”She noted that the USEF does not recognize the hunter and jumper events, which are “a very unique horse show,” though a judge, course designer and group of officials with USEF credentials will all participate.According to Hess, this year’s shows have more registered participants than previous years.“I don’t think we’ve had 16 teams in the jumper prix for a long time,” she said. “The dressage prix was so popular when we opened the show on March 1, it sold out in two days. Normally, the show would be open for 30 days, and sometimes even then not fill.”“It seems very, very popular, and I would say particularly with lower-level riders,” Hess added. “Not the professional riders, but younger riders coming up. Perhaps adult amateurs who are not riding the highest-level, professionally trained horse, the people who are sort of at more the beginning levels of the business and our students, too.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1W7XY0_0lmZFeXO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1W7XY0_0lmZFeXO00" width="930" height="1395" ></figure>Stockhaus noted that the college uses the shows “to sort of enrich the education of the students.”“They get to ride here with the public, holding their own and often winning the competition, above people who have, often, much better horses, much more expensive horses, professional trainers,” explained Hess.McNeill rode in the hunter event in 2022 and plans to compete in the jumper show this month.“I never would have tried it before,” she said. “Speed’s not my thing, but I’m glad that I get to do it in a place where I’m comfortable, and where I’ve ridden before, and where the horse that I’m riding, Rocky, has ridden before, and just to kind of get that experience so I can go off, even after Lake Erie, if I want to show in the jumpers.”McMahon noted that other competitors come from “Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and beyond.”The students also gain experience helping run the shows.“They’re going to be the ones who are allowing people into the warmup arena, or communicating with competitors about what needs to be happening next, helping the secretary decide who needs to do what, passing out ribbons, those kind of things,” Stockhaus said.Hess noted the importance of the show to Lake Erie College.“The Prix de Villes and the School of Equine Studies puts Lake Erie College on the map,” she said, explaining that the show is “really vital to our identity as an equestrian college.”“We have students who are going to go out to be trainers, barn managers, work in the horse show industry itself – that is starting to attract more and more students – and so, it really is a vital part of what we do,” Hess added.“From a student perspective, it’s really nice to see all our hard work kind of pay off,” McNeill said.Hess noted that all of the school’s horses are donated, with around 5 to 10 percent of the horses being retired each year. People who are interested in donating horses can contact her at phess@lec.edu.McMahon said that the Lake Erie College Prix de Villes will take place at the college’s George M. Humphrey Equestrian Center, located at 8031 Morley Road in Concord Township.The Hunter/Jumper Prix de Villes will run from approximately 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 14, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 15 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 16, while the Dressage Prix de Villes will run from 4 to 8 p.m. on April 21, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 22 and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 23.Stockhaus noted that the event will also include concessions, vendors and student groups.</div></body>

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Lake Erie College to host Prix de Ville horse shows

Lake Erie College will provide horse riders with an opportunity to show off their skills in hunter, jumper and dressage events when it hosts its 54th annual Prix de Villes Horse Show this month. The April 14-16 and 21-23 events will feature horse riders from Northeast Ohio and beyond, while...