It’s time for dressage season once again at HITS Del Mar Horsepark.
The six-show 2025 dressage season started last month, promising to be even bigger and better in its second year following the showground’s closure. The Dressage Affaire March 21-23 and Del Mar National Horse Show April 18-20 are expected to draw top-performing riders and horses including Olympic, Concours de Dressage International (CDI) and National-level talent.
“It is an easy and great place to come and watch horses dance,” said Kim Keenan Stordahl, international event organizer and national show manager for dressage at HITS.
Whether taking advantage of free bleacher seating or VIP tent and ringside experiences, she said you can’t beat the local and lovely venue to see beautiful horses and talented riders.
Last year’s dressage season was the first one held since the Del Mar Horsepark closed unexpectedly due to wastewater issues in 2021. The Del Mar Fairgrounds Board of Directors, which oversees the state-owned property, leased the park to special events company HITS LLC, which was able to reopen with half a season of hunter/jumper events in summer 2023.
“Last year was the first full season and it was super successful,” said Keenan Stordahl. “We were very happy with the turnout and how the events went for us. We heard lots of positive responsive from competitors and spectators.”
The shows attract top talent and they have been seeing competitors traveling in from Western Canada, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Arizona and Mexico. They had 185 horses in the opening event Feb. 13-15, double the competitors they had last year.
“Those were the best numbers particularly for that early in the season that we’ve ever had,” Keenan Stordahl said. “In general I think all of our local community are just so happy that the horse park is still open. This year is building up, it seems like it’s going to be quite strong for all of our shows.”
In the season opener, U.S. Olympian Guenter Seidel and Bogart were the winners of the CDI 1 Prix St. Georges class.
“Ever since the footing got re-done, it’s quite amazing to compete here,” Seidel said in a press release. “It’s a super equine-friendly environment for the horses because the stabling is close to the warm-ups and everything is laid out very well. It’s an intimate setting, and my horses enjoy being there.”
California native Geñay Vaughn and Gino claimed victory in the Grand Prix Freestyle class with a standout performance set to artists such as Barry White and Luther Vandross and fun songs like Will Smith’s “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
“I wanted to have fun with it because I’m on the younger side,” said Vaughn in the news release. “I also wanted to make it beautiful and something that everyone could appreciate.”
The excitement at the horsepark was high as Vaughn’s win secured her spot to represent the United States at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland in April.
Among local riders, Cardiff’s Elizabeth Ball on Elaria were one of the high-scoring champions of the show.
As part of HITS partner program, a lot of the local community gets involved in helping to offset the expenses for shows as international shows can be quite expensive to run. This year Rancho Santa Fe’s Jim and Rochelle Putnam have brought back the circuit champion program, offering prize money for high point winners who compete in four out of the six season shows.
“Without the community we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do,” Keenan Stordahl said.
April’s 76th Annual Del Mar National Horse Show is expected to be the biggest show of the season, showcasing the top dressage talent. Following the spring dressage series, hunter-jumper events take over the park for the majority of the summer except for one July dressage show. The season wraps up with two fall shows, including the fun-filled Howl-O-Ween Show.
“I’ve been putting on shows at the Horsepark since 2003 and it was sad when it was closed for several years. But now putting on these events with HITS has just been great, we have an amazing team of people that work well together,” Keenan Stordahl said of a crew that weathered flooding from a Del Mar water main break and a power outage at the first event of the season. “Even through adversity, everybody is happy, smiling and having a great time.
The Dressage Affaire runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, March 21-23. General ission is free and HITS is offering special VIP packages and box seating, including a Sunday brunch option. For more information, visit hitsshows.com/hits-events/dressage-at-hits-del-mar/
