Working Equitation

After viewing a Working Equitation demonstration at the Andalusian World Cup competition in Las Vegas in 2017, our program director Christy Reich immediately knew that it would be a great sport for the Santa Cruz Island Horses. It is made up of three individual phases: dressage, ease of handling and speed. All phases are geared to show the harmony and partnership between horse and rider, no matter the breed or style of tack. 

As of 2022 El Campeons' Cochise, Monterey, Donatello, Truffles, and ChaCha have all competed in the sport.

Our SCI team entered their first Working Equitation show in late 2017 and we haven't looked back since. The sport has an incredibly supportive community and is quickly growing in popularity across the states. After competing in local shows for two years we decided to get more involved. In August of 2019, El Campeon Farms held our Inaugural ECF Working Equitation Invitational show. Entries sold out in 48 hours and the show was a huge hit. Since then we have held multiple clinics, schooling shows, and rated shows with the goal of building the sport in our area (LA and Ventura counties).

More about the sport..

"The sport originated in Europe, with the first European Championship held in 1996. France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal were the participants in that first championship, and the sport of Working Equitation is based on the way horses are used on farms in those countries. In the Obstacle Trials (Ease of Handling and the Speed Trial), the core obstacles are derived from the skills needed to manage livestock in those parts of Europe. The iconic Working Equitation pole present in several obstacles is based on the garrocha pole that Iberian cattlemen use to work cattle...."