San Juan Bautista resident Joey Mosler has been practicing three
hours a day, in order to compete among the best in the state, at
the California State Gymkhana Finals.
San Juan Bautista resident Joey Mosler has been practicing three hours a day, in order to compete among the best in the state, at the California State Gymkhana Finals.
In the past few days, he and his horse Bubba, and 333 other riders from all over the state have kicked up the dirt, left their competitors in the dust and spun around barrels and poles, as they compete for buckles, ribbons and the best time in the state at Bolado Park.
“It’s a lot of fun, and a great new experience,” Mosler said.
Unlike a normal rodeo or horse competition, Gymkhana requires riders to test their agility with speed. The events, which include racing poles, barrels and a trick called speedball, where the rider has to drop a golf ball into a cone while on the horse, are all timed.
“Everybody calls me Gumby because when we do speedball, I can ride full blast on Bubba, lean over and get the ball in the hole almost every time,” Mosler said.
In order to compete this week, Mosler and the other riders had to qualify in the northern regional finals in Clements, or the southern finals in Riverside, during Memorial Day weekend. San Benito County Gymkhana riders belong to two different districts; District 1 in San Martin, and District 16 in Salinas.
Throughout the week, they’ll continue to compete in front of county residents, and more than 4,000 others who are camping out at the park, who have come from places as far south as San Diego and as far north as Cottonwood. Gerelee Azevedo, who has been involved in Gymkhana for 17 years, said coming to the state finals is a great place to catch up with old friends. After years of being involved with the sport in San Martin, she now lives in Elk Grove.
“A lot of us are up north and some are down south, so this is a great halfway point to meet up,” she said. “Plus we get to see a lot of old friends, camp out and have a good time.”
The California Gymkhana Association was founded in 1972, and has been holding the state finals at Bolado Park since 1989.
“It’s a great facility,” Azevedo said. “It accommodates all the campers, and the grounds are very well kept.”
The competition attracts riders ages five to 87, and rider Gayle Lewis said no matter what kind of skill level or speed someone has, there is a change for them to win a buckle.
“Your time depends on your ability so everyone has a chance to win,” she said.
Admission is free, and Lewis said, it’s definitely entertaining.
“It’s a lot of excitement,” she said. “These horses are athletes too. They are stretched, they are trotted, they even have their own chiropractors, and they’re fun to watch.”
