Almost an entire week before the gymkhana state finals started at Bolado Park – its events were set for Aug. 28 through Friday – a temporary community of campers began what is now an annual rite of re-rooting itself at the San Benito County Fairgrounds.
For going on two weeks, those fairgrounds have been a combination resort community, campground, equestrian-loving reunion and hotbed for California’s most dedicated competitive horse riders.
A few of the enthusiasts – among the estimated 3,000 visitors to the California Gymkhana Association State Championship Finals – were seated and chatting Monday morning on a picnic table outside a recreational vehicle.
Conrad Fimbres, a past president of the state gymkhana association, was in the small group of friends. He acknowledged that many of the visitors routinely schedule their summer vacations around state finals. He said the organization even rearranged its show dates to make sure it doesn’t conflict with school schedules.
“Because we are all horse people and we’re all involved with gymkhana and we’ve been here so long, we know most of the folks around here,” said Fimbres, of Lancaster, who was there with his wife Maria and another longtime state finals organizer, Randy Young. “You don’t have to worry too much about the kids at night. We’re pretty tight knit.”
During the mornings and early afternoons, much of the gymkhana community’s attention has been fixated on the arena. During free time for the many families in attendance, though, there have been plenty of activities outside the event area such as a barbecue, bingo night or a dance.
Otherwise, a lot of kids ride a lot of bicycles. Parents whiz around in golf carts. And there are about as many dogs as horses on the grounds.
During daytime, the series of 13 timed horse-riding events have included a total of about 300 riders in contests at Bolado Park, said Phyllis Odom, who was helping to run the state show office under the grandstands late last week. Events have run each day from 8 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Those have been followed by match races in evenings with belt buckles and auctioned cash prizes on the line. The gymkhana gathering is scheduled to finish Friday, though Saturday is set aside for makeup events.
Overall, there are 21 age groups. Of the 13 events, seven are skill contests and six are timed. New this year was a “Lead Line” division – non-competitive – for children ages 10 and under.
The gymkhana association has held its state finals at Bolado Park for more than 15 years, said Odom, who is from San Juan. She attributed the choice of location to the Bolado Park facility and the relatively moderate climate.
As for the estimated 3,000 visitors, she said most do camp out at Bolado Park. Some use the area’s limited local lodging as well.
“People want to be here,” Odom said of the camping areas.
Toni Huckabey from Napoma has been coming since 2006 with her daughter, 16, who is a competitor. She said her family stays at the fairgrounds for about a week and a half.
“This is a chance for everyone in California who runs in gymkhana to kind of come together and experience it together at one place,” Huckabey said, noting there are local shows throughout the year within individual districts. “That’s what makes this show special, is that everybody seems to make it to the state show.”
Even though there were plenty of buckles and money on the line, the arena itself was marked by a festive tone among competitors, who ride against others with similar levels of experience.
It was eight-year-old Dani Lombardo’s first year at the event. Her mother Tina was strapping her in Monday morning before she went out for a ride. The family bought her a horse because the young girl fell in love with the animals.
“This,” the mother said of gymkhana, “was the next step.”
