Allison O’Neill rides Ramiro at a Citrus Series event. PHOTO BY KFAM PHOTOGRAPHY
The Citrus Series: James Lala’s New User-Friendly Hunter/Jumper Horse Show By Carrie Wirth
For years, James Lala felt as though something was missing from Wellington’s horse show offerings. As the owner of Wellington Quarantine, he’d heard the requests from countless trainers and riders for a different type of show opportunity — a show that wouldn’t be about the glitz and the prize money, but about providing a venue for developing horses and riders to gain valuable show-ring experience. In January, the first Citrus Series show took place at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center to rave reviews. Since then, the monthly, year-round unrated show has been growing quickly. Due to popular demand, the show expanded to two Tuesdays a month during the winter equestrian season. “It fills a void in two ways,” Lala explained. “It gives trainers a high-quality, easygoing and ridiculously affordable outlet to show young and/or developing horses, and it provides a year-round show venue for local developing riders and those needing mileage and confidence to help prepare them for the bigger AA-rated shows.” The Citrus Series offers some very interesting features.
For instance, riders can opt to do an un-judged “do-over” round if they were unhappy with their round. Sale horse identification indicates that the horse is actively on the market. Adults and professionals can ride ponies. For the warm-up classes, a fault-free jumper round or a high-scoring hunter warm-up score earns the competitor a Citrus Series signature orange ribbon. And then there’s something unheard of in rated shows: Lala has hunter, jumper and equitation courses at the same height in one ring, making it convenient and time-saving. He also sets a schedule so exhibitors know when they show. The series also features jumpers at night under the lights. 10th Anniversary |wellington the magazine| May 2014
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