Camino Real?

[FrittSkritt]

I did a google search on Camino Real (trying to see if they had a website), and saw they were on the USEF Suspension list. What happened to the event? :confused:

[tx3dayeventer]

I did a google search on Camino Real (trying to see if they had a website), and saw they were on the USEF Suspension list. What happened to the event? :confused:

Long story short. I was there. The last 3-Day they held, officials did not get paid and competitors did not get the money they won. Bad news. Of course with any 3-Day, they really don't make money doing it.

Great show and wonderful people that owned the facility! I am not sure if the property got sold or what? I know Natalie (the daughter) no longer rides. My guess is that they ran into money problems. I wish they still held the show b/c I loved the course and it was my first real 3-Day :sadsmile:

[RAyers]

To add, it went beyond the 3-day as well. Even the h/j shows went unpaid. I buddy of mine was the CD for 4 weeks. He never saw a dime.

I agree it was a great place! Of course, in my opinion, Greenwood is just a nice.

Reed

Long story short. I was there. The last 3-Day they held, officials did not get paid and competitors did not get the money they won. Bad news. Of course with any 3-Day, they really don't make money doing it.

Great show and wonderful people that owned the facility! I am not sure if the property got sold or what? I know Natalie (the daughter) no longer rides. My guess is that they ran into money problems. I wish they still held the show b/c I loved the course and it was my first real 3-Day :sadsmile:

[tx3dayeventer]

To add, it went beyond the 3-day as well. Even the h/j shows went unpaid. I buddy of mine was the CD for 4 weeks. He never saw a dime.

I agree it was a great place! Of course, in my opinion, Greenwood is just a nice.

Reed

I did not realize the Gasaways held h/j shows at Camino.

Not discounting Greenwood, but Camino had the room and space for LF * & **, and I don't think Christie does. It would have been another place to be able to hold a Training 3-Day plus CCI* Long format :D

Did they sell it? Do you know?

[flutie1]

The Gasaways divorced, Georgianne remarried and lives elsewhere. Mark still has the place.
No disrespect to Greenwood, but Camino had the most amazing footing I'd ever seen!

[RAyers]

I did not realize the Gasaways held h/j shows at Camino.

Not discounting Greenwood, but Camino had the room and space for LF * & **, and I don't think Christie does. It would have been another place to be able to hold a Training 3-Day plus CCI* Long format :D

Did they sell it? Do you know?


I have given up ever comparing a place becasue it can hold a LF. I agree it would be a cool place for a Training and CCI* (if it can ever happen again). I was there for its last show too! The barn at the front of the property is delapidated, at least what I can see from I-45.

The footing was that sand base that streches up from Houston. But it didn't have the spring back that other places have due to a good grass root structure. Seriously, and I am not just sucking up to flutie, but places such as Wayne or Rebecca have amazing spring after a LITTLE bit of rain. :)

Reed

[flutie1]

"I am not just sucking up to flutie, but places such as Wayne or Rebecca have amazing spring after a LITTLE bit of rain."

Oh yes you are (sucking up) and I love it! Flattery will get you anywhere!
:-)

We only have "spring" at Wayne because of all the years/days/hours of aeravating that have provided a place for the rain to soak in and create a cushion instead of letting it sit in puddles. (We're clay at its worst). What I envied Camino for was good footing without having to spend the hours of maintenance, lazy thing that I am!

Flutie

[grzywinskia]

There is more to the story as well. If you guys can remember this far back, they were going to hold one last event" which I believe was a HT. They took all the entry monies, then cancelled the event, keeping everyones money :( It was a lovely event, I loved that course

[KSevnter]

IIRC it was the 3-day, because I was entered in the CCI**. It was late enough that Radnor was full. I think I got my check back though.

[tx3dayeventer]

Flutie, since you seem to be on the "inside track", do you know what ever happened to Natalie (their daughter)? We used to be pretty good friends, b/c I drove up (it was only 3 hours:)) to Camino all the time (once a week or so for the weekend) for lessons with Carsten Meyer when he was there. I lost touch with her after the problem with the show and Carsten moved to Louisiana.

They did have the greatest footing with no work required! I helped them get ready for the 3-Days when we came up early with the mare (great excuse to take the WHOLE week off for school, not just Wed-on :D) and seriously all they did to prep the footing was mow the grass. It was wonderful! But could in the same token be pretty bad, like the year it flooded.

I went to their first 3-Day and their last 3-Day and all but one in between. :D Loved that place!

Too bad some moneybags can't buy it from Mr. Gasaway and restart a HT/*. All the jumps are there and it was an old-school cross country course with lots of gallopy fences and lots of solid fun stuff just like everyone is waxing nostalgic about in recent times :D No animal jumps or pretty critters.

[flutie1]

Flutie, since you seem to be on the "inside track", do you know what ever happened to Natalie (their daughter)? We used to be pretty good friends, b/c I drove up (it was only 3 hours:)) to Camino all the time (once a week or so for the weekend) for lessons with Carsten Meyer when he was there. I lost touch with her after the problem with the show and Carsten moved to Louisiana.

They did have the greatest footing with no work required! I helped them get ready for the 3-Days when we came up early with the mare (great excuse to take the WHOLE week off for school, not just Wed-on :D) and seriously all they did to prep the footing was mow the grass. It was wonderful! But could in the same token be pretty bad, like the year it flooded.

I went to their first 3-Day and their last 3-Day and all but one in between. :D Loved that place!

Too bad some moneybags can't buy it from Mr. Gasaway and restart a HT/*. All the jumps are there and it was an old-school cross country course with lots of gallopy fences and lots of solid fun stuff just like everyone is waxing nostalgic about in recent times :D No animal jumps or pretty critters.

I think I heard from Carsten that Natalie was married? After she left Camino, she tried modeling and acting.

I loved that course too - Mark Phillips at his best. I TD'ed the first Three Day - (what an experience with the storms, lightning, rain, and the Country/Western DJ announcer who was allergic to "dead air" time, and who Ralph took up a collection for anyone who would cut the wires to her amplifier!)) - and the great thing about the footing was an hour after the heavy downpour, all but one track were perfect to run on.

I expect the fences are in pretty bad repair by now. Sad.

flutie

[RAyers]

You can still see the "oil derrick" from the highway though. THAT fence would NEVER be built today (real oil drilling pipeline sections welded together made up the fence).

I know there are some CMP courses out there that I love and I agree this was one.

[blackwly]

I TD'ed the first Three Day - (what an experience with the storms, lightning, rain, and the Country/Western DJ announcer who was allergic to "dead air" time, and who Ralph took up a collection for anyone who would cut the wires to her amplifier!)) - and the great thing about the footing was an hour after the heavy downpour, all but one track were perfect to run on.

flutie

Oh gosh, this brings back memories. I rode in that event. It was my first CCI**. It did not go well! It was my first time riding with lead- and I had 55 lbs of it packed on my 15'3 hand TB. We tacked up in the box after weighing in, and then the tornado arrived---a spectator standing 15 ft away was struck by lightning and you could feel the current run thru me and my horse! We were hustled back to the barn for about 45 minutes to wait out the storm. This did not help the nerves! We returned out there, weighed in again, and set out on A. While I'm sure the footing was great soon after, at that point it was unbelievably wet and I was WAY under-studded. Cue disaster - we set out on B and my horse was totally sliding everywhere, stuck on the ground, and not jumping well (probably the 55 lbs of dead weight) and we chipped in to the 3rd fence....and totally crashed. Wound up in the hospital for days and missed my high school graduation!

Needless to say, that experience was enough that I never returned! But I did enjoy the Emu burgers all week prior to our exit from the competition. And the horse was fine- he had lost 3 shoes in the melee but returned and ran at NAYRC several months later with a much improved system of weight-distribution, no worse for wear.

[purplnurpl]

I always shed a little tear passing through Buffalo when I drive to Houston to visit my dad. The Camino Real sign is still up on the fence.

Carsten bought the show jumping course though. : ) I've enjoyed getting to jump all of the SJ fences. lol.

[WWGeorgeMorrisD]

Scanadalous!

[flutie1]

Scanadalous!


Huh?

[Gnep]

KSeventer,

I did not, they owe me $ 1000 in entry fees. never got a response.

[purplnurpl]

I went to watch the last one they held.

My gang and I (10 or more of us) were standing near the steeplechase box.
There was a fence line with like a million cows. Sevaral cars lined up blocking the view of the cows. We planted ourselves in car sized gap between two cars. So basically there was a good man made wall between steeplechase and the scary Texas cows.

We watched for a while and then walked off. We had probably walked about 200 meters or so and the next rider to pass us was Ralph. He goes trotting by singing along like usual.
About 10 seconds later we scatter because here comes his horse galloping by...riderless.
We peak back and there is Ralph sitting on his butt, saying bad things and smacking the ground with his crop.

His horse had spooked at the cows. If we had stood in that gap between cars 20 seconds longer he would have made it by safely I"m sure.

we felt pretty bad but giggled at the same time. Ooops! His horse was long gone and he had to R.
I hate cows, as does my horse.

[tx3dayeventer]

Funny thing about those cows.

The Camino cows are the ONLY cows in history Holly did not spook at :lol: Maybe she had her mind on business but never a spook or sideways step and cows usually make her stand on her hind legs (read: drama queen). Big 17.3H mare was scared of wittle bitty cows :lol::lol:

[hoofhearted]

What was the last year they held an event? I was there the year Ralph showed that grey stallion - he wore an american flag shirt in the 3rd jog. I feel like that was 2001.

[mjrtango93]

I did the 2 star there in 2001, was that really the last one? It was a great show when I went, the cross country was delayed for 2 hours because of the storm that came through and dumped 5 inches of rain and flooded the barns. The footing was decent afterwards, A & C was a bit sloppy, the steeplechase track was great though. Cross country was good except for coming out of the trees to the bounce bank at I believe fence 5. Poor horsie saw an oncoming distance and went for it and when he took off to jump up the bank his hind legs slipped out and we ended up on our stomach on the bank :eek: I slid of the side to let him get up and he was mad. When he got back on his feet he kicked the bank just so it knew he wasn't happy. Good boy walked up the second bank and over the skinny at the top as there was nowhere for me to go with him to represent.

[tx3dayeventer]

I did the 2* in the spring of 2002, so I think that was the last one they held.

[KSevnter]

It was the fall of 2002 that the canceled the 3-day.

[JDufort]

May 2002 was the last.
It was Jo and Diamond's first ever 3 day, and Jill has us terrorized about the need to prep, prep, prep... and even then perhaps not finish!
To our amazement, they finished 2nd (to Mike Huber) in the 1* - and then we got stiffed on the prize money. Left a bad taste, of course. But it was a wonderful event up until that point.