Langley jumper judge saddles up for Thunderbird show jumping event

The Thunderbird Show Park in Langley will be filled with horses and their riders set to compete in the $100,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup show jumping event on Sunday.

Jan Blackhall will be one of the jumper judges overseeing the Aug. 21 event as a longtime member of the equestrian community.

“It’s my 18th year at Thunderbird as one of their judges,” said Blackhall.

“But before that, I spent 50 years as a professional rider, trainer, and coach. I basically did everything that goes into developing young horses for dressage.”

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With so much of her life invested into the art of show jumping, Blackhall knows exactly what to look for in the contestants this weekend.

“Having past experience with horses and riders makes a big difference as a judge,” said Blackhall. “It’s much easier to spot any discrepancies in the equipment, horses, or riders.”

As part of the 2022 Summer Fort Classic show, the $100,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup brings out a wide variety of horses in several different classes, which is a large part of what makes the event so interesting and challenging, according to Blackhall.

“A big part of the difficulty for these events is the level of training that a horse has had,” she said.

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The Summer Fort Classic is already underway, with each day involving riders competing in either jumper, hunter, or equitation events.

Sunday will be the day that the $100,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup takes place, which Blackhall hopes will draw quite the audience.

“We really appreciate as many people as possible gathering their families and coming down to these events,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to see the horses in that way.”

Admission to the event costs $11.51 for general admission and is free for children younger than five-years-old. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.showpass.com/100000-csi3-atco-cup-150m/.