EVEN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC CAN’T STOP A 63 YEAR OLD PALOS VERDES TRADITION
Held each year in the beginning of September at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates, the Portuguese Bend National Horse Show (PBNHS) is a darling of the horse show circuit. Each year, a week before the show, a buoyant, hometown, fun family atmosphere is created featuring rustic western decorations, tasty food booths, festive boutiques, and entertaining children’s activities. Proudly donning blue-and-white checked shirts, PCCH’s cheerful, multi-generational, all-volunteer brigade plans and staffs the event, with their cumulative efforts totaling over 15,000 hours each year.
The Mane Event
This A-rated horse show proudly has two fully scheduled rings offering a wide variety of classes, including the prestigious PCHA Horsemanship Medal Finals for riders 14 and under and 18-34, as well as the PCHA Victor Hugo-Vidal Adult Horsemanship Finals for riders 35 and over. Also, the $10,000 Harman Jr.-A/O Jumper Classic and the $15,000 Seahorse Jumper Classic promise to challenge some of the West Coast’s finest riders with difficult and exciting courses. Right in the middle of it all, the hoedown “gala,” affectionately known as “Saturday Night Supper” is when volunteers and their guests gather for a scrumptious barbecue dinner, convivial cocktails, and lively country dancing.
TAKING THE REINS
Taking the Reins It’s no small task to organize and run a three-day national horse show built from the ground up that attracts hundreds of world-class riders and trainers, as well as thousands of attendees. So each year, a president and horse show chairman is appointed, along with a board of directors. Kelly Walsh and Noelle Giuliano took the reins this year as PCCH president and horse show chair respectively, little did this dynamic duo know just how daunting their ride would be in 2020.
For the First Time in 63 Years
Walsh and Giuliano got busy right away last fall, assigning horse show jobs and holding meetings. In February, when COVID-19 hit “It was rather surreal, as we realized how restricted things were getting,” recalls Walsh. “First, we were forced to cancel our annual Seahorse Classic Golf Tournament and,subsequently, decided we couldn’t safely hold our monthly meetings. Virtual board meetings were held.”I had to close my 4″ thick horse show planning notebook and, like so many other people planning events, walk the fine line between canceling and holding an event that adheres to ever-changing health department guidelines. This required monitoring restrictions released by the state of California, LA County, the City of Rolling Hills Estates,and the United States Equestrian Federation,” relayed Giuliano.” After exploring every possible plan to pull off a horse show that would be safe for all and comply with mandatory health guidelines, Kelly and Noelle sadly concluded that it would not be possible to hold a profitable event that would meet the standard of PBHNS. This is when they decided with their board to do what no other leadership team in 62 years had done (gulp) –They canceled the horse show.
