Show jumper’s Training Day Idea flies high – the next is Saturday, August 29.
Alex Azevedo’s decision to base his jumping training and sales program at Galway Downs is an “if you build it, they will come” reality.
The second-generation Brazilian horseman moved to the United States in 2016 as a launch pad to pursue an international jumping career. He landed a job riding for 2008 Olympic gold medalist Will Simpson, then trained and rode for the Asuncion Valley Farm sporthorse breeding program in Central California’s Templeton.
When he and his wife Caroline Azevedo sought a home closer to the hub of North American equestrian sport, they looked at four places: Los Angeles, San Diego, Temecula and Ocala, Florida. Although Ocala and its World Equestrian Center have been magnets for professional equestrians in recent years, Temecula topped the Azevedos’ criteria.
“Galway Downs has everything,” Alex explains. “Good arenas, good trails, you can cross train your horses and the location is good for my family.” It came highly recommended from legendary show jumping rider Susie Hutchison. Along with hosting the Nilforushan Equisport Events series, Galway is an easy drive from top hunter/jumper events in San Juan Capistrano, Thermal and Los Angeles.
Temecula has good schools for the couple’s 10-year-old and 4-month-old daughters, Camila and Lara. Staying in California also appealed to Caroline, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, where she rode at the Karazissis family’s Far West Farm.
A Win-Win
The Azevedos’ decision has been a win-win. In Alex Azevedo Equestrian, Galway Downs has a show jumping and young horse development program that embodies European experience and two generations of Brazilian horsemanship.
The Azevedo family has been in the horse business for over 100 years. The family opened Brazil’s first saddlery, and Alex’s uncle is prominent in South American equestrian circles as a representative for several major brands.
Alex’s father, Antonio “Toti” Azevedo, was a well-respected horse trainer throughout Alex’s youth and now puts that expertise into show jumping courses as an FEI-licensed course designer. Toti lives in Temecula, too, and often designs for the Nilforushan shows and, increasingly, Galway’s FEI eventing competitions.
Training Days – the next is August 29
Alex’s exposure to international sport helped him recognize a niche opportunity at Galway Downs: Open Training Days that simulate a show experience for the horse, without the cost and pressure of a real show for either horse or rider.
The next Open Training Day is Saturday, August 29 — the latest installment of what’s been a hit in the region since it debuted two years ago. “The idea came from seeing a lot of people who want to train horses, make a sales video, practice on their own horse or try out a new one,” Alex explains. “Going straight to a show for that is harder and expensive because you have to spend a week at the show.”
The concept is common in Europe — one of several reasons cited for why it’s more affordable to develop young horses there compared to the United States. The courses are international caliber, designed by Toti or Alex. Colorful jumps and flower decorations simulate a high-stakes competition in Galway’s already-atmospheric Grand Prix Arena. The warm-up area is set the same way it is for real shows, and music adds to the showtime vibe.
Scheduled roughly every two months, in between Galway’s eventing, hunter/jumper and dressage shows, Open Training Days average 120 rounds. The cost is a $45 per-round fee, plus a $35 grounds fee for the many who haul horses in for the day. Divisions range from cross-rails to 1.4-meter tracks. (This month’s Training Day will start early with the highest division and work down the levels as temperatures rise.)
The format is flexible. “Riders have three minutes to do whatever they want in the arena,” Alex explains. Specific fences can be lowered or raised, and riders can present parts of the course to their horse in various ways.
Participation is evenly mixed between show jumpers and eventers — a nice chance for riders in the normally siloed disciplines to intermingle. “The eventing people are very relaxed and easygoing, and it’s nice for us to spend the day with them,” Alex observes. “And I get feedback that the eventers like these more technical show jumping courses — that it helps them feel very ready for their own events.”
Galway Downs equestrian manager Robert Kellerhouse has been fully supportive of the Training Days from the get-go, Alex notes. Training Nights may jump onto the calendar soon, simulating an under-the-lights, indoor experience thanks to Galway’s new covered arena.
Alex Azevedo Equestrian
Alex maintains a 10-horse program so he can give individualized attention to each horse and rider. He specializes in young horse development and sales and currently has two horses doing well in the 1.4-meter grands prix — Carlson 135 and Inero Z — with others coming up the pipeline.
Course design plays a big part in Alex’s own horsemanship, too. He is a USEF small “r” course designer, with plans to add large “R” certification over time. “It’s very helpful for my own riding and teaching, and it enables me to set better courses for our horses and our clients,” Alex shares. “I’m very grateful for what I’ve learned from my dad.”
Alex aspires to work as a course designer himself four to six times a year. He’s already designed for the Paso Robles Horse Park and is set for one of the Nilforushan EquiSport shows this fall.
Whether he’s developing a green prospect for its first grand prix or setting a course for the next Nilforushan show, Alex Azevedo is putting down roots at Galway Downs — and building the kind of program that draws riders in, one Training Day at a time.
