Barrington Horse Country
The 12th annual LeCompte Kalaway Trail Owners Cup Polo Matches will take place Saturday, Sept. 10, in Barrington Hills. Five teams will compete in two exciting matches along with a host of other attractions to appeal to spectators of all ages.
“This is Chicagoland’s largest, best-attended polo event every year,” said event chairwoman, Jenny Drecoll of Barrington Hills. “This year we’ve added some wonderful new attractions including a performance of precision riding by the Midwest Renegades during our between-match show, as well as the renowned Express Personnel Clydesdale team.
This year, the event will be opened by the popular “Parade of Hounds,” where a pack of baying Foxhounds floods onto the polo field controlled by riders from the Fox River Valley Hunt, wearing their traditional red hunting coats. The opening match pits an all-female team against an all-male team in the “Battle of the Sexes,” a confrontation rarely seen in this country.
The second match is the LeCompte Kalaway Trail Owners Cup, named for the LeCompte family who provides the venue for the event and the late Ben Kalaway, a well-known and beloved horseman in Barrington Hills. Three teams will compete in this prestigious match using a “round-robin” format developed by the United States Polo Association.
The event promises fun for the entire family. The popular Patch 22 hay wagons will give free rides and the young riders of the Fox River Valley Pony Club will demonstrate their skills. A “Shoppers Midway” with vendors selling food, apparel, arts and crafts and even chiropractic services will be field side during the event. Tailgaters can compete for the Peter Wessel Memorial Tailgate Award for the best tailgate parties and ladies will compete for the most elegant and the most outrageous hats.
The Riding Club of Barrington Hills and the Barrington Hills Polo Club co-host the event. The Riding Club also sponsors a private luncheon as a “thank you” for Barrington Hills trail landowners who allow riding trails across their properties. In addition to free admission, trail landowners will be served a complimentary gourmet feast under a private field side tent.
The event will take place at the Oakwood Farms Polo Field on Deepwood Road, just west of Bateman Road in Barrington Hills. Admission fees and tailgate parking spots will be covered in the next issue of QB magazine. For tailgate reservations, email: MWest08@gmail.com.
The 46th annual Fox River Valley Horse Trials will be held on June 24, 25, and 26 at the Barrington Hills Riding Center at 361 Bateman Road in Barrington Hills. The United States Eventing Association (USEA) endorses the event which is held as a competition for USEA’s national championships in North Carolina over Labor Day weekend. Event organizers, Kristy Yashinsky and Jamie Van Vuren, are busy planning for this, the “Best of the Midwest” sport of three-day eventing for riders to qualify for a shot at the national competition.
Event organizers expect about 250 competitors coming in from across the Midwest. “We bring in professional course designers, a technical director, and professional photographers for the Fox River Valley Horse Trials, which is put on by the Fox River Valley Pony Club (FRVPC),” Van Vuren says. “For the 50 or so club members, this is an extension of the education and horsemanship skills they pursue year-round. Their athleticism is amazing to see, and we hope you can join us!”
The FRVPC Horse Trials are open to the public. Dressage events are on Fri., June 24; Cross-Country will be held on Sat., June 25; and stadium jumping is on Sun., June 26. All events are subject to weather and ground conditions. Events begin at 8 a.m. and close at 3–4 p.m. each day. For more information, visit www.frvpchorsetrials.org.
Quintessential Barrington will again serve as official media sponsor for this year’s LeCompte Kalaway Trail Owners Cup polo matches. Event chairwoman Jenny Drecoll of Barrington Hills said, “QB has become indispensable to the success of this incredible community event.”
Drecoll noted that QB publisher Lisa Stamos has been a supporter since the inception of the event in 2005. “QB has sponsored teams, and Lisa has served as a judge in our tailgate competitions. And for the past two years, QB has coordinated the media services for the event including photography and press relations.”
According to Stamos, “Over the past 12 years, the LeCompte Kalaway Cup has become more than a social tradition in the Barrington area. It is a showcase for the area’s unique rural and equestrian lifestyle bringing all facets of our diverse community together for a day of community enjoyment. I’m proud that QB can be part of it.”