08/15/2026
The inaugural Virginia Commonwealth Equestrian Games were July 23-26. While we were excited to be part of this new competition, we recognized what an undertaking this was and that as the first show hosting about 12 different disciplines patience will be needed to work out an kinks. But boy were we wrong! This was one of the best run multi-day shows we have attended. It was impressive how smoothly things appeared to run and how well the different disciplines worked together. This was a truly amazing event and we cannot wait to be a part of it in future years (we most definitely already have the 2027 dates triple circled in our calendar!). Thank you to Tamla Nichols and Gammon Castelvi, the driving forces behind this event. You took on a behemoth of a project and turned it into a MUST for the VA equestrian community. Thank you to all the people that showed up to volunteer and lend a helping hand. Thank you to all the coaches, horses, riders, parents, family, friends, stables that showed up to try out this unique competition. It was AMAZING!!!!
Our ten horses and riders competed in dressage, combined tests, eventing, jumpers, and working equitation. We participated in the Opening Ceremony as well as the Closing Ceremony. Our jumper team earned the bronze medal in the jumper teams and got to stand on the podium during the Closing Ceremony!
Harmony is a community that works together for the benefit of the horse and shares in whatever direction each person’s equestrian journey takes them. It was an honor and a privilege to witness our community come together at this amazing event. Watching our team work together to get all ten horses and riders packed, moved up to the Virginia Horse Center, settled into our temporary stable and home for four days, support each other through exciting, nerve wracking days, then clean everything up, head home, and unload everything was a sight to behold! Watching the comradery between our youth, teens, and adults was heartwarming.
We have been working on our growth mindset at Harmony (a way of thinking and learning that allows you to see every opportunity as a chance to learn and grow, instead of getting bogged down in chasing after and only focusing on winning that blue ribbon) You could see the learning and growth that was going on every day; whether a team member put in one of their best rides ever, came out of the ring feeling like they could do better, or had to scratch because their horse was overwhelmed by the atmosphere the growth mindset we have been working on was apparent! Due to their growth mindset, every Harmony member was able to find something they could be proud of, they were able to recognize one thing that could be improved upon and then improved that one thing, the results showed this philosophy!
Our community came together and made this an unforgettable experience. Whether it was the seasoned traveling competitors offering tips and tricks to those just starting on their overnight competition journey, offering support and a kind word when things were not going as hoped, cheering each other on in the competition rings, giving someone space when they needed it, or laughing as our horses’ personalities came through (sometimes in unexpected ways!) the inaugural Virginia Commonwealth Equestrian Games was an amazing experience for Harmony. We cannot wait for next year! Here is part one of the recap video.
