Back for the 4th Time
The LarDen family business is now hosting its fourth year of a unique tournament, one that is about much more than sporting performance. Above all, it is our way of saying thank you to you, our customers. Every year we try to raise the bar a little higher, and we are delighted that this is reflected in the growing interest we see.
This year we achieved some impressive numbers together: 540 starts and over 120 participants! The atmosphere was once again unforgettable.
Want to know what was new this year and what made this tournament stand out? Read on to find out.
The Venue
This year we chose a venue close to the capital. We really love this place, not only for its size and spaciousness, but also for its excellent facilities and great service.
The hall has an exceptionally good café and great catering, and for our event everything was beautifully decorated in pink. It truly felt like home.
Another big plus is the raised spectator stand right next to the sports area, giving everyone a perfect view of all the action.
The hall opened its doors to athletes at 9:00 AM, and after a quick registration the first classes got underway at 10:00 AM.
Disciplines and Age Categories
We opened the tournament day in the traditional way, with the youngest age categories, and the participation this year genuinely surprised us in the best way. Children as young as 3 years old were at the start line, full of incredible enthusiasm and determination.
The tournament began with a varied selection of jumping courses, which were gradually complemented by dressage tests. In the afternoon the programme gained even more momentum, with Puissance, Barrel Race, western disciplines, and this year as a special addition, racing.
Every year we try to introduce a special discipline, and this year racing was the clear winner based on your requests. What a great choice it turned out to be!
The most exciting part of the day for spectators was undoubtedly the Puissance. Personal records were broken, and there were impressive performances in the 100 cm course with a 110 cm Joker fence. The atmosphere was electric, and some performances genuinely took our breath away.
What Makes a LarDen Tournament Special?
Our tournaments stand out not only through their programme, but also through what participants take home at the end. Winners are recognised with beautiful, large LarDen rosettes up to 6th place. In some disciplines we also awarded special LarDen trophies, adding an extra touch of magic to each victory.
We design the rosettes for our tournaments individually every time. Pink tones always play the leading role. And this year we had a real highlight in store: a large, multi-part rosette for the overall winner of each discipline. It was truly impossible to miss.
Another highlight of our tournaments is the prize draw, which is always packed with great prizes. Numbers are drawn by starting number, so everyone has a genuine chance of winning. Prizes included valuable vouchers, training jumps and Hobby Horses in various sizes (M, S, XS).
The prize draw is always one of our favourite moments of the whole day. Watching the joy, surprise and excitement on everyone's faces simply makes us happy.
Throughout the tournament, stands were also open where visitors could stock up on everything for their Hobby Horses.
At the LarDen stand you could find unique Hobby Horses as well as brand new highlights, including rain covers, bridles, reins and many other new accessories to take straight home.
Avatar Show
The film Avatar was a huge inspiration for us, and that is exactly where the idea for this year's dressage show came from. We entrusted the performance to the girls of a sports club from Pilsen, and that was definitely the right decision.
The girls took their preparation very seriously. They trained hard for an entire month, working on every detail, and the result truly showed. Their over three-minute performance was absolutely breathtaking. As spectators, we were on the edge of our seats the entire time.
For this exceptional show we also prepared special painted Hobby Horses in sizes M, S and XS. Our artist put in an enormous amount of effort and said with a smile at the handover that she would never do something like that again 🙂. But we know her well and are confident she will throw herself into the next themed challenge with just as much enthusiasm and dedication.
Best Design Competition
We introduced this competition for the first time last year, and honestly, the response it received right away surprised even us.
The concept is simple but wonderful: children send us their own Hobby Horse designs. We at LarDen then select five finalists whose designs are actually brought to life, and the overall winner is chosen by the tournament participants themselves through a vote. The winner gets to take their dream Hobby Horse home for free.
Selecting just five designs was however a near-impossible task. We received over 200 submissions, each one different, original, full of imagination and often of outstanding graphic quality. Going through them all was a joy, and at the same time a real challenge to pick the very best.
See You Next Year!
Every year we tell ourselves honestly that this was truly the last tournament. But then that moment comes after it ends: the stress falls away, replaced by joy and an incredible atmosphere, and suddenly we are all looking forward to next year again.
And next year will be no ordinary one. Our fifth tournament awaits, a milestone anniversary! That calls for something truly special, and we are already thinking about what big surprise we have in store for you.
