No more results on this page
Ticket said event started at 10:30, did not start until after 1pm. Almost everyone was there before 10am and sitting around in the shade. It was still a nice way to laze around on a Sunday. Communication on the Pan Am site was all over the map and inconsistent - people were unsure of how long the event was and if there were multiple jumping rounds. Other than that it was excellent.
An event I soon will not forget !! A day that was over 40 C with the humidity , and a late event down pour. First time at an international event. Sat on the edge of our seats when we watched Jessica Pheonix ride to a silver medal. I just wish we had heard more about this medal award on local news.
The event itself was great. Logistics for parking and driving into and out of the event were 1-star at best. It was not communicated how fast the event would go - tickets said 11-7pm and it was over by 1:30pm. Otherwise amazing. Very cool to see the horses and riders so close and navigating the obstacles.
Bit of a stretch to call it the 'Toronto' Pan Am games when this event was closer to Owen Sound, but it was thrilling nevertheless. Organisation was top-notch; we got in without a wait because they organised the parking so well. There was lots of great viewing areas, and it was easy to move between them during the event. The difficulty of the course was enough to make it thrilling even if it was 'only' a two-star course.
The actual event was amazing. Well organized, wonderful athletes and lots of room to watch and enjoy. The proximity to the athletes and course was fantastic. You could see and hear everything the riders were saying and doing with their mounts. Beautiful course as well. Now the bad news. Our tickets sent us to Albion hills for parking, when we got there there was a long line up that took forever to reach a person. Ther person gave us a map and told us they sent us and many others to the wrong place. We had to drive another 1/2 hour to the actual event. The lineup was huge and we were late for the event. I am extremely dissappointed in the PAN AM organization for this confusion. Very unprofessional. I would like to have my money refunded for the tickets because of this...it was just such an unpleasant experience. We had intended to arrive early to relax and look around, but in reality go there about 40 minutes after the start of the event.
Excellant equestrian competition. if it wasn't for this it would not recommend. Food choices at the venue very limited and very expensive Lack parking at the site very inconvenient but the bus drivers were great Too bad the stands did not have overhead coverage for the rain and sun there were no arrangements for the disabled to get to the stands. should have had complimentary golf carts. Please don't play music during the competition!
The event itself was fantastic, watching the best in dressage was amazing. I have to say that I was most amazed and impressed by the tirelessly positive volunteers. They were the reason that everything was so organized.. From the parking at Albion Hills to the non stop shuttles, right up to the craziness of everyone trying to get out of the equestrian park at the same time, they remained positive and helpful. Overall the entire experience was great.
Excellent venue. Well organized shuttle service. No shade to be had in any seating area. The event ran smoothly. Long lineups for food - some outlets were clearly understaffed. Lemonade lineup had more than 25 people in the line with one single,talkative server.
The dressage competition was great. The athletes put in some great performances. The venue is lovely and we are lucky to have such a great facility now. However there are few things that still need to be improved.Sitting in the stands directly across from the covered section was a less than optimal spot. During the performance the seats were great for visual, however the sounds system was not loud enough so we could not here any of the introductory comments for the athletes and the music was often too quiet. During the medal ceremony all we could see was the back of the athletes. At the very least the athletes should be instructed to turn around and wave to the fans behind them. Even better would be to have the presentation filmed so we could see their faces on the big screen in real time and then have them turn around.
The event was fantastic. Starting from the in parking, all the way thru the event and out of the parking was very well organised and instructions easy to follow with great help from volunteers. The event itself was right on time with all the horses and riders set to go. Only a couple of "constructive criticisms" There needs to be water stations near the grandstands. Its a 5 to 10 minute walk to the nearest filling station. We had overcast conditions and kept fairly cool, but if its sunny and hot, it could be a problem. There is no shade, anywhere near the stands. My suggestion to anyone going to any event here is that you take 3 or 4 empty water containers and fill up after you enter the facility. (you cannot take liquids into the park) The music for the event was echoing of the VIP stand and very annoying. I had friends in the section opposite and we were in section N and we both could hear it. This should be addressed, not just for these games but for future events at this arena. This is a fantastic facility and well worth going to see any of the equestrian events.
The parking for this event was well organized and shuttle busses frequent enough. The venue was SPECTACULAR...vendors, arena, food concessions could have been "more plentiful" but were adequate enough. The volunteers though...this is where the games shone. Volunteers were soooo helpful, cheery and the icing to top the cake...The horses were beautiful and the performances STELLAR. So proud of our Canadian competitors...they did very well!
And of course Peters was his usual brilliant self.
The only advise I have been passing on to anyone going to any of the Equestrian Events is to give yourself plenty of time to get to the actual Event!!! The Dressage Event was supposed to start at 11am. We arrived at the entrance of the Albion Hills Conservation Center at 1025. By the time we parked, walked to the bus pick up area, got on the bus, travelled to the Equistrian site, unloaded, went through the entrance, walked to the stands and found out seats it 1115am! I must say that it was well organized, the volunteers were very pleasant and helpful. The Dressage event was wonderful. We had excellent seats. The only negative thing about the event would be that it was impossible to hear what the Announcer was saying.
This was an exceptionally well organized event. The fact that water was available free at cost rather than having to purchase plastic bottles (environmental waste) was an excellent idea. The venue was clean, the washrooms were clean and always accessible. The food was very delicious as well. There was ample of seating during breaks. The shuttling to and from the parking lot was exceptional and well organized and $10 for parking is very reasonable. The volunteers were awesome; always friendly and helpful. This was an excellent event and was beyond my expectations.
This event was well organized and the venue was great. We had great seats. The vendors and food was well organized along with the shuttle to the parking.
Good points... free water fill-ups, bus people did good job along with volunteer info given. Otherwise very disappointed with the venue... screened off from warm-up area/ruders and channeled like cattle to the seats Not a Grade A venue site for sure!!!
This was our first trip to an equestrian event at Caledon and the set up is excellent, if a little officious getting access to the arena. The event started at 9am and continued to 6pm, a very full and hot day, weatherwise, if only we'd been able to see the event..... In short the seating in the North Stand was abysmal. Placing the buildings containing the judges between the public and the arena was ridiculous, removing our ability to see the performances and with no hint of the fact that we had bought 'obstructed view; tickets, which were priced the same as all of the other seats. The lack of consideration for the audience was beyond belief and while the volunteers were excellent and sympathetic, the fact that the event was sold out made moving seats impossible. The Pan Am games should refund all of those affected, end of story.
I had never been to an Equestrian event, other than horseracing. I was blown away, some of the most beautiful horses in the world and so graceful on their feet! Didn't realize it was a full day event, but I really enjoyed the day and the medal ceremonies was great! Loved being part of the Panamania!!
It was an amazing show. The venue was nice but the walking up and down hill to get from the vendors to the seats was a killer. Not to mention having to walk a mile from bus to car at Albion Hills (which by the way is a lovely park). Wish there was some shade as well. It was brutally hot and the stands reflected the sun and made sitting and watching the show near impossible. We saw maybe 30% of the competitors and had to pick and choose those that where more important for us to see. That aside the Canadian Team did me proud and I loved watching them ride on those amazing talented horses. Was glad that Sunday's show was partially overcast which made watching a lot easier.
The facilities were great EXCEPT zero shade for us 'pedestrian' fans. It did warn you that shade was limited but my-oh-my on the hottest day of the summer (30°C) it was too much AND on metal seats! If this venue hosts outdoor events regularly, you would think they could come up with a temp solution. Needless to say, that impacted our day greatly as we could only watch 3-4 riders before needing to leave to find a cool spot. So onto the sport... we are a horse loving family. We would have preferred tickets to a Jumping event but they were hard to come by. We certainly didn't know much about Dressage but we expected much more... music couldn't be heard, other fans were pretentious, our kids were shushed when they were not even loud, we thought we were just watching them warm up. It was that slow. There really wasn't any manoeuvres that I found super exciting or interesting. Hats off to the riders and trainers that I'm sure work hard but warning to those who aren't 'in the know'... Kinda stuffy and pretty boring. Sorry, that's my truth. In the end, very disappointed that we chose this event for our Pan Am experience.
