Field Notes: Coachella Valley

Hi! Cece here. It’s a bit soggy in Los Angeles this week and it looks like more rain is coming, so it seems as good a time as any to reflect on the hot, dry, and sunny days in the desert for a Field Note!

In an arid, 45-mile long region about 2.5 hours east of Los Angeles sitting between the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains is Coachella Valley. It’s probably best known for the globally-famous music festival of the same name, which started in 1999 and has brought everyone from Paul McCartney to Beyoncé to the desert. More recently, the bi-annual, site-specific, contemporary art exhibition Desert X started in 2017 and has hosted works by world-class artists like Sanford Biggers, Agnes Dennes, and Judy Chicago.

Littler known, however, is that Coachella Valley is also home to also multiple polo clubs (one that hosts the Coachella Festival every year) as well as the Desert International Horse Park—somewhat of a mecca of west coast horse shows, that has also brought its fair share of celebrities to the desert—both human and equine (Kendall Jenner and Mark Wahlberg—his daughter Grace is a show jumper—among them). Nestled between manicured communities and deserted landscapes sits this literal oasis in the middle of the desert.

A couple weeks ago I took Cecilia on the road and popped up at DIHP, but really it was an excuse to spend time with friends competing at the show and immerse myself in horse wonderland for a few days. It’s really something—similar in the way Ocala or WEF feels in Florida but with a certain desert mysticism in the atmosphere—that, and 95F degree heat.

I didn’t take nearly as many photos as I should have of the insanely beautiful grounds (because thankfully, it was busy in the shop!) but what follows is the diary of Sunshines Series Week 2 in the desert and some of the vistas on the way there.

For anyone in the area and curious about visiting, the first two weeks of December is the Holiday Series and both weeks have FEI 5* / Major League Show Jumping classes, including the rich and super competitive $750,000 Coachella Cup on December 6th. Reach out with any questions / for tips! It’s worth the trip for any horse lover.

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