Pick a spot where you can see the turn to the last fence. One rider takes the long way around; the next cuts inside, lands running and steals a fraction of a second. That is the pleasure of show jumping at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal: you can arrive knowing nothing about horses and leave with a strong opinion about that turn.

The 2026–2027 season is under way. Kyle King and Replay Touch v/d Stapelheyde won the opening week’s $100,000 Kubota Grand Prix under the lights on October 31, and from November 4 the park runs 11 weeks of international jumping, including two December Grand Prix nights with free general admission. Whether you are hauling in for the whole circuit or flying out to watch one member of the family ride, here is how to pick your dates, find your ring and choose a home for everyone coming along.

11 international weeksThermal, California · November 4, 2026–April 4, 2027 · Desert Circuit from January 13

The 2026–2027 Desert International Horse Park schedule

Two numbers make the calendar easier to read. Eleven is the number of weeks with international jumping under the FEI, the sport’s world governing body, spread across the fall, the holidays and the winter. Twelve is the number of show weeks in the winter Desert Circuit alone. On a prize list, CSI means international jumping and the stars give the level, five being the highest; the W in CSI5*-W marks a World Cup qualifier.

Most weeks build to Saturday Night Lights, the park’s feature class in the Grand Prix Stadium after dark. If you can only come for one evening, make it a Saturday.

Fall and holiday shows

  • November 4–8, 2026 · National Sunshine Series 2 (CSI3*). The first of three newly added international weeks: a $117,000 Grand Prix over 1.50-meter fences, and the $75,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Regional Championships on the grass field. A good week to see both sides of the sport.
  • November 9–15, 2026 · USHJA National Championships. National hunter, jumper and equitation championships, with a $50,000 Grand Prix.
  • December 2–6, 2026 · Desert Holiday 1, the Coachella Cup (CSI5* and CSI2*). Our pick for a first visit. The $750,000 Coachella Cup Grand Prix is on Saturday, December 5 at 6 p.m. Pacific, with free general admission through Major League Show Jumping.
  • December 9–13, 2026 · Desert Holiday 2 (CSI5* and CSI2*). Another five-star week and another Saturday night out: the $340,000 Grand Prix is on December 12 at 6 p.m. Pacific, also free to watch. The league’s page has the free tickets and the separate VIP Palm Club option.
A gray show horse with a braided mane and leather bridle at a stable door
A row of button braids, done before dawn, is the first sign of a big class.

The 2027 Desert Circuit, January to April

  • January 13–17 · Desert Circuit 1 (CSI2*). The second new international week opens the winter circuit with a 1.45-meter Grand Prix on Saturday night. The natural starting point for riders planning consecutive weeks.
  • January 27–31 · Desert Circuit 3 (CSI5*). A $358,800 five-star Grand Prix over 1.60-meter fences, plus the international and pony hunter derbies on the grass. A big jumping night and a very different daytime program.
  • February 3–7 · Desert Circuit 4 (CSI5*-W), World Cup week. The $358,800 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Thermal is the Saturday Night Lights class: circle Saturday, February 6, and check the ring schedule that week before booking dinner around a start time.
  • February 17–21 and February 24–28 · Desert Circuit 6 and 7 (both CSI3*). Two three-star weeks back to back. The second moves its international classes onto the grass field and has a pony pairs costume class, a good one if you are bringing children.
  • March 10–14 and March 17–21 · Desert Circuit 9 (CSI3*) and 10 (CSI4*). Week 10 is the one for hunter fans: the second round of the $100,000 WCHR West Coast Hunter Spectacular is on Friday night.
  • March 31–April 4 · Desert Circuit 12 (CSI4*), Finals Week. The third new international week takes the season into April with a $200,000 Grand Prix over 1.55-meter fences.

In between, Desert Circuit 2 (January 20–24), 5 (February 10–14), 8 (March 3–7) and 11 (March 24–28) are national weeks, with hunter derbies and feature classes of their own. The park’s competition page has every week’s prize list and schedule.

Coming to watch a particular rider? Ask for their division and class number before you choose a weekend. A junior hunter’s best round may fall on a morning with no international class at all. The week’s ring schedule and order of go (the order in which riders compete) are on ShowGroundsLive.

A ringside guide for your first horse show

At a jumper ring, watch the rails and the clock. A rail down, a refusal or going over the time allowed adds faults, and when a Grand Prix goes to a jump-off the clear riders come back over a shorter course against the clock. Watch two riders take the same turn: the tighter line saves time but leaves fewer strides to get organized for the fence, which is why a rail at the very end can change the whole class.

At a hunter ring, listen to the hoofbeats between fences. Judges reward the horse’s style, movement and even pace, so the round that looks almost uneventful is often the beautiful one. In equitation, the judge is watching the rider: how quietly they guide the horse, hold their position and make the next turn. For a child waiting at the rail for a sibling, knowing whose performance is being judged makes the wait far more interesting.

A girl and an older man watch a horse and rider from behind a wooden arena rail, with palms and mountains beyond
Find a place with a clear view of two fences and the turn between them.

Getting in: access passes, directions and food

Register for your Access Pass before you go. The park asks everyone who comes in, spectators and any child over 12 included, to have a DIHP Access Pass. It takes a few minutes on the park’s access pass page, lands in your Apple or Google Wallet and lasts the whole season. Without a phone, check in at the horse show office when you arrive.

Put 85-555 Airport Blvd., Thermal, CA 92274 into your map; the La Quinta P.O. box you may see is only the mailing address. From Palm Springs and the west end of the valley, the park’s directions take I-10 east, then CA-86 south, then a right on Airport Boulevard; spectators use the Main Gate. The park is about 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Allow time to park and walk to your ring, especially for a round you cannot miss.

Admission depends on the week. The two December Grand Prix nights and the November dressage final are free to watch; for other weeks, check that show’s page rather than assuming the same. Bring a brimmed hat for the daytime rings, comfortable closed shoes and a layer for an evening class. With children, choose one class and a meeting spot. For a guest who needs a shorter walk, ask the park about accessible parking and seating for that ring.

Food is part of the day: smashburgers at the Derby Grill, poke bowls and salads on Vendor Row beside the Jumper 2 ring, and cocktails at the Roadrunners Tiki Bar as the evening class begins. First-timers can book a facility tour ($75), which comes with a guide, the park shuttle, a meal voucher, a drink and reserved seats for the night class.

Prefer dressage? Desert Dressage 1 (November 12–15) hosts the US Equestrian Open Dressage Final, separate from the jumping weeks. General admission is free for the whole show. On Saturday, November 14, Becky Moody gives a free masterclass at 2 p.m., and the CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle, ridden to music, starts at 4:45 p.m. The dressage spectator page has the details and the VIP tables.

Where to stay near Desert International Horse Park

The closest neighborhoods to the show grounds are around PGA West in La Quinta and the south side of Indio. Our vacation rentals near Desert International Horse Park are all between 10 and 20 minutes from the park by car: Veranda is about 10 minutes, most of the La Quinta homes 12 to 17, and the Indio estates nearer 20. Each has a private pool, which is worth more than it sounds after a day of dust and sun at the rings.

For a single show week

  • Veranda, on the Greg Norman Course at PGA West, is the closest of our homes: four bedrooms, sleeps 10, a two-night minimum, and dogs are welcome.
  • Palo Verde Estate sits on more than an acre in La Quinta with a separate casita: five bedrooms, sleeps 12, about 12 minutes from the gate.
  • Fore Seasons at PGA West suits a rider traveling with family: three king bedrooms, one of them a private casita, plus two chairs in the sunroom that pull out to twin beds, and a full laundry room for show clothes.

For the whole circuit

A rider doing several Desert Circuit weeks does not want to change houses between shows. More than half the homes near the park are rented by the month, with a 30- or 31-night minimum, which fits a season of January to April well. Among them, Saguaro Estate has five bedroom suites on 1.3 acres about 13 minutes from the gate; Desert Flower, on the Greg Norman Course, is a three-bedroom with lake and mountain views; Barcelona at PGA West has five bedrooms, two of them casitas, and takes dogs; and Empire Greens in Indio is a walled, gated four-bedroom with a game room that also takes dogs.

For a barn family or several families together

  • Bougainvillea Estate in Indio has ten bedrooms across the main house and two guesthouses on five acres, sleeps up to 22 and welcomes dogs. The guesthouses give the early risers and the late sleepers their own space.
  • Olive Grove Estate in La Quinta is six bedrooms on four acres below the Coral Mountains, sleeps 14, with a putting green and pickleball and basketball courts for the days off.
A family shares supper in a lamplit courtyard at dusk, with tall riding boots by the door
Supper at the house, and time to replay the day’s rounds.

Send us your arrival and departure nights, how many separate beds you need and who is joining for only part of the stay, and we will check availability, minimum stays, laundry, parking and pool heating for the homes you like. Several of them take dogs, too; just tell us yours. Stalls and horse transport are arranged with your barn and the park’s stabling office, and trucks and trailers are worth asking about before you book, since ordinary guest parking does not cover them. On a day off between shows, El Paseo in Palm Desert is an easy change of pace for galleries and lunch.

Questions people ask

Where should we stay for Desert International Horse Park?

La Quinta, around PGA West, and south Indio are the closest areas, 10 to 20 minutes from the park by car. Choose a home with a two- or three-night minimum for a single show week, or one of the monthly homes for several circuit weeks. Palm Springs works for a visit built around one evening class, but it is about 25 miles away.

Which show would you choose for a first visit?

Saturday, December 5, 2026: the $750,000 Coachella Cup, at 6 p.m., with free general admission. For a winter trip, World Cup night on Saturday, February 6, 2027. Check the park’s schedule for the final program before you set out.

When is the World Cup in Thermal in 2027?

The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Thermal is the Saturday Night Lights class of Desert Circuit 4, the February 3–7 show week, on Saturday, February 6. It is a single class, so plan to be there Saturday rather than counting on a repeat on Sunday.

Is it free to watch the horse shows?

Some weeks, yes: the December 5 and December 12 Grand Prix nights and the November dressage final have free general admission. Check each week’s details, and register for the Access Pass the park requires of everyone who enters.

Can we rent a home for the whole Desert Circuit?

Yes. Many of our homes near the park are rented by the month, which suits a stay from January to April. Tell us your first and last show weeks and how many beds you need, and we will suggest homes that are free for the run.

Coming to Thermal for the horse shows?

Tell us your show weeks and your bed count, and we will find a house that works for the first one out the door and the last one home.

See Homes Near the Horse Park

Sources: Desert International Horse Park (competition schedule, season announcement, access passes, directions, dressage, tours and dining pages) and Major League Show Jumping, checked November 2, 2026. Class times, prize money and admission can change; check the park before you go. Drive times are by map, before traffic. This is an independent guide; Desert Luxury Estates is not affiliated with the horse park.