Blowing Rock Horse Show kicks off this weekend

By Jeff Eason c/o Mountain Times

One of the surest signs of summer in Blowing Rock is the arrival of hundreds of horse-trailers from all over the Southeast. That can only mean one thing: It’s time for the annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show.

 

The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show first started in 1923 and for the past 86 years the event has attracted the top riders and most beautiful and athletic show horses in the country.

This year the event has been broken up into two parts that will take place at two different times during the summer. The Saddlebred show will take place Thursday through Sunday, June 11-14 and the Hunters and Jumpers division will take place on two separate weekends, July 22-26, and July 29-August 2. Both portions of the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show are presented at the Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve.

Admission for spectators is $5 per person.

The horse show is judged by some of the most well-respected horsemen and women in the country and thousands of dollars of purse money is up for grabs.

The American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American saddle horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving, including pleasure driving and various types of fine harness competition. They are also occasionally seen in other disciplines including dressage, hunter/jumper, and western riding. They also are popular parade mounts and used for trail riding due to their comfortable gait and steady temperament.

The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show is recognized as the oldest continuous horse show in America. The event serves as the primary fundraising effort for the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates money to a wide variety of worthy causes. The Blowing Rock Rotary Club also uses the event to raise money for worthy causes through the sale of horse show programs.

Proceeds from previous shows have gone to the Blowing Rock Fire Department, Blazing Saddles, Blowing Rock Rescue Squad, the Watauga Humane Society, the Appalachian State University Equestrian Team and other worthy organizations.

The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show is made possible by the donation of time and money from volunteers, patrons and corporate sponsors.

The 2009 Blowing Rock Charity Saddlebred Show will be held June 11-14 at the Tate Show Grounds and Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve in Blowing Rock. The event is a regular member show of the U.S. Equestrian Federation and American Saddlebred Association of the Carolinas. Gates open each day at 8 a.m. For more information, call (828) 295-4700, or visit www.blowingrockequestrian.com.
 

And once you are finished for the day with the horses, return home to one of our handful of Boone NC Cabin Rentals, relax and unwind by the fire, on your back porch with gorge views rocking away the evening. Introducing www.blueridgeforrent.com, your one stop shop for all of your Blue Ridge Parkway Lodging needs.  We manage a hotel, The Ridge Hotel and Lodge, a B&B, individual Blue Ridge log cabins and million dollar Boone cabins for rent.