About The Hampton Classic:
August 24-31st, 2014: The Hampton Classic features 6 show rings, a Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors, and a wide selection of dining options, all on its 60-acre show grounds. The Classic’s world-class equestrian competition attracts many of the nation’s top professional and amateur riders, and its Hamptons charm and schedule of family attractions make it the perfect destination for anybody looking to add some style to their summer. The Hampton Classic features more than 100 classes of competition for horses and riders of all ages. A wide range of jumper, hunter, equitation, short stirrup and lead line classes are part of the Classic’s schedule, as well as competitions for riders with disabilities and the highlight of competition, the $250,000 Grand Prix and FEI World Cup™ Qualifier presented by Land Rover.
In preparation for the 2014 Hampton Classic, we bring you five fun facts you may not have known…
1. In 2009, the Hampton Classic became only the second horse show ever to be recognized as a Heritage Competition by the United States Equestrian Federation.
2. Two days before the 1976 Hampton Classic was to occur, a vicious hurricane struck. Horses were evacuated to makeshift stalls in the indoor rings of local barns. All temporary tent stabling at the show grounds was demolished due to the hurricane; nevertheless, the show went on—only a day and a half behind schedule.
3. More than 1400 horses compete annually at the Hampton Classic in over 170 events.
4. Jumper rider Michael Matz (now a famed racehorse trainer) survived the tragic Sioux City plane crash just a week before the 1989 Hampton Classic. Uninjured and clearly undaunted, he went on to win the $10,000 Warner Communications Jumper Classic and the $75,000 Grand Prix the next day.
5. In 2000, the Hampton Classic premiered its first Senior’s Day. They offered the “Senior-Surfing” program, which was designed to introduce the Internet to seniors in the comfort of the Classic’s new Internet Café.
Through its history, the Hampton Classic has faced up against three hurricanes and one tornado—each occurring within days of the show!
The prize list is available online at www.hamptonclassic.com. For more information about the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please visit the Hampton Classic website at www.hamptonclassic.com or call (631) 537-3177. Hampton Classic Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.
For more posts about the Hampton Classic on EquestrianStylist.com, please go here.
I love all of the program art displayed in this post! It’s one of my favorite things about the Hampton Classic 🙂