Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

|| High Country Press Newswire

June 5, 2008 issue

85th Annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show
June 12 to 15

June Portion of the Show Features Saddlebreds

Story by Celeste von Mangan The saddlebreds will be at the 85th Annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show from Thursday, June 12, through Sunday, June 15. Photo courtesy of Doug Holstein

On a Sunday afternoon 85 years ago, the first Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show was held. Recognized as the oldest continuous horse show in the country, the event now spans almost three weeks.

Last year, for the first time in the history of the horse show, the saddlebred portion of the show debuted in June, while the hunter/jumper divisions competed during two weeks in August. For 2008, those big, beautiful saddlebreds and their small but flashy counterparts, the Hackney ponies, will once again enthrall audiences with their electric performances beginning Thursday, June 12, at the L.M. Tate Horse Show Grounds of the Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve. The show includes four full days of saddlebred competitions, continuing through Sunday, June 15.

Highlights include some of the most exciting classes: the three- and five-gaited open championship classes, the roadster classes (both under saddle and in harness), and the Hackney divisions. The harness classes feature lots of chrome, and the carriages and tack the exhibitors use cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“In Blowing Rock, we strive to produce a top-quality event and continue the traditions of the past eight decades,” said Burr Collier, president of the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show Foundation, Inc.

The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show Foundation owns and operates the Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve as a nonprofit organization and will donate money raised from the show to local organizations such as the Blowing Rock Fire Department and the Blowing Rock Rescue Squad.

Food and drinks are available at the horse show grounds during the event, and admission to the show is $5. Purchase tickets at the gate at any time during the show’s four-day duration.

Saddlebreds vs Hunters--It’s All in the Conformation
The differences between saddlebreds and hunters/jumpers are the horses themselves—physical traits called conformation. Saddlebreds are known as the peacock of the horse world and are often referred to as the ultimate show horse. Performing with high-stepping three- and five-gaited action, the saddlebred—with its swan-like neck and dynamic gait—moves from the back end with elevated action, whereas the hunters move in a less-animated fashion because of their rounded backs and lower heads.

Differences in conformation also exist between the three- and five-gaited saddlebreds. The three-gaited horse has a more elegant look and is generally more refined through the neck, ears and head; the five-gaited saddlebreds look more powerful and muscular and move in a bolder and quicker way.
Known as the “Horse America Made,” the willing and courageous saddlebreds were the mounts of generals on both sides of the American Civil War. General Robert E. Lee’s famous horse was a saddlebred named Traveller. Another Confederate general, Stonewall Jackson, also rode a saddlebred. On the Union side, General Ulysses S. Grant rode a saddlebred throughout his Civil War campaigns.

While the saddlebred competitions do not include fence jumping, the environment is exciting and audiences often shout encouragement to their favorites in the show ring as the aristocratic saddlebreds literally strut their stuff.