Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve

Dear Horse Show Enthusiasts,

We are happy to welcome you to the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show.  A tradition since 1923, this year marks the show’s eighty-third anniversary.  We are honored to have Sue Ashe of Wellington, Florida and Scott Hoffstetter of Ocala, Florida as judges of our World Champion Hunter Rider Show and Rob Bielefeld of Wellington, Florida and  Tammy Provost of Westfield, Indiana as judges for our second week of hunters and jumpers.  Don judd of Land-O-Lakes, Florida will serve as the judge of our Saddlebred show.  We are fortunate to have such respected panels of horsemen and women to officiate at our events.  The quality of horses scheduled to attend our show is most impressive.  It should be a great three weeks of competition.

In Blowing Rock, our goal is to produce a top quality event and to continue the traditions of the past eight decades.  Simply put, we strive to make our show as enjoyable as possible and truly hope that all of our exhibitors and friends have a great time in Blowing Rock.  This year, our Kathryn G. Clark Challenge of Champions Hunter Classic will have a purse of twenty-five thousand dollars.  The format of this class is unique in that there is no entry fee, and exhibitors must qualify for the Classic by earning a Championship or Reserve Championship in one of our rated hunter divisions.  The L.P. Tate Jumper Classic and the Russell Hall Jumper Classic will highlight our jumper divisions each week.  New for our Saddlebreds show this year will be classes for Friesians.  We have also been hard at work maintaining and improving our horse show facility.

The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show is recognized as the oldest continuous horse show in America.  The horse show serves as the primary fundraising effort for the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show Foundation, Inc., recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.  Donations to our fundraising efforts are tax deductible within the limits of the law.  From the proceeds of last year’s event, we were able to make contributions to the Blowing Rock Fire Department and the Blowing Rock Rescue Squad.  We are also pleased to have become the permanent home of Blazing Saddles, a local organization that offers a therapeutic riding program for handicapped individuals.  Through the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, we contributed funds for the maintenance and preservation of the riding trails in the Moses H. Cone National Park.  The Appalachian State University Equestrian Team also received funding from our organization, as well as the Watauga Humane Society.  The Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve operates year round providing a haven to horse lovers from throughout the country.

Our show would not be possible without the very generous support of our benefactors, patrons, sponsors and friends.  We also rely on a very dedicated group of volunteers who contribute countless hours throughout the year to make this annual event a reality.  We are deeply grateful to all of those individuals, businesses, organizations and volunteers whose assistance is so vital in producing this horse show.