Six Disciplines, So much to do
The biggest weekend of the fall season in Aiken is upon us. There will be competitions and outings in at least six different disciplines, all right here in Aiken County. It’s the end of the polo season and the beginning of formal foxhunting. We also have combined driving, eventing, a hunter/jumper show, a hunter pace and barrel racing.
You can keep up with all the action on the Aiken Horse online calendar here, or download the pdf from our print edition here. Read on for more information about this weekend’s events.
Love driving? Combined Driving experts from around the region and beyond are converging on Windsor for the Windsor Trace CDE, featuring the North American Preliminary and Intermediate Championships. Action begins on Thursday with a combined test scheduled to begin at 8:30 am. This competition includes dressage and cones and will run until around 2:40 in the afternoon with a 45-minute break for lunch around noon. The CDE starts on Friday morning with dressage. Marathon is Saturday and Cones is Sunday. You can find daily schedules and individual drive times when they are posted, here. The Windsor Trace CDE and CT is held at Greenfield Farm in Windsor, 1060 Curb Chain Lane.
Need to see a polo game? This weekend is your last chance! The fall polo season, which started in early September, comes to a close now, with action at all three polo clubs. There are two games at Aiken Polo Club on Thursday and two at New Bridge on Friday. Saturday features the finals of the USPA Master’s Cup 6-Goal and Eloy Escapite Memorial at Wagener Polo Club at 1pm (check the hotline for field updates: 803-566-8610.) You can also go over to Augusta for the Fifth Annual Augusta Polo Cup, held on Daniel Field (yes the airport!). The Augusta Cup, which starts at 11am, will have two four chukker games and is a fundraiser for the BRCA Foundation.
Sunday Polo includes the season finales at both New Bridge and Aiken Polo Clubs. At 3 pm at PowderHouse field, you can see the finals of the Aiken Fall 4-Goal, then speed over to New Bridge for the finals of the USPA Association Cup at 4 pm. Check out the details on our events calendar, which includes the team rosters – finalists will be determined at the Thursday and Friday semifinals. Be sure to check the hotlines in case of time or venue changes. (APC: 803-643-3611; New Bridge: 803-644-7706)
In addition to polo and driving, Saturday and Sunday also includes the PSJ hunter/jumper show at Highfields, and dressage tests of choice (Sat) and the USEA/USEF recognized horse trials (Sun) at Full Gallop Farm. For hunt followers, opening meet at Belle Meade (Thomson, Ga) is on Saturday (“The world’s largest rolling tailgate party,”) with opening meet at Whiskey Road Foxhounds bright and early on Sunday morning (8am start!) Saturday also includes the fall hunter pace at Stable View.
There will also be barrel racing action on Saturday at Aiken’s newest event venue, Crown B Ranch in Wagener. There will be practice runs in the morning, with the competitive runs starting in the early afternoon. This is qualifying event for the Crown B Ranch November 20 finals.
So get ready for an active weekend! We’re hard at work on our next edition and will be out taking pictures at some of these events, so say hello if you see us out there. And, as ever, if you have something you need to advertise to Aiken’s horse community, drop us a note and we’ll be happy to help you.