Eventing Preview

Winter in Aiken

by Pam Gleason

Aiken’s event riders had better get ready: It’s going to be one heck of a season.

The Aiken area has been a winter destination for event riders for several decades. Aiken has wonderful footing, good weather and a plethora of recognized and schooling competitions that can put a lot of show miles on a horse in a very short time. There are clinics, lessons, social events and an exciting atmosphere. Sometimes it seems as though everyone is here: Olympic riders and legendary figures in the sport, established and aspiring professionals, talented juniors and, of course, amateurs from up and down the Eastern seaboard.

The number of competitive opportunities in Aiken seems to grow every year, and this season there are so many that event riders may never unpack their trailers. By our count, there are 71 separate competitions or clinics for event riders between the beginning of December and the end of March in the Aiken area alone. This does not count the United States Equestrian Federation High Performance Eventing training sessions that are expected to return to Stable View in the new year. (The USEF usually announces the actual dates in early January.)

Aiken also makes a convenient base of operations for riders who will ride in Georgia at Pine Top and Poplar Place, or in North Carolina at the Carolina Horse Park in Southern Pines or the Tryon International Horse Park in Mill Spring. Tryon is the new location for the Fork CCI3* this April and will hold the 2018 World Equestrian Games in September 2018.

To help Aiken’s eventing enthusiasts keep track, we have once again pulled the eventing dates from our calendar. We hope that this list will serve as a handy reference. The addresses, contact information and websites of all the venues follow the schedule. Of course, there are other activities that will also interest Aiken’s event riders, so be sure to take a look at our full calendar. You can find that in our print edition in Section 3 of the December-January issue, or check it out online here: Aiken Horse Calendar.  View the events by the day, by the week or the month. Always be sure to check the relevant websites before making your plans because times and dates can change! You can access and download a pdf of this article as it appeared in The Aiken Horse December-January 2017 here. 

 JANUARY 2017

2 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase at Apple Tree Farm South,

4 Jumpers Under the Stars at Stable View

5 Stadium Day at The Vista Event Center

7 Poplar Place Farm Schooling Show, Jumping, CT, 3-Phase, XC

8 Full Gallop Farm CT I

10 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park,

11 Jumping Derby at Sporting Days Farm

12 Stadium Day at The Vista Event Center

14 Pipe Opener I CT at Carolina Horse Park

14-15 Ride Better Clinic at Paradise Farm,

14-15 Aiken Opener Recognized Horse Trials at Stable View

17 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park

18 SCDCTA CT & Dressage Show Clinic at Paradise Farm

19 Stadium Day at The Vista Event Center

21 Derby Cross at The Vista Event Center

21-22 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase at Apple Tree Farm South

22 Full Gallop Farm CT I

22 Sporting Days Farm CT and Dressage TOC

24 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park,

25 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase at Apple Tree Farm South

26 Stadium Day at The Vista Event Center

27 Dressage Tests-of-Choice at Full Gallop

28-30  William Fox Pitt Clinic at Stable View

29 Full Gallop USEA/USEF Horse Trials

31 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park

31 Stable View Winter Horse Trials 1

FEBRUARY

1 Stable View Winter Horse Trials 1,

2 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase at Apple Tree Farm South

4-5 Sporting Days Horse Farm Trials

4-5 Ride Better Clinic at Paradise Farm

4-5 Poplar Place Horse Trials

7 Silva Martin Clinic at Stable View

7 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling

7 Dressage Tests-of-Choice Full Gallop

8 Full Gallop USEA/USEF Horse Trials

8 USDF Dressage at Stable View

9-10 Apple Tree Farm 3 Phase at Apple Tree Farm South

10 Pine Top Intermediate Horse Trials

11 Poplar Place Farm Schooling Show

14 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park

14-16 Thierry Durand Clinic at Happily Ever After Dressage

15 Full Gallop Schooling Horse Trials

16 Paradise Farm CT, Intermediate, Advanced & Dressage Show

16 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase at Apple Tree Farm South

18 Pipe Opener II CT at Carolina Horse Park

17-19 USEA/USEF Recognized Horse Trials at Paradise Farm

21 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park

22 Jumping Derby at Paradise Farm

22 Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials

23 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase

23-26 Pine Top Advanced Horse Trials,

25 Poplar Place Farm Schooling Show, Jumping, CT, 3-Phase, XC.

28 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park

28 Full Gallop Dressage Tests-of-Choice

MARCH

1 Jumpers Under the Stars at Stable View

1 Full Gallop USEA/USEF Horse Trials

3-5 Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials II

7 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park

7 Silva Martin Clinic at Stable View

8 USDF Dressage at Stable View

10-12 Full Gallop USEA/USEF Horse Trials

11-12 Southern Pines Horse Trials, at the Carolina Horse Park

11-12 Dressage at Poplar Place USDF/USEF

14 Tuesdays in the Park Schooling at the Aiken Horse Park

15 Jumping Branch Farm Jumper Derby

15 Full Gallop Schooling Horse Trials

17-19 Pine Top Spring Horse Trials

18-19 Southern Comfort Dressage

21-22 Recognized Horse Trials at Stable View

22-26 Carolina International CIC3* & HT at Carolina Horse Park

23-26 Poplar Place Horse Trials USEA/USEF

Important addresses and phone numbers:

Aiken Horse Park

931 Powderhouse Road.

Aiken, SC 29801

Contact: Debbie Salem: 803.257.0925

dsalem@aikenhorsepark.org; www.aikenhorsepark.org

Apple Tree Farm South

1530 Oak Ridge Rd.

Windsor, SC 29856

Contact: Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603.345.0382

apltrefarm@aol.com, www.appletreefarm.com

Carolina Horse Park

2814 Montrose Rd.

Raeford, NC 28376

Contact: Sarah Rabb, 910.875.2074 or 919.414.4492

secretary@carolinahorsepark.com, www.carolinahorsepark.com

Full Gallop Farm

3828 Wagener Rd.

Aiken, SC 29805

Contact: Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590

fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, www.fullgallopfarm.com

Happily Ever After Dressage

260 Meadows Ridge Court

Aiken, SC 29803

Contact: Susan Neilson, 610-350-6777

sneil54530@aol.com; www.happilyeverafterdressage.com

Jumping Branch Farm

179 Fox Pond Rd.

Aiken, SC 29801

Contact: Julie Zapapas, 803.642.3484

zapapasj@bellsouth.net, www.jbfarm.com

Paradise Farm

4069 Wagener Rd.

Aiken, SC, 29805

Contact: Cindy Swartz, 803.507.4577

paradisefarmsecretary@gmail.com, www. paradisefarmaiken.com

Pine Top Farm

1432 Augusta Hwy.

Thomson, GA 30824

Janet Wilson: 706-449-2029

corgiqueen56@gmail.com; www.pinetopfarm.com.

Poplar Place Farm

8191 US 27

Hamilton, GA 31811

706.582.3742 ext 209

donna@poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com

Sporting Days Farm

3549 E. Charleston Hwy.

Aiken, SC, 29801

803.648.0100

sdaiken@aol.com, www.sportingdaysfarm.com

Stable View Farm

117 Stable Dr.

Aiken, SC, 29801

Call 484.356.3173

Info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com

USC Aiken Eventing

Facebook: USC Aiken Eventing

http://web.usca.edu/equine/eventing/

President: Kirsten LaVassar, lavassar@usca.edu

The Vista

859 Old Tory Trail,

Aiken, SC

803.262.5263,

vistaschooling@gmail.com