The Old Dominion Futurity Benefit Horse Show and Family Fun Day will be held Friday, Aug. 1 and Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Rogers Riding Center at Sweet Briar College. Horse shows begin at 6 p.m. Friday and continue starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.
On Saturday, Christian country artist John Sines Jr. and special guest Tenneil will perform from 1 to 3 p.m., followed from 3 to 5 by the bluegrass band Deer Creek Boys. There also will be a tailgating competition, food for purchase, art show and children’s activities.
Proceeds go to the Old Dominion Futurity — a division of the
American Saddlebred Association of Virginia — whose mission is to promote American saddlebred breeding in the commonwealth.
American saddlebreds are versatile performers, as comfortable in a harness as under a saddle. Branam's Photography.“[It’s] the horse that America made,” show manager Carolyn Folkers said, explaining what is special about the breed.
The bloodline was developed in Kentucky during the nation’s formative years by crossing several breeds, including the thoroughbred. Although bred as a sturdy and useful farm worker, the American saddlebred possesses a high-stepping grace and flashy temperament that earned it a reputation as the “peacock of the show ring.”
The benefit at Sweet Briar will feature a number of performance shows for beginning through advanced riders, including fine harness events where the horse pulls a four-wheeled buggy. The various classes showcase the saddlebred’s intelligence and versatility in executing whatever task is asked of him, and the ability to do it with style.
According to the College’s riding director, Shelby French, there’s more spectator participation in saddlebred shows than the hunter/jumper competitions she typically presides over.
“They want the crowd to hoot and holler for their favorites,” French said, because the horses become even more animated by the audience reaction.
Folkers hopes the event will be the “birth of a horse show,” one that can return to Sweet Briar for years to come. She and Jennifer Burks, the show secretary, organize two Old Dominion Futurity benefits a year, usually at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington.
But Folkers and Burks live in Amherst County and they’d long wanted to bring a show closer to home, with the twofold goal of promoting saddlebreds and Amherst as a tourism destination. So when the Horse Center’s crowded schedule bumped them out of the lineup this summer, the pair turned to Sweet Briar.
The College’s nationally recognized riding center is adjacent to the town of Amherst and offers views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as proximity to the area’s attractions. While Burks and Folkers are expecting competitors from Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina, they’ve worked hard to create a fun family event that will appeal to everyone.
In addition to the equestrian events, there will be a tailgating competition Friday night, with judges looking for creativity, content and a “fun factor.” The entry fee is $25.
Saturday’s activities include face painting and pony rides for children, a Breyer model horse show, vendors and an art show. There also will be a stick horse competition for the youngest equestrians in attendance.
Materials will be available for kids to build their own stick horses. Then they’ll enter the ring where a judge will lead them through a mock show, evaluating their steeds and form as they walk, trot and canter. The cost is $10.
Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs. Food will be available for purchase both days. A limited number of ringside spaces will be available for tailgating on Saturday, which can be reserved for $10. Small fees also will apply to some children’s activities.
Admission to the show and live music is otherwise free. For details on Friday’s tailgate competition or to reserve a space on Saturday, call (434) 660-0658. Information also is available by visiting
http://www.olddominionfuturityhorseshow.com/ or sending an e-mail to
info@olddominionfuturityhorseshow.com.
– By
Jennifer McManamay,
SBC staff writer
