2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C.

USA's Cade McCutcheon stops Custom Made Gun during Reining
Photo by the World Equestrian Games

The FEI World Equestrian Games only occur once every four years in Europe and the United States, and the 2018 event is currently being hosted in Tryon, North Carolina. Traveling up I-26 from South Carolina the first exit leads to Tryon which boasts a thriving equine community that is set for even more growth partly due to its favorable climate. Unusually hot and humid weather affected the endurance race prior to the tropical rains from Florence leading to weekend cancelations of events. A second week of competition with riders and horses from around the world will continue until their Sept. 23 closing ceremonies.

The eight core disciplines on the schedule for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) include show jumping, dressage, para-equestrian dressage, eventing, driving, endurance, vaulting and reining. The Federation Equestrian International (FEI) is the worldwide governing body of equestrian sport. The last WEG event was held in 2014 in Normandy, France and the horses and their owners are known to travel widely in order to attend these games. Therefore the two weeks of equestrian games are projected to boost the local economy by millions of dollars including lodging for spectators and finding stables for the horses.

While the Tryon International Equestrian Center is tucked away in the N.C. foothills, viewers in the Lowcountry can watch for the daily TV coverage on NBC Sports networks. A record 57 hours of live coverage, mostly during the middle of the day, began with dressage grand prix on Sept. 12 and concludes with the Sept. 23 individual jumping competition. Videos and live scoring results can be found on the Internet at www.Tryon2018.com and the same handle will access their social media pages. The 2018 events are only the second World Equestrian Games held in the U.S. after Kentucky hosted the event in 2010.

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries from Western N.C. click on 2018 Saluda Coon Dog Day 

To view past blog entries about horses click on Georgia -  North Carolina - Corolla / OBX

To view past blog entries from the mountains click on Sassafras Mountain / SC - Smoky Mountains / Tenn - ColdwaterTrout / NC - Sky Top Orchard / NC - Lonesome Valley / NC - Ozarks / Missouri  - Green River Games / NC - South Holston River Lodge / Tennessee - Hazel Creek / NC