The Tryon International Equestrian Center
Surprisingly enough, I have not
once posted anything about the number one sport in the area here. Would you
have known it without the sullen spoiler alert in the title? North Carolina.
Basketball, you may be thinking. No? Okay, the Bible Belt. Football, then.
Negative. Baseball, America's pastime. No again. And it's not golf or hockey.
Equestrian sports. Horses.
At nearby Harmon Field, there are still horsing events that attract crowds high school football can only dream of. People are not very particular about the sport itself. It can be dressage. It can be vaulting or show jumping. It can be endurance. It can be a simple trail ride in the mountains. Oddly enough, I have never seen a rodeo or a race around here, and somehow I don't think I ever will in these parts. The absence of these disciplines will not diminish the popularity for horses around here one iota. Kids in Brazil start playing soccer at a very young age. Here, horses seem to be on the school curriculum. Tryon itself is located in Polk County, which has a total population of 20,000. The horse population is around 6,500. Go figure.
Enter the latest crown jewel of equestrian sports, The Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). TIEC is a short drive from Tryon along the 74 East toward Shelby. You are literally out in the middle of nowhere before you take a turn and suddenly see a venue that is lit up like that fictitious baseball diamond on 'Field of Dreams'. Welcome to the Disneyland for equestrian sports, as it has been dubbed, with the elevated dirt parking lots being the lone blemish - and something tells me they will be paved at some time. From the parking lot, you can already see how enormous the whole center is.
TIEC is
a 1,600 acre site with over 1,000 permanent stables. There are, in all, twelve
arenas, including the international arena (where most of the floodlights come
from) that offers seating for 12,000 people. There are miles of trails outside
the main stables, designed for driving (by horses, mind you, not cars). The
facilities are impressive by any standard, and I'm not even a fan of equestrian
sports. Admission and parking
are free.
What
impresses me the most, though, is the family atmosphere, The organizers really
thought of everything, including the needs of young and restless children.
There are acrobatic shows, a carousel, live music, all free. Lee Greenwood was
singing the last time we were there (and yes, he did sing the All American
crowd pleaser, 'God bless the U.S.A'.) There are photo opportunities, great
restaurants, shopping, lodging, and plenty of green space. And, as an aside, we
also get to see some world class equestrian sports in the bargain. Excellent
family entertainment at a minimal cost.
Whereas
equestrian sports used to be the playground for the wealthy, the organizers
here have structured the sport to ensure a maximum spectator interest,
regardless of interest or income. I admit having high end sponsors like Rolex
probably does help with TIEC's ambitions, but this is not a country club that
does background checks on you for admission. That's just smart business.
It all
adds up to a state of the art facility that was awarded the World Equestrian
Games in the year 2018. To put that into perspective, the 2014 World Equestrian
Games were held in Normandy, attended by 500,000 people, broadcast to a
worldwide televised audience of 350 million, and brought in at least 400
million dollars to the local economy. We figure it will bring the Tryon area a
lot more than that.
Well deserved, Tryon. A must see for anybody in the area, whether you are into
horses or not. Five stars.
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