Preserving History Kelly McFeeley, Club Sports Representative
The Broyhill Equestrian Preserve has been a supporter of the App State Equestrian team for a long time. They have played a huge part in helping the team to grow and continue to thrive as a club sport, while also playing a huge part in the history of the town of Blowing Rock.
While much of the state would be plagued by the Great Depression, Blowing Rock remained untouched, with tourism in the thriving. This allowed the Charity Horse Show to continuously stay in operation every single year since 1923.
Many have heard of and know the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show. This is a show that has formally been put on every year since 1923 when it first took on the name “Blowing Rock Horse Show.” The history of the show didn’t start there though. The first records of the show date back to a newspaper article in the Lenoir News Topic from September 8th, 1897. The article details an annual fun show that the owner of Green Park Inn put on to entertain guests. Then in the mid 1920s Thomas H. Broyhill purchased the Mayview area of Blowing Rock and took over the Blowing Rock Horse Show as an attraction for the guests of Mayview Manor Hotel In 1934, Broyhill sold the grounds to the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show Association and the area would then become what is now known today as the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve.
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Photocreds: John Fann
