Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show a 100-year tradition

BY DEREK HALSEY

BLOWING ROCK — The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show is a High Country tradition that has reached the century mark. It is an event that celebrates all things horses, staking the claim to being the oldest continuous horse show in the U.S. While there are other horse shows that have been around longer, many of them had to take a year or two off due to world wars back in the day or a pandemic in these modern times. The Blowing Rock Horse Show for Charity, however, has not missed a year since the early 1920s. For many families that have lived in these Blue Ridge Mountains over the last century, especially in or around Blowing Rock, they have maintained the same horse show booth at the event for generations. As for the horse lovers who reside down the mountain, the trek up to the Blue Ridge adds to the magic of the horse show. org.

What is most important is the money raised for multiple organizations and charities by the horse show, and the move to expand this special park in Blowing Rock where it takes place. The yearly funds raised go to entities such as the Blowing Rock Fire Department, the Blowing Rock Rotary Club, the Appalachian State University Equestrian Club, various animal welfare organizations and more.

To make all of that happen, the Blowing Rock Horse Show for Charity Foundation recruits and works to meet the expectations of the many sponsors involved, who are at the core of the money being raised that benefits so many.

The public is also invited to the Blowing Rock Horse Show, which will take place at the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve on three separate weekends. The Saddlebred meet took place on June 8 – 11, the Hunter/Jumper 1 show date will happen on July 25 – 30, and the Hunter/Jumper II meet will commence on Aug. 2 – 6. For times, tickets, directions and more, visit brchs.

As is stated on the page of the Foundation that runs this event and keeps the horse park in order, “The Foundation, the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve and the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Shows are the responsibility of a volunteer board of directors.”

The President of the Foundation is Burr Collier, who has been a part of the organization for 30 years now. Collier’s involvement with the Blowing Rock Horse Show for Charity goes back to his youth in Statesville when he was lucky enough to be raised around these wonderfully unique animals.

“When I was a kid, my parents lived in a pretty magical neighborhood and in the middle of it was about 12 acres and a barn, and about two or three other families there had smaller barns,” said Collier.

“My parents built a threestall barn on about three or four acres, so myself and my siblings had horses while growing up. It became a passion that developed in me, so I got involved with the horse industry in a bigger way, which has been life-changing for me as I have met people from all over the world and travelled all over the world to international horse shows and even the Olympics.”

As for Collier’s first visits to the Blowing Rock Horse Show, it took some youthful indiscretion to make it happen.

“When I was a child, the Blowing Rock Horse Show was the first big event I ever went to,” said Collier. “A friend of mine’s grandmother had a house in Blowing Rock and, at about eight years old, we snuck into the horse show through the woods and watched famous riders and horse trainers that I only read about in magazines. And, they had spectacular horses because the quality of the horses at the Blowing Rock Show is and always has been top-notch.”

Then, around 30 years ago, Collier joined the Board of the Blowing Rock Horse Show Foundation and has helped, with many others, to bring it back to a level of prominence in the horse world.

Along with the charities mentioned above, and there are many more not listed,

Blowing Rock Horse Show has not only kept the horse park facilities at a high level, but they are also in the process of adding acreage to the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve facility. The Foundation also works with the National Park Service to help to maintain the Moses Cone Manor, the historic house that was built in 1901 by the Cone Family and located at milepost 294 on the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway. The Cone Family donated the big house and 3,500 acres, which includes more than 25 miles of preserved carriage trails