WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – Horses and their jumpers will arrive at The Greenbrier Resort on October 13, with events to follow throughout the rest of the weekend at the ArenaMend Classic, an Olympic-level horse show.
Dan Carr, event organizer and owner of the arena manufacturing company ArenaMend LLC, said the idea to combine a top resort with a top-level horse show came to him during COVID after a lot of shows were postponed and even canceled. He intended for The Greenbrier to become the venue for these well-known horse shows but is instead hosting the show himself without any affiliations.
Carr is no stranger to horse shows, he served as CEO for the Palm Beach Masters Series, one of the best shows in the country.
According to Carr, the series of competitions will take place on Friday, October 15, Saturday, October 16, and Sunday, October 17. The horses and their riders will spend Thursday warming up. Competitions will range from a two-star to a five-star ranking, all leading up to the final Grand Prix on Sunday.
Nearly 200 horses and more than 100 athletes are expected to attend the show to compete for the $750,000 purse. Current athletes include Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Ben Maher, USA Team Silver Medalists Laura Kraut, McLain Ward and Kent Farrington, and an Australian Olympian.
Carr says a show of this caliber is greatly needed in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
“It’s a uniqueness, having a resort like this,” he said. “It’s going to be great to bring a high-level sport to this area that hasn’t had this time of sports activity before. Quite a bit of high-level athletes coming to West Virginia is exciting, and we are excited to bring an event like this to the area. West Virginia has opened its arms to us.”
Carr says Senator Joe Manchin has been invited to the event, and it is rumored that Governor Jim Justice will make an appearance sometime during the weekend.
Day tickets are $45 and can be purchased here. VIP tickets, which seat four and include all-weekend access, begin at $4,500.
Food and drinks are being provided by The Greenbrier.