The Hampton Classic Horse Show 2016

I am sad to say goodbye to August today. I know that the summer is not technically over yet, but for me, the Hampton Classic Horse Show signals that the end is near. This year the horse show runs from Sunday, August 28th to Sunday, September 4th. Visit the show’s website to check the schedule of upcoming events, if you plan on heading out that way!

This past Sunday, I made it out to Bridgehampton for the opening day. The weather was perfect and I arrived at the show grounds from my house in near record time (under an hour!) — despite leaving almost 30 minutes later than planned. The traffic was so light that I even squeezed in a stop at Hampton Coffee’s brick and mortar location for an iced cappuccino and a chocolate croissant (if you are short on time, they have a mobile unit on the show grounds so you can still get your coffee fix on).

My morning was occupied watching various classes in the jumper ring (which is located next to a nice tent that just so happened to be open to the public that day). Despite the cooler temperature, sitting under the hot sun at a horse show will still leave you feeling as though you are baking. The tent was a welcome respite!

After getting a break from the sun under the tent and watching a few rounds of classes in the morning, I hit the Boutique Gardens for a little shopping. Of course, my first stops were GiGi New York and Jack Rodgers. Fortunately for me, the prices on almost everything were a bit more than I wanted to spend, so my bank account got a reprieve.

I hung around the show grounds all day waiting for the $30,000 Boar’s Head Open Jumper Challenge to take place in the Grand Prix ring at 2:00 pm. The Grand Prix is my favorite ring to watch on the show grounds. The horses compete on a grass field and the jumps are usually high (and often ornate). Watching anything in the Grand Prix ring is nothing short of spectacular.

Unfortunately, because I had been at the show since 9 am, by 2:30 pm I felt like I was frying in the sun. No amount of sunscreen or a second iced cappuccino offered any relief, so I ventured home.

Now that I made it out to the Hampton Classic, I feel like my summer has ended and I am ready to start thinking about Fall!