Tryon Equestrian Center

Today we spent a sunny few hours at the Tryon International Equestrian Center which is actually near Tryon in Mill Spring, NC.

This amazing new facility will host the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, this huge campus includes a regulation outdoor arena, a soon to be completed indoor competition space, and several rings specifically for dressage, jumping, and other events. Adjacent land is being leveled for another large arena. Additionally there are rental cabins, a campground, a village with shops and at least a half dozen restaurants, many stable buildings, a general store, and the grounds are peppered with horse inspired pieces of artwork. The goal of the developers is not only to have a world class resort honoring "the magic of the horse" but to make it a year round destination for families of horse enthusiasts who also might be interested in exploring their nearby golf course, a lodge they have on nearby Lake Lure, and attractions in the nearby small towns and the area between Charlotte and Asheville. As our guide explained, a family might stay there because they have a child involved in a week long "horse camp," but the rest of the family can be zip lining, swimming, golfing, using the shooting range, exploring nearby towns and cities, visiting the Biltmore Estate, hiking, tubing or doing any number of other activities within a reasonable radius. They are aiming to have multifaceted appeal.

I took a few pictures to share.

These giant Rolex clocks top the main building which fronts the large arena. The outdoor seating in the foreground is part of "The Legends" restaurant.

Here's a view of the same building, note the clock tower, from across the arena.

From just about every location you can see construction going on... there is lots of earth being moved around and reshaped. Along with an interesting intersection off the highway to get to the property.

This Venetian carousel operates during special events and I'm sure it's as popular as it is pretty.

Signs direct you to various venues.

We ate our lunch at "The Legends" but most of our group ate at this cute diner.

There are lots of "horse farm" related places, like this silo bar.

Here are Russ and I near some of the art pieces.

We had hoped to see more horses in action. There is a jumping competition tomorrow, but then this weekend ends the season. I did capture nice images of this horse posing and then an action shot.

And here's another horsey shot.

We had been lead to believe that there would be a horse show of some sort, but as it turned out, we just had to rely on our luck to see some of the horses involved in tomorrow's event warming up in the various rings. 

After our excellent lunch, it was pleasant to sit in the sun and sip our afternoon coffee as we watched.

This is definitely a venue to keep on our radar and revisit as it continues to grow!