Aiken’s equestrians have multiple points of intersection thanks to the prolific calendar
of events and festivals including the Opening Meet for five area fox
hunts, held on Thanksgiving Day. The annual Horse Show in The
Woods is beautifully staged amid a blaze of colorful shrubs and trees
in the Hitchcock Woods, Aiken’s riding reserve with over 2,100 acres
and over 70 miles of sandy trails. Most especially, the annual Triple
Crown races draw the entire equestrian community together regardless
of discipline. The first leg of this festival is the Aiken Trials where
practice races for 2-year olds often lead to success in the national
racing circuit. The following weekend sees the Aiken Steeplechase
drawing crowds of over 35,000 to Bruce’s Field in the historic horse
district, where equestrian traffic has the right-of-way along
sandy clay roads. The final weekend of Aiken’s Triple Crown
closes with harness races and polo matches on Whitney
Field which has been in continuous use for over 100 years!
The place of polo has grown in importance from the early
days when socialite 10-goalers played to delight the Winter
Colony visitors for a few short months to the present day
which has seen construction of extensive, year-round polo
communities such as New Bridge Polo Club with resident
polo professionals and a busy calendar of competitive polo
in both the spring and summer. Offering outstanding amenities
such as four competition polo fields, as well as a clubhouse, the
stabling and housing infrastructure to accommodate owners and their
grooms, New Bridge Polo has become the epi-center of polo in the
southeast, rivalling Wellington while still maintaining the affordability
that Aiken is famous for. The lots in New Bridge are still priced reasonably,
making it possible for polo aficionados to purchase a 5 acre
lot and construct a small cottage and barn for under $500,000.
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Many seasonal visitors to Aiken have found this town offers
more than one might expect in a relatively rural area.
In addition to the scope for an active lifestyle afforded by
the golf courses, equestrian venues and recreational nature
parks, there is a range of cultural opportunities and
a cosmopolitan mix of residents from Olympic riders to
business people, scientists and college faculty. This melting
pot has been the major factor in making transplants
from all over the US feel unexpectedly at ease at one of
the South’s best destinations for equestrian living.
EE
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com