New Partnerships with Isothermal Community College and the Young Horse Show Series

Increased Opportunities for Developing Jumper Series

For Immediate Release

Mill Spring, NC – October 20, 2021- Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (TIEC) has expanded opportunities for young horses, their trainers and breeders with multiple new initiatives and strengthening of existing opportunities. Show management is dedicated to the venue providing safe and educational experiences for up-and-coming equine athletes, promoting sport horse breeding in the United States, showcasing the talent of American breeding programs, and amplifying the young horse market to the larger equestrian community. Through breed inspections, young horse events and clinics, new partnerships, and expanded offerings in the Tryon Hunter/Jumper competition calendar, young horses continue to remain a key focus of the venue’s intention to be a place for all who love horses.

New Partnerships

In September, TIEC partnered with Isothermal Community College’s (ICC) Equine Department and Marydell Farms to bring inspectors from the American Hanoverian Society (AHS), and the German Oldenburg Verband (GOV) to TIEC on September 18, 2021. This event offered training and exposure for both young horses and ICC students, who played a vital role in producing and operating the event. Inspections were offered to a combination of stallions, mares and foals.

TIEC, ICC and Marydell Farms partnered to host an AHS and GOV Inspection at TIEC in September, with more planned for the future.
©TIEC

“We are so proud to partner with ICC on this great opportunity for their students and for the breeding programs in the U.S.,” said Molly Oakman, TIEC Director of Equestrian Operations. “We always seek to offer educational avenues through our venue. We look forward to seeing both the students and young horses grow in their careers through this experience. We are excited to keep growing this event to include more registries in the future.”

Kim Wawzysko, ICC Director of Equine and Agribusiness Sciences, is excited about the future of the Equine Business and Agribusiness program(s) and how their students will help fill a need in an equine industry that is growing world-wide.

“One of our initiatives in the Equine Business program is to support the breeding industry in the U.S.through sharing knowledge and skills that are necessary to effectively develop these horses as they mature in the sport. It is a huge honor that our students at ICC will have a role in this important process and we are thankful to have a venue like TIEC to use as a classroom,” said Wawzysko. “This program goes beyond traditional equine studies; it’s about horses and human health. Students learn emotional intelligence, public speaking, forage management, marketing and business, and have options to learn more about the growing equine assisted activities and therapy industry.”

Boosts to Developing Jumper Series

TIEC’s Developing Jumper Series (DJS) was created as an affordable opportunity for young horses and their riders to train at a world-class venue. Offering classes for five, six, and seven year old jumpers in the main rings at TIEC alongside traditional Hunter/Jumper competition, the series has grown significantly from its first year and in October 2021 featured evening classes under the lights in Tryon Stadium for the first time. The event was live streamed to showcase the young talent to viewers around the world.

Competitor Juan Ortiz (Loxahatchee, FL) and Odiel VDM were the victors in the Friday evening Seven-Year-Old Class, as one of only four pairs to go double clear under the lights. Ortiz believes that developing young horses is one of the most important ways to source new talent, instead of shopping – and paying – for more experienced mounts. “It’s always been a pleasure to jump in the young horse classes at TIEC. I really like the fact that we have some breaks to make sure that it is not as expensive as [competing] regular horses. I really appreciate what the horse show management and everybody does to make sure that we have incentives to be able to develop proper young horses.”

Juan Ortiz and Odiel VDM compete under the lights in Tryon Stadium as part of DJS competition at TIEC.
©TIEC

A longtime and frequent competitor at TIEC, Ortiz appreciates the variety that competing at TIEC can offer developing horses. “Obviously, young horses benefit from every experience that is different from day to day,” he explained. “This was a chance to give the horses a different experience under different circumstances and see how they reacted. If we consistently see young horses jump in the same ring with the same material, they learn, but it gets a little mundane. [Competing under the lights] gives them a different taste of what the next step in their career is going to be.”

Ortiz continued:

“As a venue, I think Tryon is one of the best venues for upcoming horses, because in a lot of horse shows, the annex ring is assigned to the young horse division. Once in a while we’re in the main ring, and that’s like a big deal. In Tryon, we always get two fantastic rings where the WEG [World Equestrian Games] were hosted: the International Stadium or the Tryon Stadium. They switch back and forth, and they always have great courses in both rings,” Ortiz raved.

“At other shows, we always end up showing in small rings. It’s like the young horse division is scrap iron! Here, it’s a priority, and that’s why I’m a loyal customer of the horse show. I was the first person to show in Tryon; I was here the first weekend for the trial show. I’ve been showing here ever since!”

DJS competitions feature classes in main competition arenas at TIEC, such as the Tryon Stadium and International Stadium.
©TIEC

The DJS competition during the Tryon Fall Series culminates this week during Tryon Fall 5, hosting the Developing Jumper Series Championship presented by Spy Coast Farm. The Championship consists of three days of competition in the Tryon Stadium and International Stadium, with the final round hosted Saturday morning at 8:00am EST in Tryon Stadium. Saturday’s finals competition will be live streamed for free at www.Tryon.com/streaming. 

“This is an event we look forward to every year. To watch the young horses improve throughout the season and advance through the different age groups is very exciting for the future of show jumping,” Oakman emphasized. “We plan to continue and offer special pricing, such as the zero nomination fee and discounted class fees, as an incentive for trainers to bring their young horses along to TIEC.”  

Young Horse Show Finals Presented by Spy Coast Farm

Tryon proudly hosts the 11th annual Young Horse Show Finals presented by Spy Coast Farm on November 9-13 in the Indoor Complex at TIEC. From in-hand and liberty classes to jump-chute, under saddle and over fences competition, the young equine athletes will be evaluated over several days in a safe and educational environment intended to support and promote American sport horse breeders across many breeds and disciplines. The 2020 Young Horse Show (YHS) Finals saw a record number of entries, exceeding 130, and jump chute competition was live streamed for the first time in 2020 to great success.

YHS Finals competition includes in-hand, flat and jump chute evaluations in addition to under saddle classes.
©TIEC

The Young Horse Show series is owned and operated by Jean Yves Tola, who shared that he expects 2021 to continue to break YHS records. “The overall quality [of entries] keeps climbing every year, making this competition noteworthy,” Tola shared. “The live stream addition this year was fantastic, too, as it allowed us to reach an audience beyond the United States. We had buyers, breeders, and owners tuning in from around the world. We’re very much looking forward to 2021!”

The Young Horse Show has grown significantly since moving to be hosted at TIEC in 2015. “Not only has the quantity of horses improved, but the quality of horses competing,” Oakman reported. “This show is a great opportunity for the larger breeding farms to expose their babies to a safe, friendly environment, and also for the first-time breeder to be well supported to compete with their first baby.”

TIEC will continue its partnership with the ICC Equine Studies program, through which students will serve as volunteers to support operations and continue the training they began at the September horse inspections. Horses at the YHS Finals presented by Spy Coast Farm will all compete in the Indoor Complex at TIEC in a variety of disciplines, from in-hand and flat work to Dressage, Jumping, and Jump Chute evaluations. 

The 2021 Young Horse Show Finals presented by Spy Coast Farm will be open to the public, with live streaming available for select classes. Learn more about the Young Horse Show Finals here. 

About the Young Horse Show Series
Learn more about the Young Horse Show Series by visiting their Facebook page here or by visiting www.YoungHorseShow.com.

About ICC Equine Business Program
The Equine Business program is designed to prepare students for various positions within the horse industry.  The curriculum is management oriented, preparing graduates for the widest range of available equine jobs. Course work includes equine science, equine behaviors, farm management, breeding, nutrition, selection/judging, and health. The program is unique to others in that it prepares individuals to manage the selection, breeding, care, and maintenance of work, athletic, show and/or therapeutic horses; and to manage horse farms, stables, and/or equine assisted-activity therapeutic centers, and related equipment and operations.

For questions, please contact Kim Wawzysko at 828-395-1749 or email at kwawzysko@isothermal.edu.