In Break With Tradition, Hampton Classic Will Resurface Grand Prix Field With All-Weather Footing Instead Of Grass

For decades, one of the defining features of the Hampton Classic Horse Show has been its sprawling, emerald green grass Grand Prix field on its grounds in Bridgehampton, which has hosted some of the best horse-and-rider pairs from around the world, from young up-and-comers to Olympic gold medalists.

Over the years, it has become increasingly rare to see the kind of high-level open jumper classes that wow the crowds at the Classic on Grand Prix Sunday contested on grass, as technological advances in engineering all-weather, sand-based footing have increased greatly.

When it was time to revamp the 120,000-square-foot grass field after the conclusion of the 2018 show, Hampton Classic Executive Director Shanette Barth-Cohen, Equestrian Manager Allan Rheinheimer and the rest of team that runs the show decided to stay true to that natural grass tradition, green-lighting a $1 million renovation project that started in September 2018. The new grass field received rave reviews after the 2019 show, and then sat dormant in 2020, when the show was canceled because of the pandemic.

When the show returned in 2021, the expectation was that the field would be in even better condition, benefitting from an unexpected year off that would allow the new surface to “settle.”

Unfortunately, the opposite happened.

It was immediately clear, during the first class held on the surface on opening day in August 2021, that the grass was not holding: Large chunks were being pulled up by horses during takeoff and landing over jumps, and while executing tight turns at high speed, a situation that was clearly not safe nor tenable.

A third of the field that had entered that first class opted not to finish, and less than an hour after the class concluded, the show staff made the difficult choice to rip up the grass footing and replace it with dirt footing for the remainder of the show.

It was a gargantuan effort — and the show continued on. When it was over, Cohen and the rest of her staff were essentially back to the same drawing board as in 2018.

This time, they decided to take a different approach.

Despite the beautiful look of natural grass, and its important place in the history of the week-long show, Cohen and her team decided it was time to transition to a sand-based, all-weather footing, rather than taking the risk with grass again.

The new footing will be installed by Travis Gould and his company, JTWG Inc. It is engineered using the same state-of-the-art processes that were used for the new footing in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, and Tryon Stadium in Tryon, North Carolina, both of which have received rave reviews. The laboratory design and modeling of the footing for those arenas, which host some of the top-level competition in the world, was done by Bill Hawe, CEO of iEquiTek, LLC, who is overseeing the project for the Hampton Classic.

While it will mark the end of an era when it comes to a bit of Hampton Classic tradition, Cohen is excited about the new footing, which will be completed several weeks before the start of the show in late August, particularly because it will enhance the show in several ways. Not only will the new surface be providing assurance for the top priority — the safety of the horses and rider — but its durability will allow the show to hold more classes in the Grand Prix ring and offer an even greater level of competition than it has in the past.

“All-weather [footing] has become more of the norm,” Cohen said in an interview earlier this month. “There are fewer and fewer grass arenas because the big piece is that it’s not predictable; there are things outside of your control. All-weather is easier to keep consistent versus grass, where heat and other factors can really impact the living grass that’s there.

“The grass has been a signature of the show for decades,” Cohen continued. “But we decided after that major investment to do the best grass we thought we could do, and it didn’t work. We really didn’t have another choice this time.

“The safety of the horses and riders is paramount,” Cohen added. “We wanted to make sure we have a safe environment and have good sport, and that it’s predictable. It got to the point where we were not confident we could do that with grass.”

Cohen said that the show organizers will work on making sure the Grand Prix ring has a “new signature look” with the all-weather footing, adding that assistant site manager Kate Soroka will work with course designer Steven Stephens and board member Silas Marder will work on installing new plantings, particularly on a grass perimeter that will remain, to ensure the ring stays true to its aesthetic value.

Cohen says she’s most excited about the new opportunity the footing will provide when it comes to the competition.

This summer, for the first time, the show will offer FEI CSI 5* (five-star) and 2* (two-star) competition.

Five-star is the highest level of competition that exists in equestrian show jumping, and by officially earning that marker, the Classic can offer a big increase in prize money, with next year’s Grand Prix making a significant jump to a $410,000 prize purse, an increase of more than $100,000 from last year’s purse.

The starred designations represent differences in the heights of the jumps and the prize money offered. By also offering a two-star division, the Classic will essentially attract more horses and riders and thus collect more money in entry and stabling fees. Not only will the expanded offerings attract more show barns that may not have had the Classic on their show schedules in the past, but the top-level riders and show barns that do attend will likely bring more horses with them. Top-level riders can enter a more experienced horse in the five-star classes, while also giving younger or less experienced horses a chance to compete in the Grand Prix in the two-star division.

While the grass will become a thing of the past in the Grand Prix ring, the show’s three signature hunter rings, as well as the annex ring, which typically hosts adult equitation and short stirrup classes, will remain grass. Because the hunter classes emphasize a slow and steady pace, without tight turns to jumps, and with lower fence heights, those rings do not take nearly the beating that the Grand Prix ring does. Cohen said feedback from hunter riders after last year’s show was that the grass surface in the hunter rings was excellent.

When it comes to the installation timetable for the new footing in the Grand Prix ring, Cohen said it should proceed quickly, as much of the work that was done in 2018 for the new grass field, such as new and improved drainage systems, will remain for the rebuild. Installation is likely to start around the end of April or beginning of May, and will take roughly a week to compete. A “curing” period is then required, and lab testing of the footing will continue before it is deemed ready. At that point, the show will invite several riders to come test-ride the surface with their horses, ensuring it is riding smoothly before the start of the show.

In keeping with the spirit of adding more levels of competition to the show, Hampton Classic organizers announced they will also add low children’s and low adult hunter divisions to the schedule this year. Those classes, where the fences are set at a height of 2 feet 6 inches, will make the show more accessible for both horses and riders who may not be quite ready to show in the 3-foot hunter divisions but are eager to compete at one of the most prestigious horse shows in the country.

Cohen said that the low adult hunters division has been the most-asked-for addition in recent years.

“I appreciate how thoughtful the board was in being responsive to folks who want to show here,” she said.