Eric Bull of ETB Equine Construction poses next to a jump on course at the $75,000 Asheville Regional Airport Wellington Eventing Showcase, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty. The fence will also be seen on course at the 2016 Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships. Photo courtesy of TIEC.
Last weekend’s Wellington Eventing Showcase cross-country course was praised for its aesthetics and spectator friendliness, with plenty of well-deserved credit going toward builder Eric Bull. With the announcement that Bull, of ETB Equine Construction in Scottsville, Virginia, has signed a contract to build the course for the 2016 Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships, we’re looking forward to watching his vision unfold in North Carolina.
After three years in Texas, this year’s Championships (Sept. 1-4) move to the new Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in Mill Spring, NC. Since hosting its first FEI competition last year the venue has quickly become a destination for hunter/jumper competitors and looks first-class, with luxe amenities for horse and rider nestled in a picturesque mountain setting.
The George Morris Stadium is the main arena at Tryon International Equestrian Center. Photo © Sportfot courtesy of TIEC.
The Wellington Eventing Showcase and TIEC common denominator is Mark Bellissimo, who is managing partner of TIEC and on the organizing committee of the Eventing Showcase among myriad other horse show endeavors.
The resulting cross-pollination was evidenced by the Wellington Eventing Showcase course, where a couple jumps referenced Asheville Regional Airport which is located about half an hour from TIEC…
Photo by Kasey Mueller/Rare Air Eventing Photography.
Photo by Kasey Mueller/Rare Air Eventing Photography.
… and we’re likely to spot some Wellington-themed jumps on the AEC courses later this year. The cross-country courses will start in the Derby Field, where banks, drops and other features will be incorporated into a Florida theme.
“It’s manicured and showy, which will look great with the Florida-themed part of the course that will cross-promote the Asheville Regional Airport Wellington Eventing Showcase,”Bull explains. “These jumps look like Florida mansions, with painted finishes and have lots of little doors and windows and other details that will look appropriate in this setting.”
From the Derby Field the course heads out into a more traditional cross-country setting of open fields with a water complex, into a wooded area along a river, and out into more open space. These fences will be more in keeping with the mountains of the Western Carolinas, built with timber, stone, and log cabin style construction.
“Even to me, and I’ve seen a lot of different courses by now, the area along the river is surprisingly pretty,” Bull says. “It’s a faster-flowing mountain stream with clear water, moss covered rocks, and Mountain Laurel growing on the banks.”
“The Derby Field is in the grid of show rings, so horses will run through one or two sand arenas to get back to the Derby Field, and there will be some jumps in the sand arenas, similar to major events like Fair Hill, which we also build, with a few jumps in the main arena,” he continues. “The fantastic part is you can hang out in the shopping area with all the amenities and watch cross-country; you can see about half of the lower levels and a third of the advanced course from there.”
Tryon International Equestrian Center is set to host the 2016 Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships in September. Photo courtesy of TIEC.
In addition to a wealth of other events — ETB’s extensive resume includes Fair Hill, The Fork, Fitch’s Corner, Plantation Field, Middleburg Horse Trials, Roebke’s Run, Southern Pines, Sporting Days Farm and Stable View — Eric and his crew built the cross-country courses for the inaugural AECs at the Carolina Horse Park in Southern Pines, NC, in 2002. So for him the 2016 AECs will be a bit full-circle.
“It’s nice to have it back in the North Carolina where it all began,” he says. “The attendance should be back up because it’s much easier to travel to Tryon for many of the upper level riders, and this facility has all of the amenities. The dressage and show jumping phases will be held in a world class atmosphere; you can eat a great meal, go shopping, and it’s a great place to bring owners, or for non-horsey family members to come along for the weekend to support a rider but also enjoy things like fishing and hiking around Lake Lure, which is right up the road.”
The courses will also be used for the United States Pony Clubs Championships East in July 2016.
“I think the sky is the limit with this facility,” Bull says. “Mark Bellissimo’s vision is pretty grand far as what’s possible and where he sees this facility going.”
We’re all looking forward to the TIEC’s unveiling as an eventing venue and can’t wait to see what Eric and ETB dream up. Go Eventing.
