Hampton Classic Horse Show, celebrating 50th year, combines world-class riding, high-end shopping in weeklong competition

Southampton resident Laura Bowery has been riding horses since she was 3 years old and competing in the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton for the last 25 years.

But she will be especially emotional when she enters the show ring at this year's Classic for a premier jumping class next week. It will mark her return to competition after a series of back surgeries from injuries sustained in a fall from a horse five years ago.

And the show is in her own backyard.

There's “a sense of pride that I have that we have this huge event in my hometown,” said Bowery, 55.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hampton Classic Horse Show, which starts Sunday and runs through Aug. 31. It's sometimes referred to as the "Hollywood horse show” because the competition is also a major end-of-summer celebrity-studded social event.

In the past, these celebrity crowds have included Madonna, Billy Joel, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Lopez, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, former New York City Mayor Michael  Bloomberg, whose daughter Georgina has competed, Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen, whose daughter Jessica has also ridden in the show.

The annual eight-day event features world-class, international and local equestrians negotiating huge obstacles in show jumping classes. But amateur riders showing over smaller fences and children in pony and lead line classes will also be competing. Vendor tents selling a range of high-end products including equestrian gear and clothing are also a major draw, along with celebrity gawking.

The show has grown to become one of the biggest horse shows in the country. But in 2020, it was canceled due to the pandemic and faced challenges starting back up again, said Hampton Classic spokesman Marty Bauman. 

“This is actually the 50th year since the first year was ’76. So, we decided to switch back and kind of like pretend COVID never canceled that,” he said.

Shanette Cohen, the Hampton Classic executive director, said the show has evolved over the past 50 years “as far as size goes.” Originally the show was at Dune Alpin Farm in East Hampton before relocating in 1982 to its current spot in Bridgehampton, where competitors get more space for classes, warm-up and temporary show stalls for horses coming from elsewhere.

As the years went by, the grass footing in the Grand Prix ring wasn’t holding up, leading to the transition to an all-weather footing which is “another major change in our show that has enabled us to be a five-star because the footing is more predictable and it allows more horses to be competing out there,” Cohen said.

A five-star rating is the highest level of difficulty for an equestrian event. 

For spectators, the show's new Judge's Box Lounge, developed by the show's caterer, will offer a new elevated experience during the final four days of the show. In the past, patrons and guests had expressed interest in having the option to purchase an "A-Pass" or a single-day access to enjoy the show without having to commit to having one table for the week. The ringside lounge, under a large tent, will be available to purchase per day/per person with prices ranging depending on the day.

One of the longtime sponsors of the show is Land Rover. Michael Levitan, president of JLR Long Island, said their “participation in the event itself shows our commitment to the Classic itself and its success.” Levitan said he hopes patrons and guests are taken away with “the beauty of the sport at different age levels.”

The main gates open 8 a.m. Sunday and daily admission per carload is $25 and credit card only, paid at entrance or purchased online, with the exception of Monday, when admission is free.