The Fanciness that is Tryon International Equestrian Center

I'm really having difficulty starting this post- I keep flip flopping back and forth with my sentences- they go from HOLY HANDGRANADS BATMAN! LET ME TELL YOU.... to In my hometown, boring sounding sentence to follow.... because I can't find a nice happy medium to tell you about the new Tryon International Equestrian Center that is basically in my BACKYARD!

Grand Prix at TIEC

The same people that brought you the Wellington and WEF that you know today have come together to build TIEC. So needless to say it is TOP CLASS. It has been a huge deal in this area, lots of people are for it, and just as many are against it. So naturally when a facility creates so much buzz the entire town shows up for the inaugural Grand Prix held at the new show grounds.

So many people in the background :)

For the first 3 weeks in July, Tryon was filled with strangers from Florida, Aiken, and various other places.  Even though it is still under construction, the barns, 4 arenas, walkways, horse paths, golf cart paths, vendor area, REAL bathrooms with flushable toilets (!!!!) wash stalls, etc were in place for what looked like a successful outing for a "not quite open but still having a show" facility. I don't know how the numbers paired out, and truthfully I only saw the Grand Prix, but it created enough buzz that it was standing room only. And the best part was FREE BEER!!!! Usually you have to pay a flat fee for an open bar but this time (probably to win over the public) there was an open bar and ice cream social- so everyone could stay cool and get drunk hahaha!

I truly can not describe the facility in all it's glory- it is something that must be seen and experienced for yourself! Their website does a great job of giving you a taste of what is to come and there is a short video too. I hope that the new facility only brings good people, more jobs, and benefits Polk County instead of turning it into another Wellington where only the super wealthy can afford to live there. The future is unknown, but until then I'll continue to enjoy my cozy little house and the place that I love and call home.

Waiting for his ribbon

The Mountains