The success of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation’s Bruce’s Field, where the $50,000 LiftMaster Grand-Prix Eventing showcase will be held Friday and Saturday, has exceeded the expectations of the people involved in its development.
“I don’t think any of us ever thought there would be such a demand and interest,” said Tara Bostwick, who is the nonprofit organization’s vice president and treasurer.
The late Bruce Duchossois, a member of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, dreamed of turning the property bordered by Powderhouse Road and Audubon Drive into a major equestrian center with an old-fashioned feel to it and plenty of grass and trees.
Construction began in earnest on the barns and show rings in the spring of 2015, and the work went quickly.
That September, the Aiken Fall Festival I and II hunter/jumper shows were held there.
The following May, the Aiken Charity I and II hunter/jumper shows joined them on Bruce’s Field’s calendar of events.
Meanwhile, the Aiken Spring and Fall steeplechases also continued to be conducted at Bruce’s Field.
Because Duchossois died in 2014, he didn’t get to see his plans become a reality, but Bostwick and her colleagues on the foundation’s board of directors thought he would have been pleased with what had been achieved.
And so were they.
“We were just looking forward to having those two charity shows and the two fall shows, but then everybody was like, ‘Oh, we want more, we want more,’” Bostwick said. “The dressage community wanted to have shows at Bruce’s Field, and then the eventing people wanted to be here. That took us a little bit by surprise, but we have been very pleased to add more events to our annual schedule.”
One of them was the Special Olympics South Carolina State Equestrian Show.
In 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic stopped the horse shows for a while, but they eventually were able to resume without spectators and with the addition of requirements for face coverings and social distancing.
Even though COVID-19 is still threat, more than 15 competitions already have taken place or are planned for 2021 at Bruce’s Field.
The venue also is the site of Tuesdays in the Park, which offer once-a-week schooling opportunities for riders and their horses.
“People love to come here,” Bostwick said. “I believe we have created something very special.”
Bruce’s Field has eight barns on its roughly 64-acre tract along with four competition rings and three schooling arenas, which have German Geo Textile surfaces.
Bostwick believes those all-weather surfaces are among the reasons for Bruce’s Field’s popularity.
“Footing has become a paramount decision maker for people going to competitions,” she said. “They want to compete on the best footing they can for their horses. Consistency is very important to them.”
Aiken’s attractiveness as a community, Bostwick continued, also contributes to Bruce’s Field’s appeal.
“Aiken is such a great town to come and visit,” she said. “We have a variety of restaurants and a variety of hotels, and this facility is just minutes from downtown.”
In addition, “we’ve also made an effort at Bruce’s Field to cater to our guests," Bostwick said. “Hospitality is an important part of what we do.”
An important measure of Bruce’s Field’s success, in her opinion, is its effort to give back to the community. Equine competitions organized by the foundation have raised more than $100,000 for charities.
“We also are really encouraging people who lease Bruce’s Field to take on charities to champion at their events,” Bostwick said. "We want to get to the point where every event out here has a charitable component.”
The Aiken Steeplechase Association is building a new racecourse on the east side of Aiken that is scheduled to be ready for use by October, so the Aiken Spring and Fall steeplechases no longer will be held at Bruce’s Field.
There has not been day of steeplechase racing conducted there since October 2019 because of COVID-19.
The Steeplechase Association’s new facility is good news for Bruce’s Field.
Now the land where the steeplechase racecourse is located can be used for other purposes.
With tents added, Bruce’s Field can provide stabling for 600 horses, but during the larger shows, “100 something horses have to be stabled elsewhere,” Bostwick said.
Consequently, she is looking forward to the opportunity to build some new barns.
Also being considered are the construction of a covered arena and the enlargement of one of the competition rings, Bostwick said.
