Calling all horse fans! Did you know that there is a world class equestrian event that take place right here in New York City? The highly anticipated Rolex Central Park Horse Show has returned to NYC’s Wollman Rink! From Wednesday September 20th through Sunday September 24th, the fourth annual outdoor multi-day event will feature a variety of equestrian and riding programming that includes Arabians, Show Jumping, Puisance, Hunters, a free family activity day (more on this below!), and much more fun. This years champion and Olympic riders include Georgina Bloomberg, Jennifer Gates, Kent Ferrington (the #1 show jumper in the world!) among others taking Central Park’s stage for an evening that will be sure to amaze horse lovers and sport enthusiasts alike.
Always up for an adventure, we ventured to this incredible event in Central Park to learn more about the sport, the amazing competition horses and to experience world class programming that we are so lucky to have in our city’s backyard.
Rolex Central Park Horse Show – Setting the Scene
The show competition takes place right inside Wolleman Rink area, where riders vie for top prizes against a backdrop of skyscrapers in one of the world’s most iconic venues. Before we go further, a moment needs to be taken to call attention to this view. Watching the gorgeous horses jump over apparatuses with the New York City skyline as a backdrop is a surreal experience. Not just the skyline that is NYC, the obstacles in the course take on the likeliness of the city as well. This years obstacle designs included the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and even the Brooklyn Bridge. A ticket to this world class event is a must just to breathe in this New York scene.
The doors open each weekday at 6pm, with events starting at 6:30pm (weekends have afternoon programming too). Just as a concert with an opening band, the same is the layout for this horse competition. An opening event takes place first on the grounds, and as the night progresses the main event of the evening commences. Knowing that the sun will be setting around 7:30pm, we arrived when the doors opened so we could have ample time to take in the scene, and find our seat. We explored the grounds, including the vendors and concessions, and walked around the sideline exploring the obstacles before the competition.
Hungry visitors will be happy to know that the cafe offers a wide range of foods and snacks, as well as alcoholic beverages for Mom and Dad. On-site vendors were selling a wide range of clothing including event shirts and hats, as well as horse toys and cute hobby horses (which are hard to resist!).
Rolex Central Park Horse Show – Competition
The Rolex Central Park Horse Show features five days of multi-discipline equestrian sport and performances, ranging from Arabians and Dressage to Hunters and Show Jumping. The schedule is specific to each day, and includes this years U.S. Open $50,000 Arena Eventing competition – which is a short format version to traditional event, and will be entertaining spectators for the first time in New York City. Each event ends with a winner presentation, where the best of the evening are presented with a ribbon.
The evening we visited had 3 separate event competitions; the Junior/Amateur Jumper Speed Class, the U.S. Open Puissance and U.S. Open CSX Speed Class. Seeing these world class athletes, Olympians, and champions perform in such an intimate setting, with New York City as the background was incredibly exciting. Even if you are not a horse fan (who isn’t??) this scene would swallow you in. Our young son loved it, he was carefully watching the horse and rider move throughout the course, calculating the scores for each jump, and telling me who won. before the announcer could. It was a wonderful way to bond, and introduce little ones to a new sport, and learn about horses. We couldn’t recommend the experience more!
Central Park Horse Show Family Day
Not just for horse sport enthusiasts, this years schedule of events includes a return of Central Park Horse Show Family Day! On Sunday September 24th, the Rolex Central Park Horse Show will be partnering with Mars. Incorporated to welcome tiny horse friends! The Family Day event is open to the public, offering free admission and entertainment for families to enjoy.
Highlights from this years Family Day include:
- Equestrian activities including pony rides, pony games, and interactive pony grooming station
- Meet and Greets with Mini Horse Heroes Honor and Hamlet
- Chance to participate in Hobby Horsing (stick horse toy)
- Dog Agility Demonstration
- Performance from The Pompeyo Family (straight from America’s Got Talent! We love them!)
- Instagram dog celebrity Chloe the Mini Frenchie
- and much more!
Gates open at 12:00pm, with the FREE family events are from 1:00 – 3:00pm. See you there!
Rolex Central Park Horse Show
Located in Wollman Rink, Central Park
Enter the park at 59th Street and 6th Avenue
Link to competition information here
Find out more out the family activities here
