The Hampton Classic Horse Show brings its pomp and circumstance to the Snake Hollow Road showgrounds in Bridgehampton from Sunday through Aug. 30. The event features food vendors, boutiques, and more than 1,400 horses participating in over 200 competitions for more than $1 million in prize money. For those more familiar with the pageantry than the competition, Joey Wölffer, a lifelong equestrian and member of the Classic’s board of directors, offered some pro tips for understanding the equestrian events.
Throughout the week, she explained, there will be three main categories of competition: equitation, hunter, and jumping classes. (The term “class” is used to describe an event or competition within a horse show.)
In equitation classes, the judges will be watching the riders and evaluating their position, effectiveness, accuracy, control, pace, and flow.
“Equitation is judged on the rider and the rider’s style, the rider’s form, and the way the rider executes the test put in front of them,” Wölffer explained during an interview last week while riding her 13-year-old horse, Rockstar. “Equitation really starts a rider’s career in terms of learning to ride a horse on all levels.”
The hunter classes shift the focus from rider to horse, judging a horse’s style and form. There are three main types at the Hampton Classic. Performance hunters are judged on style, fluid movement, jumping form, and manners over jumps. Derbies are longer courses that combine traditional ring obstacles with hand-gallop sections and higher fence options. Local hunters are classes specifically for regional Long Island riders.
“It’s very intricate,” Wölffer said. “The rider has to do the right numbers of strides and distance to the jumps, but it’s really about the horse’s form and what it looks like.”
One of the top hunter events, and one of Wölffer’s favorites, is the $10,000 Marders Local Hunter Derby, which highlights local equestrian talent and takes place at 2 p.m. on opening day, this Sunday.
“The hunter derby is always really beautiful. The jumps are gorgeous. It’s really rhythmic,” she said.
Rounding out the category is the $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic, showcasing top junior and amateur-owner hunter riders, scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, the last day of the Classic.
The jumpers, or show jumping, may be the best-known class of the Hampton Classic — and, Wölffer says, the easiest to understand. Look for three different kinds of jumping: speed classes, jump-offs, and grand prix. Speed classes are what they sound like: It’s the rider against the clock, with faults adding penalty seconds to a rider’s time. Jump-offs have two rounds — in the first, riders have to keep all their jumps up within a specific amount of time. All riders with a clean first round return for a speed round to determine a winner. The grand prix is the highest level of show jumping, incorporating the largest fences and most technical courses.
How can you differentiate a good round of jumping from a poor one?
“You can tell by the way they leave the ground. You can see it. They’ll either get too close to the jump and knock it down or they jump funny,” Wölffer said, describing mistakes in jumping. “A good round is a round where it looks in the same rhythm and there’s no big move, a kick forward or a weight. That’s where the rider is really responsible in telling the horse now is a time to leave the ground.”
The horse show is a family affair for the Wölffers. Joey shows at the two-star level of jumping and will be riding Rockstar in the $30,000 Jumper Challenge on Sunday and the $40,000 National Grand Prix on Wednesday. Her daughters will also be competing: Evie, 8, in the pony jumpers, and Nell, 11, in the low children’s hunters.
The biggest event of the Classic is the five-star $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix, which is the grand finale of the horse show, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Aug. 30. Expect to see top international riders and Olympic medalists competing on a challenging 1.60-meter course, with 16 to 17 jumps.
Throughout the week there will be children’s activities in the kids’ tent, including pony rides, face painting, carnival games, and a petting zoo. Monday is Animal Adoption Day, and Aug. 29 is Kids’ Day.
Whatever your interest — eating, shopping, or watching the horses — Wölffer says the Hampton Classic has a little something for everyone, as long as you’re dressed appropriately.
“Definitely don’t wear open toe shoes. You’re going to get dusty. So don’t wear anything too white and definitely bring a big sun hat and sunglasses and lots of S.P.F.”
Beyond the competition, there’s plenty to enjoy on the grounds, too.
“It’s really cute to see the little kids. It’s really fun to see all of the Olympic-level people who will be here. There’s awesome food in the garden. There are great boutiques you won’t find out here, which is hard to say because there’s so much out here. It’s really special. I hope that everybody comes.”
