This invitation to the 1973 Ladies Village Improvement Society Horse Show feels particularly timely considering this year's Hampton Classic Horse Show starts Sunday. The Hampton Classic has a long history, originating with riding club shows here, and today it is a major fund-raiser for Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
This invitation provides all the information for anyone hoping to attend or compete in the L.V.I.S. show. It details the divisions of competition, qualifications, directions, entry fees, and prizes. The invitation promises a day filled with competition in four rings at three different levels of experience and several dozen additional events. Breakfast and lunch were available for attendees.
Over its 127 years, the L.V.I.S. has conducted a wide variety of fund-raisers in East Hampton, but the 1973 horse show was the first equestrian competition the group organized. It was held at the Topping family's Swan Creek Farms in Bridgehampton, and Alvin Topping served as show manager. His wife, Patsy Topping, served on the show's committee.
The show initially met with some skepticism, but it benefited from the strong equestrian community of the Riding Club of East Hampton and its decades of horse shows in the first half of the 20th century. The club opened in 1925 as a center for riding lessons, horse shows, and other equestrian gatherings. It was disbanded in the late 1950s. The club's founders were a mix of year-round locals and members of the summer colony. Its most famous member was probably Jacqueline Bouvier, the future first lady, who spent childhood summers with her family in East Hampton.
Between the strong equestrian tradition here and passionate committee members like Patsy Topping, the show continued as a success for another four years.
Moriah Moore is a librarian and archivist in the East Hampton Library's Long Island Collection.
