Did you know East Hampton once hosted the Hampton Classic Horse Show? In 1971, Tinka Topping revived the old Southampton Horse Show on the grounds of the Topping Farm in Sagaponack. Four years later, the Toppings decided their farm “took too great of a beating” and stopped hosting it.
In 1976, Christophe de Menil, who died earlier this month, approached the Toppings, proposing they revive the show as an A-rated five-day show, which de Menil promised to cover all the costs for, provided that a location and a local charity could be identified.
The Group for America’s South Fork, a local conservation organization, was identified as the beneficiary, and a property adjoining Abe Katz’s Dune Alpin Farm in East Hampton, near the Wainscott border on Montauk Highway, was chosen. But de Menil’s grand gesture was a literal wash when a hurricane arrived for the show’s opening day.
The show returned the next year, with Southampton Hospital as the beneficiary, and it adopted the “Hampton Classic” name to indicate that it was an effort encompassing both Southampton and East Hampton Towns.
The show continued to be at Dune Alpin Farm through 1981. The map seen here, drawn by the newspaperman Dan Rattiner, shows the layout at Dune Alpin in 1979. Five hundred riders were expected that year. There was a Grand Prix ring and two additional rings, plus space for schooling or warmups.
Notes on the map indicate that the Hampton Classic operated for five days, with visitors reminded not to pet any animals without permission. The map also notes snow fencing, ambulance, and fire hydrant locations, and where the six stables and seven boutiques could be found.
Since 1982, the Hampton Classic has operated on Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton and at present estimates 1,400 participating equestrians. This year, the competition will run from Aug. 24 through Aug. 31.
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Andrea Meyer, a librarian and archivist, is head of collection for the Long Island Collection.
