AIKEN SUMMER CLASSIC HORSE SHOWS

TO REMAIN AT BRUCE'S FIELD

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Eight years after moving to Bruce’s Field, The Classic Company Ltd. and the Aiken Horse Park Foundation have reached an agreement for the Aiken Summer Classic Horse Shows to remain at Bruce’s Field in Aiken, South Carolina. The shows will join the Aiken Charity Horse Shows and the Fall in Love with Aiken series as part of the portfolio of hunter/jumper competitions.

Bob Bell, president of The Classic Company, has had a storied career in equestrian sport, from managing the National Horse Show to developing local shows. He established the June fixture in Aiken as part of his 37-year commitment to growing horse shows throughout the Southeast. The Classic Company’s shows have stretched from Charleston, South Carolina, to Gulfport, Mississippi, creating not only a successful circuit but also a strong community of competitors throughout the region. He started his career working an in-gate in Aiken at Ramblewood for John Rush. It is with respect for that tradition and history in addition to Bell’s dedication to the sport that the team at Bruce’s Field will steward these June shows into their next chapter.

“Bob Bell and the Classic Company have been a significant part of the horse show calendar in the region and we have all enjoyed showing at his shows over the last 30 years. From Conyers, home of the 1996 Olympic Games, to the beach in Charleston – and no one loved those shows at the beach more than Bruce [Duchossois],” said Tara Bostwick, CEO of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation. “For the Bruce’s Field family, we are proud to continue the legacy Bob and The Classic Company have established here in Aiken. We look forward to putting our stamp on these shows while ensuring they remain a fixture of the summer calendar at Bruce’s Field.”

Running June 16-19 and June 24–27 in 2027, the Bruce’s Field Aiken Summer Classic will offer a boutique competition experience with an enhanced schedule designed to offer something for everyone, including:

National Rated (A) – Level 4 Jumper

USEF|USHJA|SCHJA|GHJA|NCHJA|NAL|WIHS

WCHR sanctioned Week I

$40,000 American Standard Grand Prix – Week I & II

 $25,000 WIHS/NAL 1.10m Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic – Week II

$10,000 Welcome Stake – Week I & II

$5,000 1.30m Classic – Week I & II

$10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby – Week I

$5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Week I

Green Hunter Incentive - Week I & II

 $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Week II

$5,000 USHJA National Jr/Am Hunter Derby – Week II

For more information about the Bruce’s Field Aiken Summer Classic, please contact Joanie Morris, Chief Operating Officer at joanie@aikenhorsepark.org.

For information about Sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kate Boggan, Director of Marketing and Communications at kate@aikenhorsepark.org

2026 Park Sponsors

Diamond Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Board of Directors

Gordon Lawson, Chair

John Stephens, Chair Emeritus

Jack Wetzel, President

Tara Bostwick, Vice President

Robert Hottensen, Treasurer

R. Scot Evans, Secretary

Amy Borun, Director

Craig J. Duchossois, Director

Shallan Duchossois Hazlewood, Director

Daniel Geitner, Director

Putter Goodwin, Director

Administration

Tara Bostwick, Chief Executive Officer

Joanie Morris, Chief Operating Officer

John Maldonado, Director of Park Operations

Kate Boggan, Director of Marketing and Communications

Caroline Bald, Director of Finance & Business Operations

Nina Wakefield, Assistant Treasurer

Charles Bostwick, Administrative Assistant

Park Operations

John Maldonado, Marcos Castro, Jose Carmen Castro,

Apolonio Castro, & Joel Mendez,

The MISSION of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation is to promote Aiken’s equestrian way of life and to encourage the community’s civic, educational, and charitable endeavors.

Our VISION is to honor and preserve Bruce's legacy by maintaining and enhancing Bruce's Field as the pinnacle of equestrian excellence in the United States. We are committed to nurturing this historic property, blending state-of-the-art facilities with the cherished heritage of the land and community. Inspired by Bruce's dedication to stewardship and generosity, we partner with our community to support charitable, educational, and civic initiatives. We strive to be a vibrant, welcoming venue at the heart of Aiken, deeply rooted in respect, compassion, and the enduring spirit of our founder's dream.

Bruce's Legacy

When Bruce Duchossois acquired the field in 2000, he did so with a vision of its past, present, and future as a fixture of Aiken’s equestrian tradition. While his immediate goal was to save the land from residential development, Bruce’s dream was to grow it into South Carolina’s premier equestrian facility—maintaining its historic character, and paying forward the generosity of his predecessors.

Knowing he may not live to see his dream realized, Bruce created a Foundation to carry on his vision that “Bruce’s Field” may provide future generations with a place to hold the kinds of events that he cherished—old-fashioned venues with character and integrity; not an international horse park, but an intimate field in the center of the celebrated Horse District, where riders from the youngest lead line toddlers to the strongest Grand Prix competitors can come several times a season and compete on the best quality surfaces; not limited in its use, but a place where the City of Aiken’s many charitable and civic endeavors may be held for the benefit and enjoyment of all residents and visitors.

Bruce dearly loved Aiken and was so thankful for what it gave him. He offered this gift to the people and to the city, knowing that he would not be able to enjoy it himself, and asking nothing in return but that others enjoy it in his stead.

These shows seek to provide the kind of experience that Bruce cherished—old-fashioned venues with character and integrity, held on an intimate field in the center of the celebrated Horse District, where riders from the youngest lead line toddlers to the strongest Grand Prix competitors can compete on the best quality surfaces.