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TRYON—On Thursday, June 26, the Tryon History Museum’s Tales of Tryon presentation commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Tryon Riding and Hunt Club with a two-in-one talk by club president Joanne Gibbs and veteran Tryon horseman Gerald Pack.

Among the highlights disclosed were:

• North Carolina’s multi-billion-dollar horse industry is among the nation’s 10 largest, and Polk County leads the state’s 100 counties in having the largest horse population per capita.
• Riding and Hunt Club founder Carter Brown (1893-1978), owner of the Pinecrest Inn, is often credited with putting Tryon on the map, organizing the Tryon Horse Show and the Blockhouse Steeple Chase, among other equestrian events. In addition, he was instrumental in bringing the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Trials to Tryon. Pack, who has traveled the world in his horse business, said the word “Tryon” sparks instant recognition in horse circles across the globe.
• Tryon was blessed with some of the best hunting country under heaven. According to Pack, pioneer Tryon horseman Arthur Reynolds told him in the 1950s that the Tryon horse world as it then existed would one day disappear. Surely said as done, the building of I-26 through the center of that world changed everything. There have been compensations, Tryon International Equestrian Center among them, but Pack reflected that it’s sad Harmon Field is no longer a vital part of the world it helped create. Hopefully, its post-Helene restoration will restore some of its former glory.

• The Tryon Horse Show is now in its 97th consecutive year and is one of the nation’s few Heritage Horse Shows.
• The running of the Blockhouse Steeple Chase was suspended in 2025 after 76 years, though it’s hoped that steeple chasing still has a place in today’s world. The TR&HC board is implementing a careful analysis to evaluate the possibility of bringing back this signature event.
• The Riding and Hunt Club also has a philanthropic mission. Since 1982, it has been awarding scholarships to deserving local youth.
• Gibbs brought an exceptionally well-organized presentation to a close after 40 minutes, leaving ample time for questions and answers. The following 20 minutes provided an opportunity for one of the best Q & A sessions in Tales of Tryon history. Everyone in the audience had a chance to participate, and many more personal recollections were shared in a fitting tribute to a landmark institution.

The next Tales of Tryon event will take place at 5 p.m. on September 11 at Holy Cross Parish Hall. Local attorney Andy Haynes will talk about his great-grandmother, Emma Payne Erskine (among other notable women), and the enduring legacy she and other members of her family have contributed to Tryon’s history.

 

Submitted by Dick Callaway