Eight Olympic Riders and a New Team-Format Hunter Class Are Highlights of Upcoming Hampton Classic Horse Show

The 49th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show will kick off on August 25, running for a week and culminating with the Longines Hampton Classic 5-Star Grand Prix on Sunday, September 1, one of the most anticipated events of the summer season for equestrians and horse enthusiasts — as well as newcomers to the sport.

This year’s show will feature eight top-level riders who recently returned from representing their countries at the Olympics in Paris, including the unofficial king of the Hampton Classic, seven-time Grand Prix winner McLain Ward.

Ward was a member of the U.S. team in Paris that won a team silver medal in the show jumping competition, which took place on the grounds of Versailles. Ward is a six-time Olympian and is currently ranked 12th on the Longines FEI World Rider Rankings. Ward is a top contender on the international stage with five Olympic medals (team Gold in 2004 and 2008; team Silver in 2016, 2021 and 2024). He was also the Longines FEI World Cup champion in 2017.

Farrington’s championship appearances include one Olympic medal (team Silver in 2016), one World Equestrian Games medal (team Bronze in 2014) and two Pan American Games medals (team Gold in 2011, team Bronze in 2015). Along with being selected to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympic Games, he finished fourth at the FEI World Cup Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this year.

Another Olympic veteran and Hampton Classic crowd-pleaser, Daniel Bluman, will be in attendance this year as well. Bluman, who represented Israel in Paris, is the defending champion in the Grand Prix and is currently ranked 23rd on the Longines FEI World Rider Rankings. Last year, Bluman became just the fourth rider to win the featured Hampton Classic Grand Prix at least three times, claiming the win on Ladriano Z, his Paris Olympic mount. He previously won with Ladriano Z in 2017, while also winning in 2021 on Gemma W. Both mounts are entered this year.

Also returning from Paris to this year’s show is four-time Canadian Olympian Mario Deslauriers, who won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix in 2019. He will not make things easy for his fellow athletes, including his daughter Lucy Deslauriers, who placed second to him in 2019. Deslauriers is a three-time WEG and two-time Pan American Games competitor and remains the youngest rider ever to win the FEI World Cup Final, a title he won in 1984 at age 18. Lucy Deslauriers helped the U.S. win a team Bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games.

Other entered riders just back from Paris are World #11 Shane Sweetnam, who represented Ireland in the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games and who has won the Hampton Classic’s Longines Rider Challenge three times; World #24 Darragh Kenny, Sweetnam’s teammate for the 2021 Olympic Games and winner of last year’s Longines Rider Challenge at the Classic; Australia’s Thaisa Erwin, who made her Olympic debut in Paris; and World #25 Nayel Nassar, who represented Egypt at the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games.

Other previous Olympic veterans looking to claim prestigious titles at the Hampton Classic this year include three-time Olympian Beat Mändli of Switzerland, two-time Olympian Samuel Parot of Chile and Alberto Michan of Israel.

While the competition in the open jumper division will be fierce and exciting throughout the week, there is plenty to see in the other rings as well, with hunter, equitation and jumper competition in every ring. The youngest riders will compete in the leadline division on opening day, and junior and amateur riders of all ages will showcase their skills with their horses and ponies throughout the week.

A new feature added to this year’s Classic is worth checking out midweek. On Thursday, August 29, the Classic will host the inaugural $50,000 Kristen Baran Hunt Team Stake in the Anne Aspinall Ring at 2 p.m.

The class can be likened to a pro-am in golf. It will be held over one round with jumps set at 3-feet-3-inches in height over a hunt-and-go style course with teams consisting of three horses, one to be ridden by a professional rider and two to be ridden by either a junior or amateur. The two nonprofessional riders will complete their rounds first, with their scores each accounting for 25 percent of their team’s final score. The professional will then complete the course with that score accounting for 50 percent. Riders may compete on more than one team. Show Jumping Hall of Famer Steve Stephens, former Hampton Classic manager and 2008 Olympic course designer, will be guest course designer for this class.

“We are so excited to add this new hunter team competition to our schedule,” said Shanette Barth Cohen, the show’s executive director. “We look forward to hosting the new $50,000 Kristen Baran Hunt Team Stake not only for our exhibitors, but also as another way to continue supporting some wonderful charity partners. We hope everyone will enjoy this great new addition to our Thursday schedule.”

The Hunt Team Stake, the first hunt team competition ever held at the Hampton Classic, will benefit such charities as Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, the Center for Therapeutic Riding on the East End (CTREE), and the EQUUS Foundation.

The idea for the new competition came from equestrian advocate Kristen Baran and Andrew Lustig, a lifelong equestrian and former judge at the Hampton Classic. They saw it as an opportunity to introduce a novel, charitable event and aiming to strengthen the hunter industry.

“All of the charities hold a dear place in my heart, and I am truly thrilled to support them,” said Baran. “It is my goal to contribute to the sport I love and raise awareness about these wonderful organizations in the equestrian community and to foster meaningful relationships that will benefit everyone.”

For more information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show, visit athamptonclassic.com.