Hampton Classic plans to continue as weather allows

Riders and their horses will continue to compete Friday in the Hampton Classic Horse Show until Hurricane Earl causes weather conditions to deteriorate, organizers of the prestigious event said Thursday.

The oncoming storm already caused a shift in the weeklong show's schedule: Competition in the FEI $50,000 Spy Coast Farm Event Grand Prix - the qualifying class for the Classic's top-dollar prize event - was held Thursday instead of Friday, because of organizers' concerns about Earl-related winds and rain.

Moving the event ensured participants a chance to qualify for the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier on Sunday - the culminating class of the entire show.

"Given that this is an FEI class, all horses must be in controlled quarantine stabling at least 24 hours before the class," Hampton Classic Horse Show executive director Shanette Barth Cohen said. "By taking this step now, we can give all our competitors ample time to prepare and be sure that we hold this important class in suitable conditions and within the scope of FEI rules."

FEI is the sport's international governing body.

Anticipating Friday's predicted bad weather, about 100 horse vans were placed around the show grounds to help break the wind, said Dennis Suskind, the show's president.

He said the show could accommodate about 4 to 5 inches of rain and up to 60 mph winds.

Rain is always a worry, "because we're an outdoor show," Suskind noted yesterday. But with improvements in the footing of competition rings over the show's 35 years, the Hampton Classic never has suffered cancellation, though some separate classes have not been held.

Bauman said organizers met on Tuesday to come up with an evacuation plan for the horses to another location and were ready to pull down all the tents if the hurricane had been more of threat.

The only loss so far was a baby giraffe in the show's petting zoo, Suskind said. Because his 16-foot-long neck doesn't fit inside a van, he was sent back to Florida.

Saturday's and Sunday's events are expected to continue as scheduled, spokesman Marty Bauman said.

The Hampton Classic is one of the most prestigious horse shows in the country, with 1,600 horses competing.

With Ridgely Ochs