Save the Date for The St. Louis National Charity Horse Show 2021

Updated: Oct 17, 2021

The St. Louis National Charity Horse Show will offer a $25,000 Grand Prix for 2021. Photo Andrew Ryback Photography

Lake St. Louis, MO – June 10, 2021 – Save the date for the St. Louis National Charity Horse Show scheduled for September 15-19, 2021, at the National Equestrian Center in Lake St. Louis, Missouri. The show returns this year with numerous improvements including upgraded footing, a new schedule, and show manager Rick Cram at the helm.

To prepare for the show, the National Equestrian Center has put a huge effort into improving the footing for the 2021 show season. The GGT sponsored main arena and accompanying warm-up arena underwent a deep reconditioning. Professional excavators collaborated with the horse show’s arena professionals and Mo Duhon of DMG, LLC, to rake and rotate the footing and reintegrate the sand and fiber mix. The arenas were then laser-leveled and are scheduled to be revisited again in August 2021. Back in March, the National Equestrian Center purchased a professional-grade CNYST Sand Moisture Tester Meter to accurately measure and maintain proper moisture levels throughout the arenas to provide the best footing possible for the competition.

The show features the $5,000 3’ Hunter Derby, which was won by Cirabati in 2020, ridden by Kyle Muckler. Photo Andrew Ryback Photography

A new schedule features the coveted Region 5 ASPCA Maclay Regional Finals on Sunday morning instead of Saturday evening, and the $25,000 Grand Prix will now run on Saturday evening inside. In addition, the 3’ Hunter Derby will return along with a list of rated divisions for all levels of hunters and jumpers.

The esteemed panel of judges for the event includes the 2016 ASPCA Maclay Medal Finals judge, Diane Carney of West Palm Beach, Florida, and World Championship Hunter Rider and National Show Hunter Hall of Fame Inductee, John French of Wellington, Florida. The two judges bring decades of horsemanship and expertise in the show ring making for a prestigious panel to judge the week of competition.

Leading the charge is Rick Cram of Progressive Show Jumping, Inc. in Aiken, South Carolina, who will take on the role of new show manager for 2021 and brings to the table his organizational expertise. Cram sees all aspects of the horse show world as his wife and children also show. He can see the exhibitor’s side of the horse show as well as the management side to bring together the best of both worlds.

Perhaps the best part of the horse show is that it is proud to support two amazing non-profit organizations in the community: Stray Rescue of St. Louis, an organization dedicated to finding new lives for stray animals of St. Louis, and TREE House of Greater St. Louis, a therapeutic horsemanship center for people with disabilities and their families. Over the last five years, the show has proudly donated over $115,000 to these charities. The horse show strives to improve the lives of both people and animals through their events and the organizations that benefit from them.