A Day in the Ring at Traverse City Horse Shows

From sunup to sundown, here’s what happens horseside

For 13 weeks from June to September, Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS) plays host to some of the world’s most accomplished equestrians representing 48 states and 26 countries, 60,000 rapt attendees, and in peak season, 1,600 horses (not to mention seven million dollars in prize money)!

“It’s really becoming a summertime destination for the equestrian community,” TCHS Event Director Matt Morrissey says.

But you don’t have to be a rider or trainer to enjoy an afternoon ringside at Flintfields Horse Park. We went behind the scenes for a play-by-play of a day in the ring.

Midnight – 5:00am

Per Morrissey, each new day at the show actually begins the evening before, with professional braiding crews working into the wee hours to plait each horse’s mane and tail for events. Crew members also roam the barns at night (a shift known as “night watch”), periodically checking on the horses and keeping an eye out for health or safety concerns.

While most spectators are still asleep in bed, grooms arrive on the grounds by around five o’clock to start mucking out stalls and completing morning chores. During this time, operations crews are also performing full footing checks in each ring, (i.e., adjusting for ideal riding conditions). Meanwhile, equipment and jumps are already in place in accordance with that event’s course schematic. Fun fact: Each TCHS event has its own course designer!

Early Morning

At around seven o’clock, riders and trainers emerge to complete first-light rides and warm-ups, aka flatting, which could take place in a number of areas.

Spanning 130 acres, the TCHS space comprises seven competition rings, each with its own warm-up area, and another five pitches for schooling and lunging, which teem with action throughout the morning. In them, competitors range from “short stirrup” (think: tots on a lead line walking a pony) to Olympic-level competitors. In fact, Morrissey notes that the 2025 season should be especially good for high-caliber showings, as there are no Olympic or World-level qualifiers this summer for riders to prepare for.

“Every three or so years, we get a strong showing. We have just about any age and skill level you could imagine, and—an interesting thing about our sport—men and women compete as equals,” he adds.

8:00am

By 7:30am, each ring is set and trainers walk the courses before the first classes, like an event “dress rehearsal,” down to timed practice runs and a set order of go. By the stroke of eight o’clock, the whole production is off to the races!

For those running on zero horsepower, 8am is also when most TCHS food and beverage vendors open their windows.

These range from TCHS concessions, which is operated through Main Event Catering (that’s the same company you’d find in the VIP Tent) and offers classic quick-service fare, like French fries, burritos, and chicken tenders; to the popular Great Lakes Lemonade stand and a rotating fleet of food trucks—headlined this year by offerings like pizza and acai bowls—which are oriented throughout the grounds.

Breakfast service also hits the VIP tent buffet table at eight, though note that this is a ticketed venue where space can be purchased days or weeks at a time. Other notable spots for nosh include the open-to-the-public Cabana Coast Club (optional: reserve box seats and a bottle of Veuve), the Bonobo Bar in the Southern Arches, and as of this year, a coffee bar called One Trick Pony featuring beverages made with Higher Grounds beans.

“We’re trying to expand our capabilities so that we can do more for the community and so that the community can become a greater part of what we do,” Food and Beverage Director Mindy Lopus says.

Mid-Morning and Early Afternoon

Fast forward to about 10am, and most of the show’s exclusive shopping and service-based vendors have opened their doors. A 4-H fair, though, this is not!

“It’s really more like a PGA-tour event. This is a professional sport, and people prepare that way,” Morrissey notes, and guests can expect to shop in kind.

While the lineup of tents along Vendor Row, aka a short strip of sidewalk lined with shops, does include its fair share of riding gear, the place is also a mini mecca of fancy gifts and cashmere sweaters. Like the food trucks, these vendors also rotate (though a handful have secured permanent spots) and range from world-class equestrian brands to luxury producers like Freya and Longines watches to local massage services. Haute fashion house Hermes has even signed on for a few weeks this year!

Once the noon hour rolls around, lunch service begins in the VIP tent, as does Friday happy hour in the Cabana Coast Club, which also features live music, discounted drinks, and weekly activities like bingo. Behind it, tiny trotters can engage in lawn game competitions or practice their jumps in the Kids’ Arena.

Meanwhile, production prepares for the main event with final broadcast checks in the International Ring.

It’s also around midday on Grand Prix Sundays that the week’s featured nonprofit organization arrives to man their booth in the Cabana Coast Club. As Morrissey explains, 100 percent of the TCHS’ weekly general admission sales go to a local nonprofit which can spotlight their cause at the end of the week. This year’s partners include Norte Youth Cycling, Hospice of Michigan, and Food Rescue, among a dozen others.

“We want them to have that presence, so that people can go and connect with them,” says Vendors, Sponsorship and Production Manager Ellen Sweetnam.

Grand Prix/Main Event

By two o’clock, most of the smaller competitions across the park are winding down, and festivities are underway for the main event in the International Ring, which is typically an elite-level class with a handsome cash award attached. For context: this year’s Grand Prix prizes range from $117,00 to $340,000!

Per Sweetnam, this is prefaced by a minute-to-minute JumboTron lead-up, which starts by “breaking down sponsor content about 20 minutes before the first horse walks in,” she says. This queue also outlines the class for guests, provides information about the course and its builder, and delivers snippets for each entrant, as well as any notable performance stats. From there, the first horse enters the ring to the full production, and guests sit back for the show!

Between the first and second rounds, there’s also a Grand Prix “intermission” period, which serves as both a drag and footing check, as well an unofficial pep rally, headlined by a T-shirt toss and an appearance by the show’s beloved unicorn mascot, Flint. “He’ll come up to the crowd and take pictures with them. Everyone loves it!” Sweetnam says.

Late Afternoon

By around four o’clock, the final competitors are finishing up and judges are tallying scores, which means it’s time for the grand finale: prizes!

Per Sweetnam, the ceremonies begin by presenting a check to that week’s charity partner, during which time the highest-placing horses are dressed for the festivities outside the ring. From there, the top three finishers receive their awards in order from third to first, each with their own announcer callout, congratulations, and photo opportunities.

Along with these, the TCHS circuit also distributes a few personalized honors; notably the Leading Lady award, which recognizes the top female performer for that week’s FEI classes, and as of this year, a prize for standout grooms.

The ceremony concludes with a round of the top-placing country’s national anthem, victory laps for the winners, and for the more prestigious classes, champagne showers—“It’s a mad dash to open it and spray the others!” Morrissey says—before a press conference (when applicable) and Q&A session caps off the day.

Evening

Though are a few seasonal exceptions, like a specialized classes or late-running events wherein dinner or other services might be provided, the bulk of each day’s itinerary starts slowing down in the early evening hours: the park’s doors close to spectators around four, and in accordance with competitors’ schedules, bars and music finish up around five.

By six, the grooms have started their horses’ evening care routines—mucking out stalls in preparation for sleep, stocking hay, providing fresh water, etc.—and at nine, it’s final staff checks and lights out before everyone’s up before dawn to do it again!

“What’s very unique about Traverse City Horse Shows is that it’s really [become its own] vacation culture,” says Sweetnam. “The whole family comes! People are really seeing this as their summer destination, and it’s so cool to be part of that [as an] organization.”

Find the Traverse City Horse Shows’ Flintfields Horse Park at 6535 Bates Rd. in Williamsburg. For ticket sales and more information, visit traversecityhorseshows.com.

Photo courtesy of TCHS / Megan Giese Media

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