Photo by Waltenberry, Inc.

TRYON, N.C. – February 1, 2018 – Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) announced today that it will host the 28th annual Carolina Classic Derby at its facility on May 8-13, 2018, the first reining event to be held at the 1,600-acre venue.

Renamed the Carolina Classic at Tryon International Equestrian Center, the event will also host the Selection Trials for the Reining USA Team in preparation for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 (WEG), as well as the $15,000 CRI3* WEG Reining Test Event. The show’s expanded schedule also includes the Carolina Classic Open and Non Pro Derbies and Atlantic Breeders Incentive Derby along with a double slate of National Reining Horse Association ancillary classes, American Quarter Horse Association classes and USA Reining classes.

Mike Hancock, longtime producer of the event, was glad to see this next step for the Carolina Classic. “After 27 years of producing the Carolina Classic Derby, I am proud to see the event move to another level. The facility at Tryon is spectacular! I know the management team will do an outstanding job producing an event that will be exciting and fun-filled for the exhibitors. It is good to see that our history of Southern hospitality will continue!”

Mark Bellissimo, Co-Founder and CEO of Tryon International Equestrian Center, said, “We are incredibly honored to be the new host of the Carolina Classic and expand our footprint to welcome Western disciplines to Tryon International Equestrian Center. With the addition of our covered arena, we look forward to delivering world-class reining competitions at our venue year-round and are very proud to launch our reining program with such a distinguished show and its impressive team.”

For more information about the Carolina Classic at Tryon International Equestrian Center, please contact Pro Management, Inc. at +1 (580) 759-2572.

Admission and parking to the Carolina Classic at Tryon International Equestrian Center is free and open to the public. For WEG tickets, event schedules or to sign up for the e-newsletter featuring the latest WEG updates, please visit www.tryon2018.com or follow @Tryon2018 on social media. Tryon International Equestrian Center at Tryon Resort is located at 25 International Boulevard, Mill Spring, NC 28756.