Suzy Haslup, REALTOR®
Accredited Land Consultant

Meybohm Realtors
142 Laurens St. NW
Aiken, SC 29801
Office: (803) 215-0153
Fax: (803) 502-7777
Contact Me

Aiken is Horse Country

In 1941 renowned horsemen Fred H. Post and his son William, came to Aiken to play polo. Aiken was considered at the time (and still is today!) a National polo capital and Aiken's lure as a 'Winter Colony' for wealthy Northerners was well established by that time. The comfortable climate of mild winters and early springs combined with the sandy soil was ideal for the pursuit of a variety of equestrian activities. Post, impressed by the area, decided to construct the Aiken Training Track to condition his flat racers. He found the perfect location along Two Notch Road where his track would be surrounded by established polo fields, quiet dirt roads and within hacking distance of the Hitchcock Woods, which at over 2,000 acres is one of America's largest urban forests.

It didn't take long for the Aiken Training Track to be considered one of the finest training centers in the country when horses trained here started earning their championship laurels in 1942, starting with Elkridge, a Champion Steeplechaser. Famous horse owners with names like, Greentree, Vanderbilt, Rokeby and Claiborne Farm started sending their horses to Winter in the South under the care of future Hall of Fame trainers Mackenzie (Mack) Miller, John Gaver, William Burch, Woody Stephens and many others.

Since that time 39 Champion Thoroughbreds have been crowned and are in the Racing Hall of Fame Museum located in Hopeland Gardens. The annual Aiken Trials, races for the horses broken and trained over the winter at the track, is held in mid-March every year as the first leg of the Aiken Triple Crown.

The first meet on the National Steeplechase Association calendar, the Aiken Spring Steeplechase dates back to 1931 when it was first run in the Hitchcock Woods.  Jockeys contest races that are 2 ¼ miles in lengths over a series of fences. This event makes up the second leg of the Aiken Triple Crown. There is also a Fall Steeplechase meet held in Aiken in October.

Today, polo is still played at Whitney Field, the site of the longest consecutive period of play on one field in the United States. And now, with the establishment of Langdon Road Polo Club and New Bridge Polo and Country Club, Florida-level polo returns to Aiken with high-goal tournament action!

Steeped in tradition, the Aiken Polo Club hosts club polo interspersed with exciting medium-goal tournaments.  The third leg of the Triple Crown is the Pacers and Polo game held at Powderhouse Field every spring.

The Aiken Polo Community is unique. We boast more than 45 polo professionals who make their homes in Aiken.

Aiken has a very strong carriage driving community.  The Aiken Driving Club was founded in 1985 and has a membership of over 200. Competitive in local and out of state shows, they exhibit their elegant horses and carriages in festive parades and events in town all year long. The Katydid Combined Driving event in the fall at Katydid Farm in Windsor, SC has become one of the sport’s premier events drawing competitors from across the country.

The hunter/jumper community is very strong in Aiken. Progressive Show Jumping organizes a number of shows throughout the year at Highfields Event Center.

The Aiken Hounds annual Blessing of the Hounds in Hitchcock Woods on Thanksgiving morning has become a rite of passage and draws hundreds of spectators. In addition to the Aiken Hounds, the area is home to the Whiskey Road Foxhounds, the Why Worry Hounds, Flat Branch Hounds, Edisto Hounds and the Belle Meade Hounds in Thompson, Ga.

Aiken has established itself as one of the nation’s premier winter training centers for the sport of three day eventing. The United States Equestrian Team Foundation hosts a number of training sessions in Aiken each winter. In addition, the four nearby eventing facilities-Full Gallop Farm, Jumping Branch Farm, Paradise Farm and Sporting Days Farm, offer competitions and schooling shows throughout the winter season.