Spruce Meadows
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Spruce Meadows is an internationally-recognized equestrian facility located in Calgary, Alberta built by businessman Ron Southern and opened in 1976. The world-class show-jumping complex is located in the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains just south of the city.
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[edit] Tournaments
There are typically three major tournaments at Spruce Meadows annually. These begin with the "National" in June and continue with the "North American" in July and the CSIO Spruce Meadows 'Masters' Tournament in September. Each tournament is well recognized and they attract a wide array of athletes and their horses from around the world. Spruce Meadows was named number one show jumping facility in the world in 2001/2002 and 2003/2004.
Spruce Meadows also breeds, trains, and sells Hanoverian Horses, and holds an annual "Name the Foal" contest, in which three foals are selected to be named by the public. The contest is very popular, and when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation televises the tournaments, each foal from "Name the Foal" is individually profiled.
[edit] History
Construction of Spruce Meadows began in 1973, with the official opening in 1975 and first equestrian tournament in 1976. It has a capacity of 32,000. It is an all-season facility that hosts conventions and trade shows as well as show-jumping and dressage events. Spruce Meadows has a television production facility that produces Spruce Meadows Today, a show-jumping related TV series that is broadcast worldwide.
[edit] Recent concerns
Recently, the Southern family, who have owned the facility since its inception, have become vocal regarding the encroaching city development -- once several kilometres outside of town, Spruce Meadows is now located adjacent to two residential neighborhoods, with a third now in the planning stages, and parts of the Spruce Meadows facility are located within Calgary's city limits. In the late 1990s, the Southerns successfully lobbied the City of Calgary to rename the stretch of Alberta Highway 22X that runs north of the facility from Marquis of Lorne Trail to Spruce Meadows Trail.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Attractions and landmarks in Calgary | |
|---|---|
| Landmarks | Calgary Tower · Fairmont Palliser · Mewata Armouries · Petro-Canada Centre · Stephen Avenue · +15 · Tallest buildings |
| Attractions | Calaway Park · Canada Olympic Park · Fort Calgary · Glenbow Museum · Heritage Park Historical Village · The Military Museums · Stampede Grounds · TELUS World of Science · Zoo · Festivals |
| Venues | EPCOR Centre · Foothills Stadium · McMahon Stadium · Olympic Oval · Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium · Spruce Meadows · Pengrowth Saddledome · Talisman Centre |
| Parks | Battalion Park · Devonian Gardens · Edworthy Park · Fish Creek Provincial Park · Millennium Park · Nose Hill Park |
| Malls | Eaton Centre · Chinook Centre · Dragon City Mall · Market Mall · Marlborough Mall · Southcentre Mall · Sunridge Mall · TD Square |
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