Haute Buzz: Why Big Names Turn out for the Rolex Central Park Horse Show

The absence of a horse show for more than three decades in such a sports-centric city might seem like an unfortunate oversight, but the logistics for holding an equestrian event—anywhere in Manhattan—had become far more daunting than they were in 1981, the last year horses came to jump and prance in the middle of town. There’s more traffic, more people, more regulations and more Park restrictions to contend with. “Central Park is difficult real estate,” Donald Trump, whose organization manages the Wollman Rink, once cautioned Mark Bellissimo, the head of Wellington Equestrian Partners, who thought up the idea for the show.

Added to the complicated logistics was the challenge of getting on the radar of the city’s movers and shakers and media outlets. Bellissimo chose to hold the event in September, a month with almost guaranteed balmy weather, but also a time of year when the city swings back into action from its summer semi-hiatus with events and galas scheduled every night of the week.

Photo Credit: Rolex Central Park Horse Show

Last year, the horse show also had to hold its own against some extraordinary and unusual competition. There were concerns that people wouldn’t want to travel to the rink on the night the Pope arrived in town because security would be limiting access to the Park, or that New Yorkers might be distracted by Beyoncé performing for the Global Citizen Festival a few days later on the Great Lawn, a short distance away. But the big names came anyway—during evening events you could spot Bill Gates chatting in the VIP section and his wife, Melinda, browsing equestrian magazines at a sponsor’s display table. Donald Trump, wife Melania and son Barron mixed and mingled, too. Even in its debut year, celebrities flocked to the show—photographers caught Bruce Springsteen and Patty Scialfa standing up from their table (a dining area is set up on the rink’s edge) to watch their daughter ride, the Boss tightening his hands on a guard rail as she navigated the course. Michael Bloomberg was also on hand to see his daughter take home top prize.

Despite the long-shot odds of bringing a horse show back to the city, Bellissimo, a former New Yorker (and financier at Credit Suisse) always thought he could pull it off. And that it would be worth it, despite the guaranteed and uniquely New York hassles. He says one motivation for taking the show on was the chance to “open the sport to a wider audience.” And where better to do that than in the media capital of the world—even if you risk being upstaged by one city happening (the Pope!) or another? “I don’t think there is any city setting that rivals this,” says Bellissimo. “You can really feel the energy of the community. We aren’t tucked away behind tents and trees; we are here overlooking the Manhattan skyline.”

When Bellissimo finally got the green light to do the show in 2014, he had only six weeks to get it together. That meant “figuring out a way to build two outdoor arenas (1,500 tons of synthetic dirt had to be trucked in), including the warm-up area with custom horse footing and a drainage system, as well as on-site stabling for the 48 horses that would be rotated in each day from Gladstone, New Jersey,” he said.