This year marked my 15th annual trip to the Spruce Meadows Masters in Calgary, Alta., and each time I arrive thinking, “How could this be any better than last year?” But each Monday morning, when I’m on the airplane traveling back to Virginia, I say, “Wow, this was by far the most memorable Masters ever.”

And this year was no exception (see p. 8). Spruce Meadows, established in 1975 by Ron and Marg Southern, celebrated the beginning of its fourth decade with major changes. Linda Southern-Heathcott, Ron and Marg’s youngest daughter, took over the position of president and chief executive officer. It’s a changing of the guard that was inevitable but still marked with bittersweet nostalgia. For the first 30 years, Ron and Marg were the driving forces of Spruce Meadows, developing the facility from a cattle feedlot in the early ’70s to one of the world’s best show jumping venues. Today’s Spruce Meadows includes more than 20 buildings, seven permanent stables, two indoor arenas and six outdoor grass rings on more than 300 acres.

The first tournament was in 1976, with about a dozen spectators. This year I stood in the International Ring photographing the $1 million (Canadian) CN International with more than 62,000 cheering show jumping fans surrounding me. I’ve traveled throughout the world covering major competitions in many of our equestrian sports, but nothing I’ve experienced comes close to the enthusiasm of the Spruce Meadows fans.

I’m certainly not the only one who feels this way–Tish and John Quirk have attended the Masters for 27 years, and this tournament marked a special moment in Spruce Meadows history when they were inducted into the Hall of Fame (see p. 72). Through their California-based Horses magazine, they provided extensive coverage of the early Spruce Meadows tournaments, which helped put the venue on the map, both nationally and internationally. For as long as I’ve attended the competition, I’ve stood next to Tish capturing the world’s best equestrian athletes through the camera lens. And I’ve sat next to John in the media center, describing the action in words for those show jumping fans who couldn’t attend. Their induction was a fitting tribute to two people who have contributed significantly to Spruce Meadows, but, perhaps more importantly, to show jumping around the world.

Tish sees this as an appropriate time for them to be winding down their Spruce Meadows travels. “It’s a transition time, and you could feel change,” she said. “For one thing, we’re Ron and Marg’s generation. When the Masters was all over we congratulated Linda on a spectacular tournament and a great beginning to her leadership. I also congratulated her on the sun shining every day and Canada winning the Nations Cup for the first time.”

Tish continued, “After the CN was over and the horses were lined up, Linda said, ‘This is the first time each horse was dressed in the line. I wanted every horse that made it into the second round to get a cooler. Don’t you think it looks nice?’ At that moment I thought, ‘She’s going to do fine.’ “

Even though I’m a relative newcomer to Spruce Meadows, I’ve witnessed impressive changes since my first experience there in 1991. I’ll never take Spruce Meadows for granted because whenever I walk around the show grounds I’m amazed by how much has been accomplished in this once lonely outpost on the Alberta prairie. It all began as one family’s dream and will now continue with a new generation leading the way. You can watch great show jumping all around the world, but there’s only one place where you have it all–great sport, true friends and the Southern family’s dedication to excellence.

Tricia Booker