Part 2

Tommy Lee has a real Jones for the horse shows he manages. In the background: Bobby Pillion, one of Upperville’s ringmasters.

Lauren R. Giannini

Tommy Lee Jones – the horseman in Virginia, not the actor – started riding jumpers in four-foot open classes against adults when he was maybe 10. He soon got hooked on hounds and hunting, whipping in until he became Casanova’s huntsman in 1970. He has a real Jones for horse shows, and he’s been managing equestrian competitions for about 30 years.
“These aren’t your typical shows,” he says. “We like to make profits – you need to do that to keep going – but there are greater purposes to each show.”
Upperville Colt & Horse Show, a five-ring extravaganza where the main ring is famous for its trees, takes place on grass in early June. Warrenton Pony Show in mid-summer and Warrenton Horse Show, a Labor Day tradition with its wildly popular Hunt Night, run in one ring with lights for evening classes. All three shows are blessed with old-fashioned atmosphere and small-town hospitality.
“At Warrenton, we decided a few years ago to stop being an A show and do the things we do best and offer what people like to show in,” says Tommy Lee. “We have a four-day horse show, but it’s like four one-day horse shows. They ship in for one day and then they go home. The season’s winding down and a lot of people like to bring their young horses to us.”
Foxhunting enthusiasts turn out in droves to compete on Sunday, and everyone parties at ringside tailgates, ranging from fancy to simple. In the evening’s finale, hunt teams of three tackle a course follow-the-leader style and try to jump the final fence, three panels wide, abreast and in unison. Competition is fiercely friendly, and people come back year after year.
“The Pony Show is unique, because it’s run by kids,” explains Tommy Lee. “The Junior Committee does all the work, and a senior committee sort of advises them. The kids run the meetings and do everything from painting jumps to handing out ribbons. It’s a junior-amateur horse show, and the kids get to see everything from the operational side. It might help them to be better exhibitors, and maybe running the Pony Show gives the kids a bit more respect for the people in the office. They need to understand that management and exhibitors are not antagonistic. It’s a cooperative effort.”
Tommy Lee knows what riders want, and he tries to keep the divisions and the prize money as attractive as possible. But there’s one key element at any show.
“Make sure the footing in the rings is as good as you can make it,” he says. “We have grass rings at Upperville, but we have one horse show a year. The ring at Warrenton is all-weather. I built it myself and I’ve been told it’s as good as anything out on the circuit. We just run the water truck to keep the dust down.”
Tommy Lee masterminds every detail of the physical aspect of the show. His jump crews are ready on the spot when a rail topples or it’s time to change a course. He boosts morale with humorous anecdotes, because he always looks for the silver lining. He has a thing about customer service, in general, and he’s a stickler about trash collection and clean bathrooms.
“If you do your job correctly, that will encourage people to come back every year,” says Tommy Lee. “It’s a business – you always smile. I tell the kids who work for me the story about Disney so they know what’s important when they’re working at the horse show. There’s a place under Disneyland and a sign on the door that says: ‘Smile – pick up every piece of paper on the ground.’ Customer service should be the main focus for everybody who works on the horse show.”
Alas, inclement weather hammered the grass venue this year. The super-rainy spring saturated the ground, and then a dry spell hovered over Upperville. By mid-week daily downpours set the stage for mousse-like mud, necessitating schedule changes leading up to Sunday’s Budweiser Upperville Grand Prix.
A Belgian conglomerate had bought Budweiser – the theme parks, the horses, everything under the Budweiser corporate umbrella. They sponsored the 2009 Upperville Grand Prix and sent over a representative, who saw firsthand the huge crowd that boosted Sunday’s gate by 40 percent.
“Hopefully we can keep the relationship going,” says Tommy Lee. “We’ve had Budweiser as a sponsor for 25 years. To maintain the quality of the Grand Prix, you need that kind of supporter. With the way the economy is now, it’s hard to find big sponsors like that. It’s a big concern. We have to wait and see what they decide for next year.”
Meanwhile, Tommy Lee and his cohorts are involved in extensive improvements at Upperville.
“We’re building up the main ring to eliminate low spots and putting in gravel-dust on the rail and on the diagonals,” he explains. “We’ll keep the trees and grass in the main ring, and ring 2 might be all-weather by next year. I’m hoping when we’re done with both those hunter rings that rain will run off better.”
Tommy Lee’s shows must go on and on and on85
http://www.upperville.com
http://www.warrentonhorseshow.com