The First 100 Years Ever Since 1896, the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair has promoted horsemanship and horse breeding for conformation, performance, and speed. Celebrating its 110th anniversary this year, the show is the oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse competition in the United States. Following is a brief history of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, including a summary of how the grounds evolved into the colorful complex we have today. In the late 1800's, the Pennsylvania Railroad established several stations along the Harrison branch, among them the Devon station. By the spring of 1896, numerous well-to-do families maintained homes along the Main Line. Many of these estates were some distance from the station, and although the automobile had been invented, most people in Devon still depend on the horse and carriage for local transportation. There was, therefore, a need for good harness horses. To encourage the breeding or more and better horses, the heads of several prominent families met in the Devon Inn one bright June day and created the Devon Horse Show Association. After electing officers and an Executive Committee, the group decided to hold a one-day Horse Show on July 2, 1896. They chose the Devon Race Track and Polo Grounds as the site for the show. The First Devon Horse Show was very different from today's ten-day event. It consisted of 30 classes, with the largest class having only 10 entries. While many of the classes had traditional titles, others were quite interesting, such as "Brood Mares with foal at foot", "Stallions Suitable to get an All-Purpose horse, and "Saddle Horses Capable of Going the Regulation Kentucky Gaits".There were no Jumper classes and most of the Hunter Classes were "Undersaddle". The fenced-in show ring was constructed on grass and the judges and officials sat in a gazebo in the center. Previous | Next