The old fashioned Devon Horse Show, Americana interior design style

photograph courtesy of Alexis Asch

Devon Horse Show

America's oldest equestrian horse competition

set in a Pennsylvania country fair,

 complete with cotton candy and a ferris wheel, 

shows Americana old fashioned style in its finest.   

Since my daughter has been competing in horse shows for ten years, we have traveled the country from Lexington, Kentucky to Wellington, Florida.  I admire the sensibilities in the equestrian world, which are a perfect melding of old fashioned traditions, attention to detail and quality but in a manner that approaches it all with relaxed elegance.  It is no wonder these two ideologies marry well and find their way into our  homes and interior design.  When Gabby qualified for the prestigious Devon Horse show in Pennsylvania where the top twenty riders in each division meet annually to compete on the showgrounds, I was obviously over the moon.  The Junior Hunter division is one of the most difficult divisions to navigate in the equestrian world.  With well bred and expensive horses the world of junior equestrians have evolved tremendously from the days when Devon began. 

photograph courtesy of Alexis Asch

The oldest horse show in America, 

the Devon Horse Show 

has been drawing top competitors from around the world since 1896.  It is now internationally recognized USEF A rated and reflects the local traditions of the Philadelphia Main Line.

It appears I am not the only one smitten with sensibilities the equestrian world offers, and there are pop up shops and  boutiques at many horse shows we attend.  This year at Devon the chain store Anthropologie opened a boutique mixing home design and fashion wares.  They even had one of a kind vintage furniture for sale at the store.  Anthropology has their own home section as can be seen online.

 Anthropologie also paired with local  garden shop Terrain in Glenn Mills, PA to bring together garden, equestrian, furniture and accessories all stylized together in a way that makes you want to run home and "nest".  Terrain has another boutique in Westport, Connecticut as well as a good selection online as well.

 Terrain created a quiet respite inside this cozy shop set 

in the middle of a bustling horse show and fair.

Congratulation to all the equestrians who competed, 

and to both Alexis Asch and my daughter Gabby who qualified  Man of The Hour together for this prestigious show.  He is known as Lefty, and this horse is known locally for taking many blue ribbons. Qualifying for Devon was a big accomplishment for little Lefty - so kudos to these two hardworking girls who tag-teamed to make this happen. And a special thank you to trainer Patrick Rice from Haverhill for his hard work.

photograph courtesy of Alexis Asch