The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they ­combine the word “sport” with Pinehurst is golf. However, that is not altogether ­accurate. 

   Just like golf, horses and ­equestrian sports are woven into the ­history of Pinehurst from the earliest days when the Boyd family ­foxhunted around The Carolina Hotel and ­surrounding ­countryside.

In the early 1900s, horses were an ­integral part of Pinehurst life. There was a stable downtown and a riding ring on the grounds of The Carolina Hotel, which served as a venue for horse shows.

The Pinehurst Harness Track (or, as it was called then, The Pinehurst Race Track) was established in 1915 on its present site at 200 Beulah Hill Road South. It was the home of standardbred (horses driven behind sulkies) as well as thoroughbred racing.

The 111-acre Harness Track is the ­winter training facility for standardbreds from October through April. Equestrian events are held at the track October through April on Sundays, which is the standardbreds day off during the training season, and from May through September after the ­standardbreds season has ended.

Today, the village of Pinehurst ­continues a tradition of preservation of open land started by the Tufts family, the founders of Pinehurst. The Harness Track was protected until 1992 by a 40-year lease granted to a group of ­prominent horsemen by the Tufts ­family. In 1992, the village of Pinehurst acquired the Harness Track property to protect it from development. The Pinehurst Harness Track property is on the National Register of Historic Places.

It is unusual for a municipality to own a racetrack. According to Mark Wagner, director of parks and ­recreation for Pinehurst, “The town sees the value in the preservation of open space. Residents have enjoyed the ­benefits of the track. In the afternoon after the standardbreds have had their morning workout, ­residents hit golf balls and walk on the roads around the track.”

Standardbred trainers are in residence from Oct. 1 to May 1 each year.

“This season, we have 20 trainers in ­residence with stall reservations at 240 stalls,” said Wagner.

The public is welcome to watch morning workouts, Monday through Saturday.

The highlight of the season is the Matinee Races, which are held in May when the young standardbreds are exposed to their first racing experience.

The Harness Track hosts many ­equestrian sports throughout the year, including hunter/jumper shows, dressage shows, polocrosse tournaments and a ­carriage driving show.

“We would like to continue to build up horse shows in the off-season,” said Wagner.

Having horse shows in close proximity to the many horse farms located in Southern Pines is an added benefit for area equestrians. Even though Southern Pines outweighs Pinehurst in the number of horse farms, most of the organized equestrian events are held at the Pinehurst Harness Track.

Over the past 50 years, many horse farms have sprung up around what is today the Walthour-Moss Foundation in Southern Pines. However, there are no organized equestrian events held on the Foundation.

Equine sports, specifically foxhunting, were the primary reasons that open land was preserved in Southern Pines. More than seven decades ago, Virginia Walthour-Moss and W.O. “Pappy” Moss set out to preserve open land, to protect wildlife habitat and to offer a place for equestrians. Their dream took shape in the late 1970s when the Walthour-Moss Foundation was formed. Today, the Foundation encompasses 4,000 acres of land adjacent to the Youngs Road area of Southern Pines.

It is essential that open land is ­preserved if equestrian sports are to ­continue to be a part of Pinehurst and Southern Pines history. The Pinehurst Harness Track and the Walthour-Moss Foundation each help to ensure that future ­equestrians will have places to enjoy a well-loved sport of the Sandhills.

Moore County is not the only county where equestrians have banded together to preserve open land.

In nearby Hoke County, the 250-acre Carolina Horse Park, located 12 miles south of Southern Pines, is a permanent site for national and international ­equestrian competitions. One of the most popular events hosted by the Horse Park is the Stoneybrook Steeplechase, which will take place on April 5 this year.

For more information on equestrian activities in the Sandhills, see the Hoofbeats page in the sports section of The Pilot on Sundays or visit thepilot.com.

Patricia Smith can be reached at ­ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it