Hurricane Helene bashed the facilities but did not dampen the spirits of organizers and participants at the $60,000 Oktoberfest FEI CCI-S 2/3/4* & USEF/USEA Horse Trials, September 27-29 at Stable View in Aiken, SC. Organizers issued the following press release on Saturday afternoon:
“On the eve of the first night of Oktoberfest, Hurricane Helene hit Aiken. When the sun rose in the morning there was no power, no running water, and most roads were impassable. Aiken was left in the path of destruction with downed trees and power lines. Stable View itself was littered with fallen trees, destroyed gazebos, and debris. However, with the hard work of many officials and volunteers, Stable View was quickly cleaned up (at least enough to be able to run competition). By Friday evening, the cross-country course looked as good as new thanks to the efforts of many volunteers and competitors who pitched in during the clean-up process.