Page 26 - AEF-AlbertaBits_Fall-2025

The property’s longstanding success is owed in large
part to the vision and guidance Ron Southern laid out
more than five decades ago, and Margaret Southern’s work
activating that vision. At the time, it was an ambitious
goal: to create a space that would bring equestrianism into
the mainstream, and create a year-round destination for
the sport. It was uncharted territory in Canada, but the
Southerns saw what was possible.
“It was about taking a sport that really wasn’t accessible
and making a sport that was accessible, not just to compete
in, but also to watch and enjoy,” he says.
“I remember many, many years ago sitting with Mr.
Southern when I was a young man in the early 1980s, and
talking about how when we were only running outdoor
tournaments in June, July and September, but how do you
build on that shoulder season?”
Since then, those shoulder season events have become
an important part of Spruce Meadows’ operations. While
summers have always been busy with outdoor training,
tournaments and international competitions, the venue’s
calendar in the fall and winter seasons has become packed
with indoor tournaments as well as annual events like the
international Christmas market and holiday light-up.
Since 2018, the venue has also been home to Cavalry FC,
a professional soccer club playing in the Canadian Premier
League. And while the connection between equestrianism
and soccer might not seem evident at first, Allison sees
direct parallels between the growth of equestrianism in
Canada over the past 50 years, and potential for the sport’s
growth going forward.
“If you were a youngster back in the 70s, whether it
be John Simpson or Mark Laskin or you name it, young
Canadians had no pathway once they turned 18 to continue
in the sport,” he explains.
“If you wanted to continue at a high level you had to
go to Europe, and that was also the case for soccer players
here, up until the introduction to the Canadian Premier
League for soccer players.”
Outside of sport, Spruce Meadows has also become
an important part of the community, engaging young
Albertans, and investing in communities through its Leg
Up Foundation. Since the Foundation launched in 2015, it
has raised funds to support needs throughout the province,
Photo by Tony Lewis