The Devon Fall Classic returns September 10-13, 2026, to grounds that have hosted equestrian competition since 1896 — making this year’s 13th edition of the Devon Fall Classic a proper small chapter in a much longer story. The event returns to the historic Devon Show Grounds as the region’s premier all-jumper competition, drawing professional, amateur, junior, and young horse riders to the iconic Dixon Oval.
From a One-Day Show to the Nation’s Largest
Devon’s story began on May 22, 1896, when a group of Main Line neighbors met to organize a horse show — less than two months later, the first Devon Horse Show was held as a single-day event with roughly thirty classes. By 1914, it had grown into the largest outdoor horse show in the country, complete with a grandstand and canvas-covered box seats for spectators.
The show nearly didn’t survive its early tests. In 1918, rather than cancel outright during World War I, organizers ran a scaled-down three-day charity show that raised over $9,000 for the war effort — a charitable focus that still distinguishes Devon today. The Country Fair joined in 1919, with Bryn Mawr Hospital named as beneficiary; the Country Fair alone has since donated more than $15 million to the hospital.
The show paused again between 1943 and 1945 for World War II, returning right on schedule in 1946. By the 1950s, a midway and Ferris wheel had joined the grounds, along with the Budweiser Clydesdales’ first appearance — additions that shaped the Devon Horse Show into the internationally recognized institution it remains today, even as it continues to reflect its Main Line roots.
This Year’s Devon Fall Classic
This year’s four days of competition range from .85m jumpers through Grand Prix-level classes, highlighted by the $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix, the Open Speed Stake, the Welcome Stake, Junior and Amateur Jumper Classics, and Young Jumper divisions. In 2025, Elizabeth Traband and Eddie Blue topped a competitive jump-off field to capture the $25,000 Grand Prix, setting the bar riders will be chasing again at the Fall Classic.
Wayne W. Grafton, Chairman and CEO of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, described the Fall Classic’s growing role in the show’s calendar. “The Fall Classic has grown into a favorite for riders, spectators, sponsors, and families alike,” Grafton said.
He added that it “also gives many riders their first chance to compete on the famed Dixon Oval, gaining valuable experience as they work toward qualifying for the Devon Horse Show in May 2027.”
The Devon Legacy Initiative
This year’s Devon Fall Classic also serves as a major platform for the Devon Legacy Initiative, a five-year, $5 million campaign built around the theme “Preserving Tradition. Building Devon’s Future.” The initiative will fund facility modernization, accessibility and hospitality upgrades, barn improvements, and parking and paving work — the kind of stewardship Grafton says is essential to a grounds this storied.
Attendees can learn more throughout the weekend, ahead of the initiative’s official kickoff reception on Thursday, October 8, at Triple Crown in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
There’s something quietly moving about grounds that have welcomed every generation since 1896 now asking the next one to help carry it forward — the same neighbors-organizing-a-horse-show spirit that started this all in a single afternoon, still doing the work of keeping Devon standing for whoever comes next. Beyond the jumping itself, this year’s Fall Classic offers boutique shopping, food and refreshments, and family-friendly activities throughout the weekend, making it every bit as much a Main Line tradition to walk through as it is a competition to watch.
Images courtesy of the Devon Fall Classic.
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