There is nothing quite like the sound of 25,000 people holding their breath. It’s more than silence—it’s power.

That was the feeling in the International Ring at Calgary’s Spruce Meadows earlier this week, when spectators watched in hushed awe, hands clutched, exhales held, as the British show jumper and Rolex Testimonee Scott Brash, riding the show horse Hello Jefferson, completed the eight-fence jump-off to clinch the win at the CPKC International Presented by Rolex. Once Brash and Hello Jefferson had successfully landed the final jump, the crowd erupted into roars as if awoken from a spell.

All things considered, the Spruce Meadows Masters could not have played out any more beautifully.

The 2025 edition of the tournament—one of the four most important show jumping events in the world—marked the 50th anniversary of Spruce Meadows, which was created by ATCO founder Ron Southern and his wife, Margaret, a school teacher, in 1975. It also marked the 10-year anniversary of Brash’s historic win of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. The equestrian sport’s highest prize, launched in 2013 by the Swiss luxury watchmaker, requires winning three consecutive Majors events, of which there are only four: CHIO Aachen in Germany, CHI Geneva in Switzerland, The Dutch Masters in the Netherlands, and CSIO Spruce Meadows in Canada. It was with his 2015 Spruce Meadows win that Brash clinched the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, and he is still the only rider ever to have achieved it. Now, a decade later, during the venue’s historic 50th season, he won here again, thus beginning his next campaign for the elusive Grand Slam.

“It feels like yesterday, not 10 years ago,” Brash said a few days before his win, seated in the Rolex suite at Spruce Meadows, which overlooks the International Ring. “I knew it was very difficult to be able to achieve winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, but as time has gone on, I think it shows how difficult it really is, and how challenging it can be just to win one Major, let alone three.”

Humble, quiet, and thoughtful, the 39-year-old took a moment to reflect on the significance of Spruce Meadows—not only for his sport but also for him personally.

“I spent many times watching Spruce Meadows as a boy,” he said. “I was always a boy who dreamed of riding here, let alone trying to win a class—let alone the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. That we won here on the final leg was extra special, because it’s such a unique show.”

Spruce Meadows debuted in 1975 with just 70 acres and now encompasses more than 500. The vision from the start was to create a world-class venue for Canada’s equestrian community. (Indeed, one rider, taking some quiet time in the barn, quipped that the level of sport here is “better than the Olympics.”) It began, naturally, with a love of horses: Ron and Margaret Southern’s daughters, Nancy and Linda, got involved in riding, and the couple found that they were having to travel great distances just to get the girls proper training, let alone have them compete.

“And so they said, ‘Well, what if we build something here in Canada, here at Spruce Meadows, that gives the opportunity to Canadian athletes to hone their skills and excel on the international stage?’” recalled Linda Southern-Heathcott, the younger sister and current president and CEO of Spruce Meadows. “That was really why they started. And they wanted to have a breeding program. They wanted to promote young riders.” (The foals are their own celebrities. Every year, Spruce Meadows holds a Name the Foal competition for its new horses. This year, 50,000 people submitted ideas for three foals. One of the winning names, Extra Spicy, came from a woman who has been entering the contest for 10 years.)

To walk the Spruce Meadows grounds with Southern-Heathcott is to be in the presence of equestrian royalty. Employees, riders, and guests all stand a little straighter at the sight of her. Aside from the fact that she competed in show jumping in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she is also the proud carrier of her parents’ torch and has been instrumental in the growth and prosperity of this place, which has helped set a new standard of excellence in equestrianism.

While she was giving a tour of Spruce Meadows, Southern-Heathcott happened upon Will Simpson, a show jumper who represented Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics—and won gold. Even Simpson, on his horse, stopped in his tracks upon spotting the CEO and thanked her.

Spruce Meadows has certainly grown over the years, and not just in acreage. The facility is now home to the Cavalry FC, Calgary’s professional men’s soccer team in the Canadian Premier League.

“People say, ‘Why did you start soccer?’ But it’s very similar core values,” Southern-Heathcott explained. “In Canada, there was no place for top young soccer players to compete. They all had to go away. By creating the league in Canada, we’re developing Canadians on Canadian soil to be able to compete on the international stage. It really does align.”

An onsite restaurant called Foxtrot is the most recent addition at Spruce Meadows. Located in the International Ring, it boasts incredible eye-level views of the jumps. Next on the horizon, according to Southern-Heathcott, is a hotel.

And yet, the facility never strays too far from its roots. For example, when Southern-Heathcott’s parents bought the property, it came with a decrepit red barn, and her father insisted that they not tear it down.

“My dad said, ‘Right, we’re going to keep that barn,’” she recalled. “It pays homage to our origins. We’ve obviously evolved and changed many things, but we always wanted to keep the little red barn.”

It speaks to the spirit of this place, which, despite all of its international acclaim, remains a Canadian-owned family business. In everything she does, it is clear that Southern-Heathcott is carrying on the legacy of her parents (Margaret is still alive, but Ron died in 2016). It is no wonder, then, that Rolex has thrown its support behind Spruce Meadows, where the brand has been a sponsor since 1989. Rolex’s relationship with equestrianism started much earlier, however, in 1957, when British show jumper Pat Smythe became the first equestrian Rolex Testimonee. Today, show jumper Testimonees include Martin Fuchs and Steve Guerdat, who both competed at Spruce Meadows this year. While Fuchs was eliminated in the second round, Guerdat won third, behind American rider Kyle King and winner Brash, another fellow Rolex Testimonee.

Perhaps it was Stefano Erard, CEO of Rolex Canada, smiling proudly back in the Rolex suite after the podium ceremony, who said it best: “This weekend, everything was aligned.”

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