Doug Payne, a recently-named member of the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team, is a familiar face at Tryon International Equestrian Center and Resort (TIEC) and was named to the team last week while competing at the venue during Tryon Spring 4 competition. With a repertoire of victories that spans multiple years and many countries, Payne spends a significant amount of time competing at TIEC and has become a fan favorite after collecting several wins at the venue, which he calls his “second home.”

Photo – Michelle Yelton and Sarah Madden for TIEC (R-L) Doug Payne with wife, Jessica, and groom Courtney Carson (©Madison Ibach, TIEC)
 
“We were driving in earlier this week and Hudson, our son, he’s 3 now, he comes across the top of the hill and says, ‘Oh, we’re home!’ And I said, ‘yeah.’ We’re here [at TIEC] enough to be. It’s a super special place and a super convenient place to show and we love coming and will continue to come back,” said Payne who was previously based in Aiken, S.C. but just relocated to the Durham, N.C. area.

To celebrate Payne’s selection to the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team as the traveling alternate, the North Carolina-based rider was recognized in a surprise ceremony at TIEC on Saturday, May 29, where he was presented with a Cross-Country jump flag signed by the venue’s staff and horse show officials. Payne described being named to the team as “a humbling experience because it’s something that you work your life for, and the opportunity to represent your country and having the chance [to do so] – clearly, you just want to make the most of it.”

Payne qualified for the U.S. Olympic Event Team last fall in the 2020 USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship held at TIEC. This year alone, Payne and his equine partner, Vandiver, took home first place in the ProElite CCI4*-S National Championship held at the venue as part of The Fork at TIEC presented by Nutrena, an annual Eventing competition. That same week while competing in The Fork at TIEC, Payne also swept Tryon Welcome 2 in the Jumper rings, claiming wins in both the $15,000 Tryon Resort Grand Prix and the $5,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake.

Read more from Doug and Courtney here