Over 50 years ago, Ron and Margaret Southern purchased 80 acres of land south of Calgary – an old cattle feedlot – to build a place for equestrian athletes to both train and compete on the international stage. At the suggestion of their daughter Linda, the name “Spruce” was chosen to reflect the species of tree the family planned to plant on the treeless landscape. Margaret added “Meadows” to the name.
Thus, Spruce Meadows was born, officially opening its doors on April 13, 1975. Almost 50 years later, the facility continues to embody Ron and Margaret’s original vision, and then some.
“Our family is so proud of the support that people have brought to Spruce Meadows for 50 years,” says Linda Southern-Heathcott, who has been president and CEO since 2006. “It has really become one of the main stops for equestrian in the world, a premiere facility. It’s green, clean, entertaining, exciting, and of course, all about family.”
Spruce Meadows has greatly expanded throughout the course of its life and today encompasses over 500 acres. It hosts 10 show jumping tournaments per year, including five majors and five national competitions. Its very popular Christmas market happens every holiday season and includes a Christmas lights display, concerts and other entertainment. And, since 2019, Spruce Meadows been home to the Canadian Premier League’s Cavalry FC.
“Spruce Meadows is evolving into being the sports and entertainment district in the south of Calgary,” Southern-Heathcott explains. “We’re getting ready for our Christmas season with our Christmas market which has lots of wonderful features. We’re about to finish up the season for Calvary FC, aiming for the playoffs. And for our 50th anniversary we have a lot of new programming going to be launched.”
The supremely popular Christmas market will run November 15 – 17, 22 – 24 and November 29 – December 1 (tickets are on sale now). Last year Spruce Meadows welcomed 100,000 visitors to the markets. “The Christmas market is an experience, more than just a market,” Southern-Heathcott says. “There’s shopping, food, something for everyone in the family to enjoy. And we also have our beautiful Christmas lights with close to 40 kilometres (200,000 lineal feet) of Christmas lights to enjoy by car or walking.”
For the semicentennial celebrations, a sponsor-funded $5 million grand prix in next year’s Masters tournament (raised from the current $3 million prize pot) will make it the biggest prize in the world in show jumping, and one of the biggest sporting prizes in all of Canada.
A new restaurant, retail space and coffee shop bordering the International Ring is currently under construction, slated to open in August 2025. “It’s my legacy project,” Southern-Heathcott says. “It has beautiful sight lines and will be a great environment, and it will really ground Spruce Meadows as a year-round facility. It will be a nice restaurant for us to welcome guests on the southwest side of Calgary.”
A brand-new outdoor stage is being constructed with a concert series recently launched to promote local artists and well-known global names, and PetFest – launched last year and hugely successful with over 6,000 attendees – will return from April 11 to 13.
For history buffs, a 50-points historical tour of landmarks across the grounds, plus a cinematic documentary, will be offered.
Looking back on 50 years, Southern-Heathcott has many fond memories, including a visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on June 29, 1990 to mark the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Cup. “One of the best highlights was when Scott Brash won the Rolex Grand Slam at Spruce Meadows,” she recalls. “It meant he had won three major events in a row. Nobody else in the world had done that. The stadium was completely quiet. You could hear a pin drop. But what was really special was the fact that all the other athletes came out to watch and cheer him on. It was a really special, touching moment, that solidified we’re all in this journey together.”
Indeed, show jumping remains the heart of Spruce Meadows. Tournaments will include entertainment events with a range of performers, cocktail gardens, a fine art gallery, food trucks, local vendors, dog shows and free activities for kids (pony rides, face painting, crafts, train ride and bouncy castles).
“There were approximately 25,000 people on the grounds on each day of the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Masters this year,” Southern-Heathcott says. “We have capacity to have a thousand horses on site. Our economic impact in Alberta is $110 million, and $125 million in Canada. We are a significant contribution to the economy.” Notably, Spruce Meadows does not receive government funding.
Accessibility for all Calgarians and Albertans remains paramount, with general tickets starting at $5 for major tournaments and family entertainment events. Tickets for the 2025 season go on sale November 15.
Spruce Meadows’ commitment to the community is further evidenced through the Leg Up Foundation and its five pillars of health and wellness, grassroots sports, agriculture, community and education. “Through our school tour program [launched in 1975 by Margaret Southern] we’ve educated almost 250,000 kids,” Southern-Heathcott notes. “They learn about wetlands, about the horse, about bees. They plant seeds and learn about agriculture. About 33 per cent of our current fans originally came from our school tour program!”
Recognition of the surrounding community’s support will likewise be an important part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. “We have over 20 sponsors who have been with us since the start,” Southern-Heathcott says proudly. “That’s rare. So we’re going to take the time to celebrate them and all the sponsors that have helped us along the way.”
And what the Southern family and Spruce Meadows have done for show jumping in Calgary, Alberta and Canada, is what they are now doing for professional soccer.
“Again, there was limited ability for Canadian athletes in soccer to compete on the international stage,” Southern-Heathcott explains. “The launch of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) in 2019 had great parallels to what we did in the sport of equestrian. We’re going to allow young Canadian athletes to learn to compete, eventually on the international stage.”
As a startup league, eight original teams, including the Cavalry, were created. The team has a roster of 25 players, 17 of which are Canadian (the CPL has specific Canadian player requirements). “And we have youth content requirements where we commit to playing our younger players a certain amount of total minutes,” Southern-Heathcott notes.
“It’s been five years now and, overall, a great success. The team has sold players on to international opportunities and for the community it has brought great pride.”
Alongside the 50th anniversary of Spruce Meadows, Southern-Heathcott will celebrate a huge milestone of her own – 20 years at the helm of a company recognized as one of a handful of Canadian ‘super brands’.
That investment in the future – as well as forging meaningful connections with younger generations and new Calgarians – tops her list of priorities as she looks to solidify her legacy as president.
“When I took over, my father was still alive, and my mother was very much still involved (she still is, to a lesser extent) and it was very much my responsibility to keep Spruce Meadows running as successfully as it had been under them,” Southern-Heathcott recalls. “I still see that as my role, but now, more than ever, I also want to make sure we are tapping into the needs and interests of a city, and society, that looks completely different to what it did two decades ago.”
In September, that evolution saw Canadian Olympic breakdancing gold medalist Phil ‘Wizard’ Kim take to the stage as part of the entertainment running alongside the ‘Masters’.
“I’m not sure what my father would have thought of a breaker performing here,” Southern-Heathcott laughs. “But I understand that we need to be open to new things to attract, and keep, a new audience.
“We have already booked some huge-name performers for the 50th that I think people will be very excited about.”
For Southern-Heathcott, the direction of Spruce Meadows is also highly personal, as she hopes her two sons, Ron and Charlie Heathcott, will one day take over even more responsibilities.
Both of the young men are currently employed at Spruce Meadows; Ron, 29, manages health, safety and sustainability, while Charlie, 27, is a blacksmith.
“They have both been raised at Spruce Meadows, so it’s in their blood,” Southern-Heathcott explains. “They’re incredible young men and I know the preservation and growth of Spruce Meadows is also very important to them, as it is to my sister Nancy and her family.”
Reflecting on what makes Spruce Meadows special, Southern-Heathcott points to the family-friendly atmosphere, fostered by the fact that it is a family-owned operation: “There’s often three generations in one family here. We’ll see children with their parents and grandparents. And they’re here to enjoy Spruce Meadows, whether that’s equestrian or soccer. It’s a very special environment.”
“The future looks bright for Spruce Meadows and Cavalry FC,” Southern-Heathcott concludes. “The journey has always been about people. My boys are involved at Spruce Meadows and they have a passion for it. My sister’s children have a passion for it. As a family we will continue to grow Spruce Meadows and continue to be a part of the community for years to come.”
Southern-Heathcott has also taken a passionate interest in the literal sustainability of Spruce Meadows – and the wider world.
A number of initiatives – including on-site water collection, solar panel installation, widespread composting and an extensive recycling program – have already been implemented.
For tickets to Spruce Meadows’ Christmas market or for the upcoming 2025 season (which go on sale November 15) go to sprucemeadows.com.
