For Immediate Release

Contact: Jennifer Ward, (613) 569-2423, contactus@startinggate.ca

Vermont Summer Festival Returns with Five Weeks of Equestrian Competition

East Dorset, VT—March 3, 2005— East Dorset, Vermont – The Vermont Summer Festival returns in 2005 featuring five weeks of exciting equestrian competition running July 13 to August 14 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.

New England’s largest ‘AA’ rated hunter-jumper horse show and newly sanctioned by Equine Canada, the Vermont Summer Festival kicks-off with the Manchester Summer Festival held July 13-17. Competition continues with the Manchester Classic Horse Show from July 20-24, the Valley Classic Horse Show from July 27-July 31, the Manchester and the Mountains Horse Show from August 3-7, and concludes with the Vermont Summer Celebration from August 10-14.

As is the tradition at the Vermont Summer Festival, each week of competition will feature a Grand Prix, the highest level of show jumping competition, and a Mini Prix. New for 2005 is the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix to conclude the five-week Vermont Summer Festival on Sunday, August 14.

Olympic veterans are the norm at the Vermont Summer Festival, and this year’s $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix is sure to attract the biggest names in the sport. Last year’s Grand Prix winners were Jimmy Torano riding Aguila, Canada’s Angela Covert-Lawrence riding Tomboy Major, Tracy Bartko-Magness with J'Aime La Vie, Danielle Torano aboard Quinault and Mary Lisa Leffler riding Kartousch.

Other notable names who have made the Vermont Summer Festival a part of their schedule include McLain Ward, Team Silver Medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Olympic Silver Medallist Peter Leone, and two-time Olympian Lisa Jacquin. Top Canadian riders that often cross the border for their share of prize money include Olympic veterans Harold Chopping and Mario Deslauriers. In addition, several international riders make the Vermont Summer Festival their summer training base.

The Vermont Summer Festival awards numerous circuit championships in various hunter, jumper and equitation divisions, and also features the Marshall & Sterling and North American League Children's and Adult Hunter and Jumper Classics. In addition to the Grand Prix events, weekly highlights of the Vermont Summer Festival include a Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series which is designed to give junior and amateur-owner riders an opportunity to compete at the higher levels.

“The 2005 Vermont Summer Festival will be celebrating its twelfth year at the Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, and the venue has proved to be a successful one on all counts,” noted John D. Ammerman, respected international judge and Manager of the Vermont Summer Festival. “Everyone enjoys their time in Vermont as the restaurants, shopping and scenery provide a perfect complement to the horse show.”

Committed to providing the highest standard of competition, the Vermont Summer Festival features the top course designers in the world, as well as the country’s best hunter judges. In addition, the show grounds provide fabulous facilities for riders, horses, and spectators alike, boasting an all-weather Grand Prix ring and jumper field, four all-weather hunter rings and several all-weather riding/schooling rings.

The Vermont Summer Festival gives exhibitors the unique opportunity to spend the summer months of July and August surrounded by Vermont’s well-known Green Mountains, while the quaint New England villages and towns beckon with great shopping and dining options as well as first-class accommodations.

For more information on the Vermont Summer Festival please call (802) 496-9667.

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