Riders Depend on Hampton Classic Sponsor Adequan®

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY (August 31, 2001) - Riders at the 26th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show have come to depend on Adequan® to help keep their hard-driving equine athletes in tiptop condition.

Luitpold Animal Health, maker of Adequan®, sponsored the $25,000 Fiesta Day Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic Horse Show on Friday. Rider McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, and Full Cry Farm's "Viktor" took top prize in the $25,000 Adequan® Fiesta Day Grand Prix, which is the qualifier for the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix presented by David Yurman on Sunday, Sept. 2.

In a single round of a grand prix competition, horses jump from 10 to 14 fences that can be as tall as 5 feet and as wide as 5 1/2 feet. The classes are judged on accuracy as well as speed, so these four-legged athletes often must make sharp, quick turns in order to complete a winding course as quickly as possible and with no penalties.

Many riders and trainers use Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) prescribed by their veterinarians to help keep their horses' legs from developing degenerative joint disease, said Pete Thompson, spokesman for Luitpold Animal Health. He explained that Adequan® is an anti-arthritic drug that is injected intramuscularly twice a week. It can be used on horses or dogs.

"Adequan is something we use everywhere," said grand prix rider Darren Graziano of Warren, NJ. "When you are heavily into show competition, using Adequan is as common as taking your vitamins when you are that much of an athlete, and I consider these horses athletes."

Graziano tells the story of El Paso, a Thoroughbred who was Graziano's first jumper about six years ago. "He was a great learning tool for me to start on as a rider," recalled Graziano.

"He was a good candidate for Adequan, and Adequan allowed him to continue his career. It helps as maintenance."

Today, El Paso is still showing and winning amateur jumper classes, where the jumps are about 4'6".

Friday, Aug. 31, was Celebrity Cruises' Fiesta Day presented by Avis with the exciting $25,000 Adequan Fiesta Day Grand Prix Qualifier at the 26th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show.