Highlights Of The Upcoming 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival

Wellington, FL – November 24, 2004 – The upcoming 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival set for November 30th through December 5th, in Wellington, Florida, at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club features top hunter, jumper, and equitation riders and horses vying for more than a dozen national championships as well as over half a million dollars in prize money. The show also presents the 3rd Annual Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage At The National, scheduled for December 3-5. Additional highlights include a nightly social scene, children’s fair, restaurant tasting, art show, and vendor shopping.

Competition Highlights

Hunters
Last year’s National Horse Show Grand Hunter Champion, Tribute, ridden by Scott Stewart, returns to Wellington to defend his title. Other returning champions include In Disguise with Shachine Belle; Carmen ridden by Ken Smith; and Scott Stewart’s For The Music. Indian Summer, Cool Blue, Dynamic and Truly highlight the best of the First Year Green Working Hunter division. Last year’s First Year Champion, Attache, leads the Second Year horses. Navigator and Megan Young, almost unbeatable this season, highlight the stellar field of Junior Hunters.

Jumpers
Show jumping’s greatest stars, including nine U.S. Olympians and six AGA season-ending champions, will take center stage again this year. The National Horse Show is home to the Budweiser AGA Championship, CSI*** presented by Chesapeake Petroleum (December 5) and the Lexus National Horse Show Jumper Championship, CSI-W presented by Chesapeake Petroleum (December 3).

3rd Annual Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage At The National
Two dressage rings in the Mogavero Arena will be in action December 3-5 for the 3rd Annual Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage At The National. Classes from Training Level through Grand Prix will be contested. Some of the international caliber riders entered include: Arlene ‘Tuny’ Page, Betsy Steiner, Jan Brons, Bent Jensen, Jane Savoie, Susan Dutta, and Lars Petersen. New this year – all the lower levels have an Adult Amateur, Junior, and Young Rider class in addition to the Open. A featured class on December 4th is the ‘Zada Enterprises Take Your Own Score’ created by sponsor Joe Zada, which requires competitors to declare what they think their score will be before they ride – the one closest to her actual score as posted by the judges is the winner. On ‘Freestyle Sunday’, December 5th, exhibitors ride to music in choreographed programs.

Social Scene
The National Horse Show’s traditional nightly social scene this year includes: an Opening Party sponsored by Beverly Lake Wilkes at the Palm Beach Equestrian Country Club on Tuesday, November 30th; a Welcome Cocktail party hosted by John and Carroll Goodman at their International Polo Club Palm Beach on Wednesday, December 1st; a Cocktail Reception hosted by Mrs. William Redfern at her Mallet Hill estate on Thursday, December 2; “Jumping Under the Stars” Black Tie Gala in the Diamond Horseshoe VIP tent at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club on Friday, December 3rd with a Studio 54 after-party in the Pavilion to benefit the Equestrian AIDS Foundation; and the American Grandprix Association (AGA) Celebration Dinner at the Palm Beach Polo Golf House on December 4th.

Children’s Fair & Taste of Wellington
The Children’s Fair Celebration is on Saturday, December 4th, sponsored by Wellington Show Stables. Family fun includes the Western Moonwalk, 24-foot Super Slide, Balloon Artist, Face Painting, Petting Zoo, Rock Climbing Wall, Survivor Obstacle, and Pony Rides. Also on December 4th, the Taste of Wellington will offer samples from local gourmet restaurants including Bamboo Club, Cake Boutique, California Pizza Kitchen, Hoffman’s Chocolates, Macaroni Grille, Panera Bread, Charlie’s Steamers, Tree’s Wings & Ribs, Anthony’s Pizza, Galipette’s Catering Co., and many more.

Art Show “The Horse: In & Out”
Samson Projects, Boston’s newest contemporary gallery, will mount an equestrian-themed art show entitled “The Horse: In & Out” from Thursday, December 2nd through Sunday, December 5th. When horse show fans pass through the Spectator Entrance Gate, they will enter the specially erected art gallery tent and be treated to work by artists Sutapa Biswas, Stephen Pace, Malcolm Morley, Steven Klein, Marino Marini, Joe Andoe, Ashley Collins, Brendan Killian, Christina Lanzl, Jeanine Oleson and Ellen Lesperance. On Friday evening, December 3rd, Samson Projects will host a Cocktail Party from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Director Camilo Alvarez co-founded Samson Projects with his partner Alexandra Cherubini, an active competitor who shows hunters and jumpers. She also heads up Equifit, producer of ShouldersBack, which was included in the exhibition “Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Vendor Shopping
Just in time for your holiday shopping, more than 40 vendors will line the walkways and courtyards conveniently located near the competition rings offering a variety of wares including attire, accessories, décor, art, and jewelry, as well as first-rate riding apparel, tack, feeds, and horse clothing. Services range from spas to interior design. Two must-have souvenirs are the limited edition of 100 posters for the 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival signed by the artist, Rollin McGrail; and a book entitled “The History of the National Horse Show,” published by Henry L. Collins III, and written by author Kurth Sprague.

For more information about the 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival, write to National Horse Show, PO Box 386, Greenvale, NY 11548. E-mail: NationalHS@aol.com; Phone: (516) 484-1865; Fax: (516) 484-1982. Web: www.nhs.org