Lake Placid, NY—May 21, 2004—The 2004 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows will host exciting activities for all ages when they return to the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, June 30 – July 11, at their fabulous horse show facility at the North Elba Showgrounds in Lake Placid, NY.

Especially for young people, the Lake Placid Horse Shows will host Ariat Kids Day on Friday, July 2 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. This event, available to the first 100 applicants affiliated with a club at a cost of $5.00 per child, is an educational and fun event with activities such as a stable tour, jumper course walk, farrier visit, and question-and-answer seminar on safety in and out of the ring. There will also be a raffle, giveaways, lunch and an autograph session with one of the nation’s leading riders.

The 12th annual Doggie Costume Contest, sponsored by the Lonesome Landing Garden Center and the Brown Dog Café & Wine Bar, will take place on Saturday, July 10 at noon. Children and adults, competitors and spectators alike are invited to dress up and show off their dogs. There is no fee to enter the contest and participants can sign up right on the show grounds.

The Doggie Costume Contest promises fun for all and free treats for all canine entrants. All people with leashed dogs in costume will be admitted to the horse show at no charge on Doggie Costume Day. Dressed as “Voyage Through Neverland,” last year’s Doggie Costume Contest winners were Dottie and Dandy, owned by Heather and Charlie Hooker of Wellington, FL.

Lake Placid village merchants get into the spirit of the horse shows, too, demonstrating their “horse sense” and artistic flair in the 17th Annual Equestrian Window Decorating Contest held concurrently with the horse shows. The equestrian-themed window displays are popular with horse show participants, spectators, and shoppers as local businesses welcome members of the horse show community to town. Last year, the Adirondack Trading Company won the Window Decorating Contest for the third year in a row.

The 2004 Lake Placid Horse Shows will once again host outstanding non-stop equestrian action, including two American Grandprix Association (AGA) Series events — the $50,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid on Sunday, July 4, which will be televised on Outdoor Life Network (OLN), and the $50,000 Hermès I Love New York Grandprix on Saturday, July 10.

Other special features of the Lake Placid Horse Shows include Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic series events for junior and amateur-owner riders. At the Lake Placid Horse Show, the Shamrock Ventures LLC High Junior Jumper Classic and the Mirror Lake Inn Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic both take place on Sunday, July 4. At the I Love New York Horse Show, the Shamrock Ventures LLC High Junior Jumper Classic and the Charlotte Bobcats $10,000 Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic take place on Saturday, July 10. The standings on the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series help determine which junior riders and which amateur-owner riders will qualify to ride in the 2004 National Horse Show in Wellington, FL, in November.

The 2004 Lake Placid Horse Show schedule also includes classes such as the 1.40m Hilton Lake Placid Resort Open Jumper Stake, the Adirondack Store 1.35m Time First Jump-off, and The Hooker Family Children’s Jumper class on Wednesday, June 30; the 1.45m Whiteface Mountain Open Jumper class on Thursday, July 1; the 1.35m Hilton Lake Placid Resort Time First Jump-off, the 1.40m Lake Placid Resort North American League (NAL) Open Speed Stake and the 1.50m Turtle Lane Farm Open Jumper Welcome Stake on Friday, July 2; the Charlotte Bobcats $7,500 Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, The Phelps School NAL Adult Amateur Jumper Classic, the Adirondack Life Low Junior Jumper Classic, the Golden Arrow 1.45m Open Jumper class, and the Sidelines NAL Children’s Jumper Classic on July 3; and finishing the week at the Lake Placid Horse Show is the Juliam Farm Lead Line and C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery Parade of Champions, as well as the Practical Horseman Day of Hunter Classics on Sunday, July 4, prior to the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid. The Lake Placid Horse Show also features a Large Junior Working Hunter section, sponsored by the Tytel Family.

The 2004 I Love New York Horse Show schedule includes the Trelawny Farm 1.45m Open Jumper Stake and the WPTZ News Channel 5 1.35m Time First Jump-Off on Wednesday, July 7; the 1.40m Wild Horse Winery NAL Open Jumper Speed Stake and the 1.50m Pin Oak Farm Open Jumper Stake on Thursday, July 8; the Nicola’s Family Restaurants 1.45m Open Jumper class, the Price Chopper 1.40m Speed Challenge, and The Hooker Family Children’s Jumper class on Friday, July 9; the Woodlea Farms Parade of Champions on Saturday, July 10; and finishing the week at the I Love New York Horse Show is the Pepsi Pony Hunter Classic, the Muirfield Insurance Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, the Levy Family Low Junior Jumper Classic, as well as the Lake Placid Lodge WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Classic and the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic on Sunday, July 11. Both the Adult Amateur and the Children’s Jumper Classics are member events of the WIHS Championship series and these classes will count as bonus points towards the Championships held at the Washington International Horse Show. The I Love New York Horse Show also features a Large Junior Working Hunter section, sponsored by the Tytel Family.

The highlight of the week is the $50,000 Hermès I Love New York Grand Prix on Saturday, July 10. After the Grand Prix, the Richard and Diana Feldman Perpetual Challenge Trophy for Excellence will be awarded to the rider who has won the most prize money in the two Grand Prix combined. This year, for the first time, the Lake Placid Horse Shows will also offer the $25,000 Hidden Creek Challenge, to be awarded to any rider who wins both the Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid and the Hermès I Love New York Grand Prix. The rider may win the two Grand Prix on different horses.

Budweiser has recently announced the start of the $60,000 Tri-Budweiser Challenge which will award $60,000 to any horse winning all three of the following events: the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon, the $100,000 Budweiser Upperville Jumper Classic, and the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid.

The 2004 Lake Placid Horse Show and I Love New York Horse Show sponsors include A& M Beverages, Adirondack Life, Adirondack Store, American Grandprix Association, Anonymous, Ariat International, Inc., Barbara & Michael Bitterman, Brandy Parfums, Ltd., The Brown Dog Café and Wine Bar, Budweiser, The Charlotte Bobcats, Jane Forbes Clark, C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery, Inc., The Cottage Café, The Country Saddler, Ltd., David R. Fowler Custom Tack Trunks, Der Dau Custom Boots and Shoes, Fox Run, Ltd., Golden Arrow Hotel, Hermès, Hilton Lake Placid Resort, The Hooker Family, Horse Watch, James Leslie Parker Photography, Juliam Farm, Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid Resort Hotel & Golf Club, Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau, The Levy Family, Lonesome Landing Garden Center, M&M Mars, McDonald’s, Mirror Lake Inn, Moss Communications, Mountain Horse, Mr. Mike’s Pizza & Pasta, Muirfield Insurance, Inc., Nicola’s Over Main, North Elba Park District, On a Fence Designs & Rentals, ORDA/Whiteface Mountain, The Pepsi Bottling Group, The Phelps School, The Phillips Family, Pin Oak Farm, Practical Horseman, Price Chopper, Red-Kap Sales, Ruthie’s Run, Sidelines, Shamrock Ventures LLC, SLVR by Aerogear, Trelawny Farm, Turtle Lane Farm, The Tytel Family, Unusual Silver, U.S. Olympic Spirit Store, Wild Horse Wines, Woodlea Farms and WPTZ News Channel 5.

Admission to the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows is just $2.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, please call the Lake Placid Horse Show Association at (518) 523-9625 or visit www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com