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Kentucky Spring Horse Show Hosts First Stop in $215,000 Hagyard Challenge Series

Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Enhances Quality of Nation’s Show Jumping

March 10, 2008

Lexington, KY --- The Kentucky Spring Horse Show, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington from May 7-11, will feature the first event of the 2008 Hagyard Challenge Series. The series, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, is composed of seven major show jumping competitions and features $215,000 in prize money.

The first class, the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic Grand Prix CSI 3*, will be held on Thursday, May 8, in the Sheila C. Johnson Arena. The Kentucky Spring Classic Horse Show, held at the park the following week from May 14-18, will host the second class in the series on Thursday, May 15.

The series continues at the Kentucky Horse Park throughout the summer, with the final event, the $50,000 World Cup qualifying grand prix, scheduled for the Kentucky National Indoor Horse Show on Friday, September 26. After this concluding grand prix, the Hagyard Challenge Series will award its top competitor with a $50,000 Leading Rider Bonus.

The $215,000 Hagyard Challenge Series is made possible through the support of the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, located across the street from the Kentucky Horse Park.

“We feel great about our relationship with the Kentucky Horse Shows,” commented Dr. Andy Clark of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. “It has been very, very productive for us in terms of starting our Sport Horse Program. We started the Hagyard Challenge Series because we wanted to raise the profile of the Thursday grand prix classes and attract the top horses and riders. We thought it would benefit everybody and really change the reason why people entered these horse shows.”

Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, founded in 1876, is one of the oldest and largest equine veterinary practices in the world. The institute offers a staff with qualifications unparalleled by any single non-university veterinary group in the equine industry, and it is known for its excellence in veterinary medicine. Their diverse equine clientele range from international breeding operations to world-renowned race horses, three-day eventers, show jumpers and pleasure horses, and their Sport Horse Program, a relatively new development, was created to serve the nation’s top equine athletes.

Dr. Clark added. “Our involvement with the Kentucky Horse Shows has absolutely been beneficial for us, and we have a very strong Sport Horse Program. It’s a young program, but we send those same veterinarians that are here all summer at the horse park to other locations. Right now we have a team in Thermal, California, at the southern California circuit, and we have people in Wellington for a piece of the Winter Equestrian Festival. It’s enabled us to build the sport horse team that we use the rest of the year in other locations.”

The Hagyard Challenge Series, which increased its prize money from last year’s total of $170,000, also upgraded its Leading Rider Bonus. “I think our Leading Rider Bonus, which we raised to $50,000 this year from $30,000, is bringing some people back more often, so we’re really excited about it,” said Dr. Clark. “We feel that in order to change the profile of the Thursday grand prix, we need to keep score with money. We felt that a prize that was that significant would put legitimacy on the challenge series. Plus, a leading rider award like that is rare.”

Produced by Kentucky Horse Shows LLC, the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows will feature the very best hunters and jumpers in the nation. In addition to the Hagyard Challenge Series, show jumping events at the park will include the $55,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix CSI 3* and the $55,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI 3*, which is a member event of the AGA Grand Prix Series. Along with the regular hunter divisions, the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows also plays host to the 2008 Legacy Cup.

For more information on the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows or to download the prize list, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

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