Elizabeth Pandich of North Salem, NY, currently leads the $10,000 Ariat Green and Working Hunter High Score Award point standings half-way through the 2007 Vermont Summer Festival. Photo by David Mullinix Photography

August 2, 2007 – East Dorset, Vermont – The 2007 Vermont Summer Festival is pleased to offer three unique circuit championship awards to recognize the achievements of outstanding competitors at this year's event. The largest ‘AA’ rated hunter-jumper horse show held in New England, the Vermont Summer Festival is a six-week competition taking place from July 11 to August 19, 2007, in East Dorset, VT.

The $10,000 Ariat Green and Working Hunter High Score Award, the $10,000 Open Jumper High Score Award, presented by Sir Ruly, Inc., and the $10,000 Canadian Circuit Championship all offer cash bonuses to the loyal competitors who choose to spend their summers in Vermont.

The newly introduced $10,000 Ariat Green and Working Hunter High Score Award recognizes the top three riders in these divisions during the 2007 Vermont Summer Festival. Ariat International, whose distributor Oak Manor Saddlery is on-site throughout the Vermont Summer Festival, sought to reward excellence in the hunter divisions. Like the Open Jumper High Score Award, points are tabulated throughout the six-week circuit and the top three riders receive cash bonuses of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 respectively. Elizabeth Pandich of North Salem, NY, currently has the lead with 173 points, followed closely by Shachine Belle of Farmington, CT, with 153 points.

The mid-circuit standings for the $10,000 Ariat Green and Working Hunter High Score Award are:

Rider Hometown Points
Elizabeth Pandich North Salem, NY 173
Shachine Belle Farmington, CT 153
Rachel Kennedy Brookeville, MD 124
Russell Frey Argyle, TX 82
Patricia Peckham Yorktown Heights, NY 72

The $10,000 Open Jumper High Score Award, presented by Sir Ruly, Inc., rewards consistency in the open jumper division, the highest level of competition offered at the Vermont Summer Festival. At the end of the six-week Vermont Summer Festival, the point leader will be awarded a bonus of $5,000 while $3,000 will be given for second place and $2,000 for third place. At the halfway mark, Jimmy Torano of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, is ahead of Hillary Dobbs of Sussex, NJ, for top spot in the standings, but with three weeks of competition left to go, this will prove to be a hotly contested championship.

Current standings for the $10,000 Open Jumper High Score Award, presented by Sir Ruly, Inc., are as follows:

Rider Hometown Points
Jimmy Torano Ft. Lauderdale, FL 155
Hillary Dobbs Sussex, NJ 126
Erynn Ballard Canada 86
Sharn Wordley New Zealand 82
Louis Jacobs East Aurora, NY 55

With a high number of Canadians electing to spend their summers south of the border in Vermont, the $10,000 Canadian Circuit Championship was introduced last year and is open to Canadian citizens who are members of their national federation. The top two riders in the standings in both the hunter and jumper divisions will be named the Canadian Circuit Champion and Reserve Champion and awarded cash bonuses of $3,000 and $2,000 each.

Showing their versatility as both talented hunter and jumper competitors, Tatiana Dzavik of Toronto, ON, and Erynn Ballard of Hillsburgh, ON, hold the top two spots in both point standings, with Dzavik well in the lead in the hunter standings and Ballard firmly on top in the jumper standings. An influx of Canadian competitors for the last three weeks of the Vermont Summer Festival will give the two leaders a run for their money.

The current Canadian Circuit Championship standings are:

Hunter Rider Hometown Points
Tatiana Dzavik Toronto, ON 134.5
Erynn Ballard Hillsburgh, ON 52
Stephanie Barton Richmond Hill, ON 32
Becky Marshall Beeton, ON 23
Emily Newman Inverary, ON 4.5

Jumper Rider Hometown Points
Erynn Ballard Hillsburgh, ON 75
Tatiana Dzavik Toronto, ON 31.5
Ayla Barton Richmond Hill, ON 18.5
Beth Underhill Schomberg, ON 16.5
Karley Hopwood Markham, ON 15.5

The Vermont Summer Festival, now in its 14th year at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, Vermont, offers a total of $750,000 in prize money throughout the six weeks of competition, making it the richest sporting event in the state. Each week features a $10,000 Friday Open Welcome Stake, sponsored by Manchester Designer Outlets, and a $30,000 Sunday Grand Prix. The grand finale of the six-week Vermont Summer Festival is the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Sunday, August 19. For more information on the Vermont Summer Festival, please visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.