Paul Halpern of Russell, Ontario, earned $3,000 as the leading jumper rider in the Canadian Circuit Championship at the 2007 Vermont Summer Festival. Photo by David Mullinix Photography

July 15, 2008 – East Dorset, Vermont – Ariat International, Inc. has signed a three-year agreement to sponsor the Canadian Circuit Championship presented by the Vermont Summer Festival. The 2008 edition of New England’s largest “AA” rated hunter/jumper horse show takes place from July 9 to August 17 in East Dorset, VT.

The agreement features Ariat International as the presenting sponsor of the Vermont Summer Festival’s unique Canadian Circuit Championship for 2008, 2009 and 2010. A total of $10,000 in cash bonuses are awarded to the top two Canadian hunter competitors and the top two Canadian jumper riders based on points tabulated throughout the six-week horse show. Introduced in 2006, the Canadian Circuit Championship was designed to thank Canadian competitors for choosing to spend their summer show season at the Vermont Summer Festival.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Canadian Circuit Championship at the Vermont Summer Festival, as it truly is an international event by horsemen for horsemen,” said Beth Cross, president and CEO of Ariat International, Inc. “The love of the sport and competitive spirit that thrive here are exactly what inspires Ariat to create the best performance footwear and apparel for these athletes to use in their pursuit of excellence.”

Ariat International distributor, Oak Manor Saddlery, will be on-site throughout the six-week Vermont Summer Festival to assist exhibitors with all of their clothing and apparel needs.

“The Canadian Circuit Championship has been hotly contested since we introduced it two years ago, encouraging a friendly rivalry and making for a fun way to reward our loyal Canadian exhibitors,” said Ruth Lacey, Marketing Executive for the Vermont Summer Festival. “Ariat International’s three-year support of this program ensures that our ‘neighbors to the north’ will enjoy an added incentive for competing at the Vermont Summer Festival for years to come.”

Ariat was founded with one simple objective: to provide the most technologically advanced riding boots for the world's top equestrian athletes. Today, Ariat is the leading performance footwear and apparel brand for equestrian athletes around the world and is the official apparel supplier to the United States Equestrian Federation. For more information on Ariat International, please visit www.ariat.com.

The 2008 Vermont Summer Festival offers over $750,000 in prize money, making it the richest sporting event in the state of Vermont. Each week of competition features a $10,000 Friday Open Welcome Stake, sponsored by Manchester Designer Outlets, and, for the first five weeks of competition, a $30,000 Sunday Grand Prix. The 2008 Vermont Summer Festival closes with the grand finale, the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Sunday, August 17. Each of the six weeks also features a $10,000 Show Jumping Hall Of Fame High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper class, part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, and is also a member event of the Marshall & Sterling League and the North American League.

For more information on the 2008 Vermont Summer Festival including sponsorship opportunities or prize list, please call (802) 496-9667 or e-mail info@vt-summerfestival.com.