Carol Hill's photograph of grand prix competitor David Jennings riding Billy The Kid will grace the cover of the 2014 Vermont Summer Festival's Official Program and Visitor's Guide as well as the annual Show Poster.
This year's Vermont Summer Festival artwork features a photograph by Carol Hill.

June 6, 2014 – East Dorset, VT – Professional photographer Carol Hill of South Dartmouth, MA, captured the image that will be featured as the artwork of the 2014 Vermont Summer Festival.

The Vermont Summer Festival hosts six weeks of top show jumper, equitation, and hunter competition from July 1 through August 10 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT. This year a photograph has been selected as the official artwork, which has often featured original paintings from artists in years past.

Hill's photograph of grand prix rider David Jennings aboard Cory Olson's Billy The Kid will not only be displayed on the official show program, but also on the souvenir poster available for purchase throughout this year's Vermont Summer Festival.

"The photo was chosen because of how it captured the connection between horse and rider after a job well done," according to Ruth Lacey, Marketing Director of the Vermont Summer Festival.

Operating out of Full Circle Farm in Franklin, Tennessee, Jennings was pleased to learn that he would be the face of the 2014 Vermont Summer Festival. Jennings described the feature photograph as a pleasant surprise, joking that he had even more incentive to return to the Vermont Summer Festival so that he could be featured in the 2015 artwork as well.

The 2013 season was Jennings' first in many years at the Vermont Summer Festival. Growing up in upstate New York, Jennings was a regular on many of the New England show circuits. When his clients were looking for a new show to attend last summer, Jennings decided to bring them back to his old stomping grounds after consulting Vermont Summer Festival show manager Billy Glass.

"I went to Vermont back when it was in three different places, so that tells you how long ago it's been!" Jennings laughed. "I hadn't been there since. I knew Billy Glass was running the show now, and I spoke to him prior to going there last year. They've done a lot of work with the footing and such, so I said to my customers, 'Let's give it a shot!'"

He continued, "We came up for the last two weeks of the circuit. It was very, very enjoyable. Billy put on a great show, as usual. The horse show, the area, the people - the whole situation was unbelievable."

Between his own mounts and his clients' horses, Jennings brought 25 horses to Vermont last summer and capped off the season with his client, Emily Short, winning the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix aboard her aptly named mount, Grand Finale 3E.

As for Jennings' cover photo partner, Billy The Kid, the gelding has been leased out and will not be returning with Jennings' string in 2014. Instead, Jennings looks forward to contesting the last two weeks of the Vermont Summer Festival with his up-and-coming grand prix mount, Sweetheart.

For photographer Hill, photography has been a lifelong passion that began when she was in high school. While adept at capturing the excitement of many sports, Hill is a rider herself and particularly enjoys photographing equestrian events. Hill enjoys traveling and spending time in Vermont, skiing in the winter and often attending the Vermont Summer Festival in the summer. She is available for event photography and project photography of all sorts. For more information, Hill can be contacted at CAHillPhoto@gmail.com.

The Vermont Summer Festival is New England's largest hunter/jumper competition and offers more than $750,000 in prize money, making it the richest sporting event based on purse in the state of Vermont. For over 20 years, the Vermont Summer Festival has attracted exhibitors and their families to the Manchester region in southern Vermont.

The Vermont Summer Festival is a proud member event of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame, the Marshall & Sterling League, and the North American League (NAL). For more information about the Vermont Summer Festival, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.