John Porter and Kennebec, pictured here at the 2013 Vermont Summer Festival, went on to win the Taylor Harris Insurance Service National Children's Medal Finals at the Capital Challenge Horse Show after riding to multiple blue ribbons in "Equitation Tuesday" classes. Photo by David Mullinix Photography
Hannah Taylor, and her horse, Ship Shape, finished as the TAKE2 Thoroughbred High Point Hunter at the 2013 Vermont Summer Festival. Photo by David Mullinix Photography

June 13, 2014 – East Dorset, VT – The extremely popular "Equitation Tuesday" classes will return to the Vermont Summer Festival in 2014, along with the TAKE2 Thoroughbred Hunter and Jumper divisions. The Vermont Summer Festival hosts six weeks of top equestrian competition from July 1 through August 10 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, Vermont.

"Equitation Tuesdays" provide Vermont Summer Festival competitors with an extra opportunity to earn points toward qualifying for year-end finals. Pursuing precious qualifying points late in the summer used to result in competitors juggling multiple shows in one week, a burden that Vermont Summer Festival show manager Billy Glass wanted to help alleviate.

"Adding classes on Tuesdays provides these guys an opportunity to have additional qualifying vehicles in Vermont," explained Glass. "In the past, a lot of times on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, the kids would ship to other venues to try to qualify. It's there for the customers."

He continued, "We have always had a big turn-out of equitation participants and, more importantly, a really high quality group. In today's environment, they're in a position where they have to qualify for year-end finals, and they only have a limited opportunity to do so. With the turn-out we have at the Vermont Summer Festival, we felt it was important to create an avenue for more opportunities for these high quality kids to qualify."

The TAKE2 Thoroughbred divisions also made their debut at the 2013 Vermont Summer Festival and will be back during weeks 2, 3 and 4 by popular demand. Trainer Miranda Scott and her clients frequented the winner's circle in Vermont before going on to top the year-end TAKE2 standings. Scott's client, Hannah Taylor, and her horse, Ship Shape, finished as the TAKE2 High Point Hunter while Isabella G, which Scott piloted to multiple championships for owner Catherine Cullen in Vermont, was High Point Jumper.

Scott has been attending the Vermont Summer Festival for more than 10 years, and was thrilled to learn that the show would be offering the TAKE2 divisions. Not only did her horses earn back their entry fees in prize money, but Scott has also made personal connections thanks to the divisions in Vermont.

"I have met so many great Thoroughbred people through the TAKE2 division in Vermont," said Scott. "I won a class on Isabella G and a woman watching was like 'Oh my, that was beautiful, can I ask you to call my friend, Emily Day? She lives in White Post, Virginia, and has all of these horses that she's trying to take from the race track and retrain.' It's so cool because we have become fast friends. Thanks to Vermont, I've made this important connection right in my own backyard in Virginia."

Both the "Equitation Tuesdays" and TAKE2 Thoroughbred divisions are sure to feature quality starting fields at the 2014 Vermont Summer Festival.

For over 20 years, the Vermont Summer Festival has attracted exhibitors and their families to the Manchester region in southern Vermont. Known for its wide variety of area amenities including restaurants, outdoor activities, and lots and lots of shopping, Manchester-area businesses warmly welcome horse show competitors to the area each summer.

The first five Saturdays of the Vermont Summer Festival will feature a $30,000 Grand Prix. The $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix will be held during the sixth and final week on Saturday, August 9. The hugely popular $5,000 3'3" Hunter Derby will also be held each Thursday for the first five weeks, with week six featuring the $15,000 Hunter Derby.

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.