March 10, 2006 – East Dorset, Vermont – In an innovative move to recognize its loyal Canadian competitors, the Vermont Summer Festival has introduced the $10,000 Canadian Circuit Championship.

The Canadian Circuit Championship will reward the ‘neighbors from the north’ who support the Vermont Summer Festival, this year scheduled from July 12 to August 13, 2006, in East Dorset, VT. Points will be tabulated based on rider results throughout the five-week circuit, and 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. The Canadian Circuit Championship is open to all Canadian citizens holding a current Equine Canada membership.

“We have always been very appreciative of the support shown to our horse show by the Canadian show jumping community, and we came up with the Canadian Circuit Championship as a way to thank our Canadian competitors for their continued loyalty,” says Dotty Ammerman, Executive Director of the Vermont Summer Festival.

Canadians who have competed at the Vermont Summer Festival in recent years, often bringing numerous clients with them, include Laurie Bucci, Harold Chopping, Mario Deslauriers, Beth Underhill and Angela Covert-Lawrence, winner of the $35,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix in 2004. Located a four-hour drive south of Montreal and seven hours east of Toronto, the Vermont Summer Festival is easily accessible to Canadian-based competitors.

The stunning setting of the Vermont Summer Festival, with mountains rising on either side of the show grounds, is an ideal location for the largest “AA” rated hunter/jumper horse show in New England. The nearby Village of Manchester offers exhibitors an endless choice of restaurants, accommodations, and shopping options.

Featuring more than $.6 million in prize money, the Vermont Summer Festival includes a $10,000 Mini Prix each Friday, and, for the first four weeks of competition, a $30,000 Sunday Grand Prix. The 2006 Vermont Summer Festival closes with the grand finale, the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Sunday, August 13. The Vermont Summer Festival is also a member event of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame, the Marshall & Sterling League, and the North American League (NAL).

For more information on the 2006 Vermont Summer Festival, or to download or request a prize list, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.