August 10, 2006 – East Dorset, Vermont – A trip to the Vermont Summer Festival paid off for Zazou Hoffman with a win in the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search on Thursday, August 10.

Hoffman, who trains with Missy Clark in Warren, Vermont, traveled south to compete in one class at the Vermont Summer Festival running July 12 to August 13 in East Dorset, Vermont. The 14-year-old competitor was looking for five more points to qualify for the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals in Gladstone, New Jersey. It was a goal that she not only met but also exceeded by claiming victory at the Vermont Summer Festival.

Despite having a rail down in the opening jumping phase, Hoffman came back to put in a strong performance in the flat phase to top the 16-horse starting field.

"We had a rail in the jumping phase, we had the skinny down, but the rest was really good," said Hoffman, who rode Clark's Little Foot to victory. "I jumped first in the order. I was supposed to be fourth but the first couple of people in the order scratched. On the flat, he was really good, but he is always a little anxious when we start the counter canter."

Hoffman, who lives in Santa Monica, California, began training with Clark last year after applying and being selected as the recipient of the Ronnie Mutch Working Student Scholarship. Hoffman was able to train with Clark for two weeks during the 2005 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, before returning to the east coast to compete at the Lake Placid Horse Show and the Vermont Summer Festival. Her successful summer saw her qualify for the USEF Medal, the New England Finals, and the Maclay Medal Final. Hoffman credits her coach with her success, saying, "Missy is a really good trainer. You know what she wants from you and as long as you try, she is not going to get mad at you. She also gives me lots of confidence, and helps me to understand the horses."

This year, Hoffman again competed at the Winter Equestrian Festival and spent the summer on the east coast. At the end of August, she returns to California to start school as a freshman at Santa Monica High School. While Hoffman does have one horse, Eva, in California, her riding career is now based on the east coast where she is able to ride and show horses for Clark. Little Foot, her winning mount for the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search, is a good example.

"I ride Little Foot on and off," explains Hoffman. "I did one class with him at Lake Placid, and then I rode him here at the Vermont Summer Festival. He's really cool, and I really like riding him. He is easy to find the distances on."

Later this fall, Hoffman will make another trip across the country to contest the USEF Medal Finals, the New England Finals, the Maclay Medal Final and, of course, the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final. While she is currently focusing on the equitation division, Hoffman is also looking forward to being a competitive jumper competitor. During weeks 1, 2, and 3 of the Vermont Summer Festival, she competed in the Children's Jumper division, and also showed a horse for Grand Prix competitor Jimmy Torano in the Low Junior Jumper division.

Despite competing against competitors that are much older - the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search is open to promising show jumping riders under the age of 21, Hoffman is not intimidated, saying, "If I put in a good trip, that is all that matters."


Featuring more than $650,000 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 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 2006 Vermont Summer Festival, including full results, please visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.