Olympic Bronze Medalist Norman Dello Joio riding Malcolm won the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix to conclude the 2007 Vermont Summer Festival. Photo by David Mullinix Photography

May 1, 2008 – East Dorset, Vermont – The Vermont Summer Festival, New England’s largest “AA” rated hunter/jumper horse show, will return to East Dorset, Vermont, from July 9 to August 17, 2008.

The 2008 Vermont Summer Festival will offer more than $750,000 in prize money, making it the richest sporting event based on purse in the state. The competition attracts the best athletes, including Olympic medalists, from across the country and around the globe to vie for top honors.

The first five Sundays feature a $30,000 Grand Prix and concludes on Sunday, August 17, with the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix. Weekly $10,000 Open Welcome Stake classes and $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Classics are also hotly contested. The top course designers in the game including Jamie Adler, Anthony D’Ambrosio, Conrad Homfeld, Pierre Jolicoeur, Guilherme Jorge, and Ken Krome will set the tracks in the all-weather grand prix ring.

Based on the overwhelming success of expanding the hunter/jumper competition in 2007, this year’s Vermont Summer Festival will continue to run in a six-week format. Ruth Lacey, Vermont Summer Festival Marketing Executive, explains, “The feedback from our sponsors, vendors, and community business owners was that adding a sixth week to our schedule was extremely beneficial, plus it gave our exhibitors more flexibility in planning their schedules.”

Rewarding those exhibitors who consistently enjoy success while making Manchester their ‘home away from home’, the Vermont Summer Festival will once again offer the $10,000 Open Jumper High Score Award, sponsored by Sir Ruly, Inc., and the $10,000 Canadian Circuit Championship in recognition of the large number of Canadians who visit Vermont each year. Both awards are based on points earned throughout the duration of the Vermont Summer Festival

Well-known for its wide variety of area amenities including a large range of lodging options, restaurants to suit every taste, and lots of shopping, Manchester warmly welcomes horse show competitors to the area each summer, making the Vermont Summer Festival a popular resort as well as horse show destination with its clientele.

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.