Angela Covert-Lawrence swept both the Hunter and Jumper divisions of the $10,000 Canadian Circuit Awards, sponsored by Ariat International, Inc, at the Vermont Summer Festival. Jennifer Glass (pictured at left) presented Covert-Lawrence with two $3,000 bonus checks, one for each division. Photo by David Mullinix Photography

August 25, 2008 – East Dorset, Vermont – For the third year, the Vermont Summer Festival proudly offered $10,000 in bonus prize money to its neighbors from the north. The largest ‘AA’ rated hunter-jumper horse show held in New England, the six-week Vermont Summer Festival was held from July 9 to August 17 at the Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.

The $10,000 Canadian Circuit Awards, sponsored by Ariat International, Inc., is presented to the top-ranked Canadian jumper and hunter competitors throughout the circuit. This year, Angela Covert-Lawrence of St. Lazare, Quebec, swept both the hunter and jumper divisions. Last year, Covert-Lawrence was the Reserve Circuit Champion in the Jumper division.

“This is fantastic! For Canadians who choose to come down here, it’s just that extra incentive,” said Covert-Lawrence who earned 130 points in the Hunter division and 44 points in the Jumper division to earn $3,000 for each championship title. “It’s really nice to win with our own horses, too.”

To earn the Canadian Circuit Award in the Hunter division, Covert-Lawrence rode Oxford, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion that cleaned up in the regular working hunter divisions. Paris, a five-year-old selle francais gelding that Covert-Lawrence acquired this winter, successfully competed in the pre-green hunter division at the Vermont Summer Festival.

In the Jumper division, Covert-Lawrence rode Unica, an 11-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood mare, to multiple ribbons in the grand prix classes.

“The town and the restaurants are wonderful and the show offers great classes, competition and money,” said Covert-Lawrence, who has competed at the Vermont Summer Festival for the past 10 years. “But the thing I love most is its atmosphere. It’s relatively low-stress, even riding in the grand prix classes. I think John and Dotty Ammerman really try to achieve that, and it makes the show very unique and enjoyable.”

Christi McQuaker of Schomberg, Ontario, finished right on Covert-Lawrence’s heels in the Hunter division with 129 points, which earned her the Reserve Circuit Award and $2,000. Not to be outdone, her husband, Mac McQuaker, took the Reserve Circuit Award in the Jumper division with 28 points.

Riders earned points throughout the circuit ranging from 10 to 0.5 for first through sixth-place finishes in hunter and jumper classes. Points were based on rider performance only, not horse and rider combination.

“This is the third year we’ve offered the Canadian Circuit Award,” said Ruth Lacey, Director of Marketing for the Vermont Summer Festival. “Since its inception, it’s become a fun way for Canadian riders to earn cash bonuses and enjoy some friendly international competition. It came down to the last week in both the hunter and jumper standings this year and some exhibitors stayed beyond their planned show schedule in order to earn more points for the cash bonus. We’re very happy to see it gaining popularity as Ariat has generously made a three-year commitment to sponsoring the award.”

The 2008 Vermont Summer Festival, held for its 15th year at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, offered a over $750,000 in prize money throughout the six weeks of competition, making it the richest sporting event in the state. In 2009, the Vermont Summer Festival will again offer six weeks of competition from July 1 to August 9. Visit the Vermont Summer Festival <http://www.vt-summerfestival.com/> website for more information.

Hunter
Rider     Hometown     Prize
Angela Covert-Lawrence     St. Lazare, Quebec     $3,000
Christi McQuaker     Schomberg, Ontario     $2,000

Jumper
Rider     Hometown     Prize
Angela Covert-Lawrence     St. Lazare, Quebec     $3,000
Mac McQuaker     Schomberg, Ontario     $2,000