Krystyna Metcalf and Doron 5 won Section B of the New England Jumper competition on Wednesday, July 29, in East Dorset, VT. Photo Credit - David Mullinix Photography

July 29, 2009 – East Dorset, Vermont – Opening day of week five of the Vermont Summer Festival, the Manchester & The Mountains Horse Show, saw 462 hunters and 203 jumpers of various sizes, colors and ages enter the five competition arenas in their quest for glory on Wednesday, July 29.

True summer weather has arrived in Vermont with bright sunshine and temperatures in the 80’s. Instead of flocking to the beaches, however, equestrians are coming to the Manchester & The Mountains Horse Show, part of the six week Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT.

Wednesday’s New England Jumper class, featuring fences set at a height of .90 meters, had to be split into two sections to accommodate all the entries. Winner of Section A was Hayley Anderson of New Boston, NH, with her pony Super Sonic, who lived up to his name by going clean and fast over the Jamie Alder-designed course.

Anderson has added the jumper ring to her highly successful career on ponies in the hunter and equitation divisions. Anderson won the Pony Medal class at last year’s Vermont Summer Festival. She will compete later on in the week in both the pony classes and the children’s hunter divisions.

Section B was won by Krystyna Metcalf from Providence, RI, who piloted Doron 5, a little bay Hannoverian mare, to victory.

“I was sixth in the class with my other horse, Cardina, as well,” said Metcalf. “They were excellent and it was really nice to go early considering how warm it has gotten.”

Metcalf, 22, is a senior at Boston University and is the Captain of the Boston University Equestrian Team. Majoring in Finance and International Management, Metcalf proves that she has excellent management and organizational skills as she still finds the time to ride her two horses.

“I usually ride on the weekends and a lot during the summer,” said Metcalf, who trains with Patty Harnois at Holly Hill Farm. “With two to ride and everything else in my life, it is a lot to do.”

This is Metcalf’s eighth year of successfully showing at the Vermont Summer Festival, and the nearby Manchester village keeps her coming back year after year.

“I love how much stuff there is to do up here with going to the quarry and shopping,” smiled Metcalf. “It’s always really nice to be here. It’s more than just a horse show. We hit the shops the other day for winter coats – not that we can even think about that now with the weather so nice.”

Metcalf’s mother was also on hand for her daughter’s win and said, “This has been a great experience for all of us. Watching Krystyna grow up with the horses has been a humbling and exciting time. I have learned when to say something and when not to say something, but I am always proud of her hard work. These days, my main job is to spoil the horses. They know my bag and often I can find them with their whole head in it. I like that.”

The fifth week of competition at the Vermont Summer Festival, the Manchester & The Mountains Horse Show, will be highlighted by the $30,000 Manchester & The Mountains Grand Prix, on Sunday, August 2, 2009. Special guest, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, will present the ribbons and prizes to the horse show’s smallest competitors, the leadline contestants, prior to the start of the $30,000 Manchester & The Mountains Grand Prix.

Running through to August 9, 2009, the six-week Vermont Summer Festival is the largest “AA” rated hunter/jumper horse show in New England, as well as the richest sporting event based on purse in the state of Vermont, offering more than $750,000 in prize money. For more information about the Vermont Summer Festival, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.