March 22, 2011 – Halton Hills, Ontario – Halton Place in Halton Hills, ON, is pleased to announce its show schedule for 2011.

Halton Place offers something for competitors of every level, from young riders to national team members. These Equine Canada Gold-rated shows are held on Halton Place’s 200-acre property in scenic Halton Hills. The facility boasts three hunter rings and three jumper rings, including both a grass and a sand Grand Prix arena.

Equestrian sport will be showcased during Halton Place’s three-week Canadian Country Classic beginning August 24 and running through September 11, 2011. Featured events such as the $10,000 Villarboit Junior-Amateur Hunter Classic and the Halton Place Team Charity Challenge, as well as various other Grand Prix competitions, make 2011 a season not to be missed.

In related news, Halton Place has regrettably canceled its first three weeks of horse shows, the Horse International tournament (May 25-29 and June 1-5) and the Summer’s Here tournament (July 20-24).

“Although we feel this will be detrimental to the sport in Ontario, the NEC action has forced this decision,” said Timur Leckebusch, President of Halton Place.

Leckebusch is referring to a letter written by the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) asking the Ontario Equestrian Federation and Equine Canada to withhold horse shows and related permits from any facility in the NEC domain until a development permit for a horse show has been issued by the NEC to any such facility. However, the NEC also requests confirmation of the dates to be awarded prior to approving any development permit.

“This has created a bureaucratic and impractical Catch 22 situation with the NEC asking for shows to be withheld, and at the same time requesting to know specific dates and times for the events,” explains Leckebusch. “This dilemma has given us no choice but to cancel the first three weeks of horse shows normally held at Halton Place. It is unfortunate that it is the riders, spectators and local businesses who suffer as a result of the request from the NEC. However, we do not want to be in a position where we are compromising our sponsors and competitors with an open confrontation. We hope that this will be resolved for 2012, and that we can continue to provide a facility for both up and coming and world-class riders to compete at.”

The balance of the Halton Place competition schedule remains intact, with the three-week Canadian Country Classic running August 24-28, August 31-September 4, and September 7-11, 2011. Featured events include the $10,000 Villarboit Junior-Amateur Hunter Classic, The Halton Place Team Charity Challenge, as well as the Halton Place Modified Grand Prix and Mini Prix series. This year will also see the Central Regional Finals of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series held during the third week of the Canadian Country Classic.

Please visit www.haltonplace.com for updated information.