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Exhibitors Looking Forward to HITS Saugerties Spring and Summer Circuit Awards

Release: June 01 2009

Author: severs

By Jennifer Wood

The HITS Saugerties Spring and Summer Show Series offers eight weeks of fantastic competition, and six of those weeks will count towards this year's Spring Circuit Champion (May 20-June 7) and Summer Circuit Champion (July 15-August 2) Awards. In addition to weekly championships, the best overall horses and riders of the two circuits will be honored.

At the conclusion of Weeks I-III for the Spring Circuit and of Weeks IV-VI for the Summer Circuit, champions will be recognized. The Parade of Champions awards presentation will take place in the Grand Prix Ring on Sunday of Week III (June 7) and VI (August 2), prior to the start of the $125,000 Grand Prix. Spring Circuit Award winners will receive a bridle bag courtesy of SmartPak and a special championship ribbon.

HITS will award circuit championships in both series to a variety of different divisions. They will present awards to 36 hunter divisions, 18 jumper divisions, and 14 equitation divisions.

A winner in the hunter divisions last year was professional rider Amanda Steege of Oldwick, NJ. Steege runs her Ashmeadow Farm and often brings horses to HITS Saugerties. She rode Merlin for owner Cynthia Kellogg and trainer Sandy Lobel to the Spring circuit championship in the Baby Green Hunter division. She also picked up a circuit reserve championship in the Adequan Hunter division on Aberdini, owned by Dianne Fotiades.

While Steege said that the circuit championships are not something that she is aiming horses towards during the year at Saugerties, they are a great bonus for her horses' owners. She pointed out, "I think that those awards are really nice for the owners. It's nice that the horse show chips in something extra to recognize the horses."

Steege also mentioned another big draw for the professional hunters. "I showed a First Year horse here this week, and he was champion. I don't know if everybody realizes that they increased the prize money here for the First Year division. Every class is a $1,000 class. My horse won more than a thousand dollars here this week. To be able to tell your owners that their First Year horse won that much money is unbelievable," she said.

Steege loves the town of Saugerties, including its great restaurants and hotels, as well as the beautiful scenery. In her first week back this year, Steege was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the footing in the hunter rings. "They have made a huge improvement here this year in the footing," she remarked. "The footing in the main hunter ring is fantastic. All of the other rings felt really good as well. I haven't ridden in one place here that didn't feel good. That's amazing to me."

She added, "We had Saugerties as a maybe to come back in the summer, but after being here this week, I'd say that we'd definitely come back for at least one week in the summer."

Jumper divisions are honored with circuit awards in classes ranging from Level 1 to the High Junior and High Amateur Jumpers. Cindy McGrath, an amateur rider out of Hummelstown, PA, trains with her husband, Richard McGrath, at the Central Pennsylvania Equestrian Center. Last year, McGrath won the Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Spring Circuit Championship on Largo and the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Spring Circuit Championship with Concerto. Concerto took home the Summer Reserve Circuit Championship as well in the High division.

The McGraths have shown at HITS Saugerties in the spring and summer circuits often. "We really enjoy it here. The stabling is fabulous, and the grand prix ring is beautiful. There is plenty of room to ride, and the food is great," McGrath laughed.

McGrath noted that the management at HITS Saugerties helps make their show experience special every week. "The management is unbelievable. They are often standing by the in-gate to make sure things are running smoothly. You feel like you're wanted. I like everything about

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