Traverse City, MI - Horse Sports by the Bay, Inc., is excited to announce an increase in prize money for the High and Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classics during Series II and Series III of the 2012 Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival.

Thanks to additional sponsor support, each classic will now include an increased purse of $12,000 and $7,500, respectively, offering riders an even greater opportunity to earn fabulous prize money and points toward year-end awards. Additional money has also been added to the Young Jumpers, 1.25m, 1.30m and 1.35m jumpers, which brings the total amount of prize money awarded to the jumper division to $363,700.

"We are so excited to have this opportunity to reward our valued jumper riders with an increase in prize money," said Alex Rheinheimer, Horse Sports by the Bay, Inc., owner and horse show manager. "I'm so thankful to have such wonderful sponsors - this is yet another example of the tremendous generosity of individuals and great partnerships we are forming with our corporate partners who see the value in our venue and our production. All of this support helps to make this horse show so special."

Sponsors who have signed on as patrons of the Jumper Ring include: D-BRAIDER, Positive Step Farm, Schreiber Roofing, English Riding Supply, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Great Lakes Golf Cars, Uckele, Kilkenny Insurance/QBE the Americas, Wild Oak Farm & Renee Lenkart, Team Elmer's, Turtle Creek Casino, and Shoeman Road Farm.

Horse Shows by the Bay offers a vast array of marketing and support opportunities through their sponsorship program at all levels of support. The sponsorship and marketing team is experienced in developing customized promotions and connecting companies to their clients in meaningful ways while bolstering brands with quality marketing opportunities.

The five-week multi-discipline equestrian festival founded in 2004 has brought in more than $65 million to the Grand Traverse, Michigan, region, and in 2011 alone its economic impact was more than $15 million. In 2011, the dressage and hunter/jumper competitions drew more than 2,500 participants each week, with exhibitors from 35 states as well as Canada and Mexico vying to take home more than $550,000 in prize money. More than 10,000 fans attended to cheer on both the human and equine athletes.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2012 Horse Shows by the Bay Festival. Please contact Connie Sawyer for more information.

Fast Facts:

Kicking off events at this year's Horse Shows by the Bay Festival will be Dressage by the Bay Series I and II, June 22-24, which are two back-to-back USDF Level 3-rated dressage competitions. The shows will include a variety of qualifying and special classes.

One week later, on July 4, begins four consecutive USEF AA-Hunter/Level 4 Jumper shows known as Horse Shows by the Bay Series I-IV.

Jumper highlights include:

• Weekly $30,000 Grand Prix and $10,000 Welcome Prix
• Weekly Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix
• Weekly North American League Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix
• Young Jumper Championship Qualifiers
• $10,000 Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Children's/Adult Jumper Prix (Series IV)

Hunter highlights include:

• World Championship Hunter Rider Member Event (Series II)
• $20,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby (Series III)
• $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby (Series III)

In addition, the Festival features:

• Hunter Jumper Association of Michigan Medal Finals (Series IV)
• OVATION Leading Rider Awards
• Equestrian Endeavors LLC Grand Hunter Awards
• WCHR High-Score Awards
• Weekly NAL/WIHS Classics
Host facility, the beautiful Flintfields Horse Park, is located 10 miles east of downtown Traverse City and the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which was named by "Good Morning America" viewers as the "Most Beautiful Place in America." To see why, click here.

"Traverse City's unique and varied coastline and climate lend itself to providing the ultimate vacation destination, especially if you're into summertime sports like boating, golfing, hiking, etc.," said Rheinheimer. "The downtown area is also known nationwide for its gourmet restaurants, indie movie house and interesting boutiques. We recommend that you book your accommodations early due to the region's ever-growing tourism scene and to get your entries in ASAP as we expect to sell out again."

More information on the exciting 2012 Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival, including links to the Prize List and our Blue Ribbon Lodging Partners, can be found on our website: www.horseshowsbythebay.com.