The nation’s premier horse show management company, Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, is pleased to announce that it will be featuring the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows, the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, the Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships Presented by Gotham North, the USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East Coast, the USEF National Pony Finals, and the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show during the 2010 season. All four six competitions will be held at the newly renovated Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, which is also the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian GamesT.

The nation’s leading hunter and jumper riders will return once again for the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows series to compete for top honors during this prestigious event. The show features two exciting weeks of competition, the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, scheduled for the week of May 12-16, 2010, and the Kentucky Spring Classic held from May 19-23, 2010.

Each week the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows will feature the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, CSI 2*, where riders will have the opportunity to compete for the Hagyard Leading Rider Bonus. These two classes will kick-off the Hagyard Challenge Series, consisting of five grand prix classes held during the 2010 show series at the Kentucky Horse Park. The final Hagyard event will be the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier held on August 20 during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show. The Hagyard Leading Rider Bonus will be awarded to the year’s top rider following the completion of this exciting event.

The Kentucky Spring Horse Show will also feature the $55,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix on May 16 and the Kentucky Spring Classic will feature the $55,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix to be held on SundaySaturday, May 22. Both of these classes will be held in the new Outdoor Stadium that features the OTTO Sport footing system, and will host the show jumping events for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian GamesT.

The first week of competition, the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, is a World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) recognized hunter competition. The WCHR is an awards program started by the American Hunter-Jumper Foundation, and the awards are presented, on both a national and regional level, to Pony, Junior, Amateur, Professional, Adult and Children’s hunter riders who accumulate the most points at WCHR designated horse shows throughout the year.

The Kentucky Spring Horse Show will also feature the Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby Presented by Dietrich Insurance, being held Saturday, May 14, in the Walnut ArenaMain Stadium.

“We are looking forward to returning to the Horse Park in May,” said Hugh Kincannon, manager of Kentucky Horse Shows LLC. . “Now that the construction projects related to the World Equestrian Games have been completed we think it is quite simply the finest horse show facility in the world. Of special note to Oour hunter exhibitors will be especially pleased to note tthe installation of the OTTO Sport footing in the Murphy Ring which is being funded by the Bluegrass Festival and KHJA horse shows.”

The country’s top riders will return to the Kentucky Horse Park at the end of July to compete during the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows. The events will begin with the Kentucky Summer Horse Show held from July 28-August 1, 2010, and the Kentucky Summer Classic is scheduled for the week of August 4- 8, 2010.

The 2010 Adequan I.M. FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships Presented by Gotham North will run concurrently to the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, and these thrilling events will be hosted in the Outdoor Stadium. The Kentucky Summer Horse Show will also feature the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, part of the Hagyard Challenge Series. The week’s main event will be the $40,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix to be held on Saturday, July 31.

The Kentucky Summer Classic is a World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) recognized hunter competition, and has also been selected to host the 2010 USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East Coast. The hunter classes for this championship event and the USHJA Hunterdon Cup Equitation Classic will be held August 5-7, 2010.

An additional highlight during the Kentucky Summer Classic will be the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix, scheduled for the evening of Saturday, August 7, 2010, in the Indoor Arena. This event will be held in conjunction with the Kentucky Horse Park’s “Hats Off Day,” which is a salute to the horse industry in Kentucky. Admission to the Park will be free on that Saturday, so enjoy taking the opportunity to see the world’s top equestrians compete at the highest level.

Following the Kentucky Summer Classic will be the 2010 USEF Pony Finals, held from August 10-15, 2010. The top ponies from across the nation will gather at the Kentucky Horse Park to compete for championship honors in their respective divisions. The event has grown so much over the last two years that a sixth day has been added to the competition. The Green Pony Hunters will compete on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Regular Pony Hunters will compete from Wednesday through Saturday. Each height of the Regular Pony Hunter sections will compete over two days. The Pony Jumpers will once again show Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings, while the Pony Equitation Final will take place on Sunday.

The final event of the summer series will be the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, to be held August 18 – 22, 2010. This event will showcase the top hunters by hosting the 2010 Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals, Presented by Dietrich Insurance on August 20 & 21.This exciting competition will once again offer $100,000 in prize money to those horsesthe top 75 horses that qualify. Another feature event will be the $50,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix CSI-W, a qualifying competition for the 2011 World Cup Show Jumping Finals, and the final event in the Hagyard Challenge Series. This event is held in memory of Betsy Fishback with proceeds going to the Markey Cancer Foundation.

“We think that this schedule of special events is the most exciting that we have ever offered,” noted Kincannon.. “We are particularly pleased to be using the Horse Park’s new Indoor Arena for the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix, the International Hunter Derby Finals and the World Cup Qualifier on August 20. The first jumping event in this world-class facility with OTTO sport footing was the September 2009 World Cup Qualifier. That class received rave reviews from competitors and specttorsspectators.”

Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC will be hosting all of their top-level competitions at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park. It attracts the nations best competitors because it offers wonderful competition venues, excellent stabling, plenty of exercise rings and spacious places to ride, miles of trails, and lush cross country fields.

For more information about the horse shows hosted by Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC in 2010, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com .

Margie Engle

Photo Credit: Margie Engle was the winner of the Hagyard Challenge Series’ $50,000 Leading Rider Bonus in 2009. Photo: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com. Photograph may be used only in relation to this PMG press release.