Fair Hill, MD-October 19, 2007- Phillip Dutton of West Grove, PA and The Foreman take the lead in the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) CCI*** Eventing Championship following the completion of the dressage phase at the 19th annual Dansko Fair Hill International Festival in the Country.
Dutton’s score of 42.4 penalties puts him in the lead over the Australian rider, BoydMartin, also based in West Grove, PA, who had 46.1 penalties aboard Ying Yang Yo. Behind Martin was New Zealand rider DonnaSmith of The Plains, VA, who turned in a score of 46.7 penalties on Rocket.
“Preparation for the test went very well today,” said Dutton, who represented the United States on the gold medal winning team at the PanAmericanGames in July. “It is exciting for The Foreman to be in the lead after dressage. He took a deep breath today and did his best. Compared to the rest of the field, he is one of the most experienced horses. We are here to get qualified for Beijing next year. The first step is to get qualified, the second is to have a good performance and the third step is to get selected.”
The CCI***, which serves as the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) CCI*** Eventing Championship, continues with the cross-country phase on Saturday (starting at 12:30 pm) and the culminating show jumping phase on Sunday (scheduled for 1:00 pm).
In addition to the CCI eventing competition, Friday’s equestrian action at the Dansko Fair Hill International also featured the opening dressage phase of four USEF Combined Driving Championships. Shelly Temple of Powatan, VA, took the early lead in the Advanced Single Pony Championship with a score of 38.20 penalties. Boots Wright of Ocala, FL, led the Advanced Pony Four-in-Hand Championships with a score of 50.08 penalties.
BillPeacock of Bellville, TX, led the Advanced Single Horse Championship with a score of 49.79, and LisaSinger of Chadd’s Ford, PA, led the Advanced Pair Horse Championship with 51.33 penalties. Driving competition continues on Saturday with the marathon (starting at 8:00 am) and concludes with the cones phase on Sunday (scheduled for 9:00 am).
Fair Hill’s popular Dog Agility Trials are also underway with over 400 canine competitors. Many additional exciting activities, including appearances by the Delmarva Miniature Horse Club with driving and hunter/jumper demonstrations, are set for the weekend.
Members of the United States Pony Club are on hand participating in the President’s Cup Invitational Games. During the Games, riders in teams of five compete in a variety of challenging and entertaining relay races; awards will be presented to winning teams on Sunday.
The Kids Corner offers a variety of activities for the younger set. Puppeteer JackForeaker will perform and live music will be provided by RebeccaPitre’s Whoa Buddy Productions.
Fair Hill’s Country Shops boast a wide variety of shopping and dining, featuring vendors of tack, jewelry, artwork, pet needs, exceptional apparel and fine gifts for the approaching holiday seasons. The Fair Hill Club offers fine dining, while visitors seeking a more casual snack or meal will find pubs around the Fair Hill grounds serving classic Maryland crab-cakes and other treats. In fact, the Maryland Department of Agriculture named the Fair Hill International as a “Maryland Top Event!”
Healthy feet, healthy body, healthy planet. That’s the spirit behind Dansko, founded in 1990 by husband and wife team, PeterKjellerup and Mandy Cabot, both former horse trainers. Now sold in over 3,000 leading independent and specialty retailer locations across North America, Dansko is the leader in all-day comfort footwear.
The 2007 Dansko Fair Hill International Festival in the Country benefits UnionHospital in Elkton, MD. The hospital, whose mission is to enhance the health and well-being of the residents of Cecil County and its neighboring communities, has been caring for area families and neighbors for nearly 100 years.
Further information on this year’s Dansko Fair Hill International Festival in the Country is available by calling 410-398-2111 or by visiting the Fair Hill website at www.fairhillinternational.com.
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