Horse Club Junior Day Mixes Fun And Education At Lake Placid Horse Shows

Lake Placid, NY – May 17, 2002 – The annual Horse Club Junior Day at the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows returns again this year combining kids, horses and fun!

Lake Placid will once again host world-class equestrian competition in the heart of the Adirondacks when the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows return to the North Elba Show Grounds, June 26–July 7. Action takes place each Wednesday through Sunday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, at the North Elba Showgrounds located on Route 73 across from the ski jumps.

Horse Club Junior Day will be held on Friday, June 28 at 9:00 am. This year’s Horse Club Junior Day will be sponsored by Ariat. Reservations must be received by Monday, June 10. The maximum number of participants is limited to 100. The cost of the event is $5.00 per participant. Lunch will be included. There is no entry fee for chaperones, however, if they choose to eat with the participants, there will be a $3.00 charge to cover the cost. Reservations for the event are on a first come, first serve basis. Entry forms may be obtained from the horse show office. Call to have an entry form faxed.

“Horse Club Junior Day is one of the most popular traditions at the Lake Placid Horse Shows,” said Lori Martin, Lake Placid Horse Show Association Executive Director. "It is another way to bring families to the horse show to participate in fun and educational activities together. Horse Club Junior Day allows the children to meet top international equestrians."

The Lake Placid Horse Shows are renowned for combining competition with a relaxing and beautiful environment. The show offers the amenities of a world-class horse show with recreational opportunities found at the finest resorts, making it one of the most popular horse show venues in the United States. Fishing, swimming, hiking, canoeing, camping, and biking can all be enjoyed just a few steps away from the horse shows. The event, which attracts more than 1,200 horses for each of two weeks, is one of the nation’s largest hunter-jumper horse shows.

Special features of the 2002 Lake Placid Horse Shows include two American Grandprix Association Grandprix Series events, the $50,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid on Sunday, June 30, which will be televised on ESPN, and the $50,000 I Love New York Grandprix on Saturday, July 6.

Among this year’s expected competitors are members of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team, including Nona Garson of Lebanon, NJ, and Margie Engle of Wellington, FL, who swept both of Lake Placid’s Grandprix events in 2001, only the third rider ever to do so.

Four rings of competition will run simultaneously from 8:00 a.m. to late afternoon, Wednesday through Sunday each week. The schedule also includes North American League (NAL) classes and Adult/Children's Jumper events. Additionally, there will be numerous hunter and equitation divisions including World Championship Hunter Rider classes and Hunter Classics. A complete schedule is available by visiting www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com.

This year’s Lake Placid Horse Shows will play an important role in determining which junior and amateur-owner riders are selected to compete in the 2002 National Horse Show. Junior and amateur-owner riders earn points for their placings in Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHF) Classics throughout the year. For the first time, the SJHF Junior Classic Series is split into two divisions—one for juniors and one for amateur-owners—and standings will determine which junior and amateur-owner riders will qualify to ride in the 2002 National Horse Show. The $10,000 Mirror Lake Inn Amateur-Owner Classic and the $10,000 Salamander Farm High Junior Jumper Classic, both SHF Junior Classic Series events, are scheduled for June 30. The second round of events, consisting of the $10,000 Pin Oak Farm Amateur-Owner Classic and the $10,000 Salamander Farm High Junior Jumper Classic, will take place on July 6.

The Lake Placid Horse Shows are made possible through the generosity of many supporters and sponsors. Sponsors for the 2002 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows include A&M Beverages, Inc., Adirondack Rustic, American Grandprix Association, Anonymous, Brandy Parfums, Inc., Budweiser/Anheuser-Busch, Inc., C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery, Inc., Jane F. Clark, Cosequin/Nutramax Labs, Lisa A. H. Cudahy, Der-Dau Custom Made Boots, David Fowler Custom Tack Trunks, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Golden Arrow Hotel, Hilton Lake Placid Resort, Jaguar, Juliam Farm, Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors’ Bureau, Lake Placid Lodge, Land Rover, Lonesome Landing, M & M Mars, McDonalds, Miller’s Harness Company, Mirror Lake Inn, Moss Communications, Nicola’s Family Restaurants, On a Fence Designs and Rentals, ORDA-Whiteface Mountain, the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Inc., Pin Oak Farm, Price Chopper, Red Kap Sales, Inc./Citgo, Salamander Farm, Sand Castle Farm, Sidelines, Supracor, The Brown Dog Deli & Wine Bar, The Country Saddler, Ltd., The Hooker Family, The Phelps School, The Philips Family, Town of North Elba Park District, Trelawny Farm, Turtle Lane Farm, Unusual Silver, Wild Horse Wine, and WPTZ News Channel 5.

Admission to the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows is $2.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, please call the Lake Placid Horse Show Association at (518) 523-9625 or visit the web site at www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com

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