East Dorset, Vermont, July 8, 2004 - The Orvis Company, the nation’s oldest mail order company, will be a Grand Prix Sponsor of the Vermont Summer Festival Horse Show. The five week long event will be held at the Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, Vermont, July 14 through August 15, 2004.

This marks the third summer that the entire Vermont Summer Festival circuit will be based in the Manchester area, after many years of a multi-venue event. “It’s gratifying to have a Manchester-based company with the international reputation of Orvis show their support in such a generous way,” stated Dotty Ammerman, Vermont Summer Festival Executive Director. “Orvis is renowned for their unique commitment to both quality products and to the environment, two values that our competitors understand and appreciate.”

A Grand Prix sponsor is the highest level of sponsor possible for the show. As part of their sponsorship, Orvis will have an on-site retail location at the Harold Beebe Farm for the duration of the show circuit. In addition, Vermont Summer Festival division champions will be granted Orvis Gift Cards as part of their prize package.

Representatives from the Orvis Company will present prizes totaling $35,000 at a ceremony following the Grand Prix on July 18, between 3PM and 4 PM.

The Orvis Company headquarters have been in Manchester, Vermont, since the company was founded in 1856. British and English equine style and culture have always influenced Orvis, so the Vermont Summer Festival was a natural fit for the nation’s finest distinctive country lifestyle brand.

The Vermont Summer Festival is New England’s largest “AA” rated hunter/jumper horse show circuit. This year’s event includes five USET-recognized $35,000 Grand Prix and five $10,000 Mini Prix. Each of the five weeks will also feature a $10,000 Show Jumping Hall Of Fame High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper class, part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series which determines which junior and amateur/owner riders will qualify to ride at the 2004 National Horse Show.

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