Washington International Horse Show October 24-29 • Capital One Arena • Washington, DC
by Katherine O. Rizzo
World-class interna- tional competition returns to our nation’s capital this October with the 59th an-
nual Washington International Horse Show. With grand prix jumpers, equitation fi nals, show hunters and more, WIHS’s competition is fi lled with something for everyone. Add to that, military show cases, Barn Night, Shetland Pony races and Guy McLean’s bridleless dem- onstrations and you have world-class competi- tion mixed in with world-class entertainment. T is year’s riders will be test driving a new footing mix at WIHS, a special mix of sand and a manufactured footing additive known as GGT, short for “German GeoTextile,” devel- oped originally in Europe (but manufactured by a variety of companies in both the U.S. and abroad) that is a blend of a non-woven geo- textile fabric and a polyester fi ber. Show orga- nizers believe this blend will not only reduce dust, but will help facilitate stronger jumping, more secure landings and be more forgiving to the joints and ligaments of horses. “Our rid- ers have been asking for new footing for years,” said WIHS show manager and interim COO David Distler. It will be interesting to fi nd out what the riders think of the new footing, and what impact it will have, if any, on performance.
Watching WIHS
First of all, the location of this year’s show is the same… just the name of the venue has changed. What was the Ve- rizon Center is now called the Capital One Arena. Ac- cess to the venue is easiest using Metro, but there are plenty of parking garages around the arena as well. T e Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Washington will be shown on FEI-TV free of charge this year! All classes can be live streamed through
wihs.org. Competition kicks off on
Tuesday with hunter divi- sions during the day and the WIHS Adult Hunter Championship in the eve- ning. Wednesday begins with more hunter classes as well as the fi rst class of the WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship, and ends with inter- national jumper competitions. T ursday is for juniors with mostly junior hunter classes dur-
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 T ursday evening is devoted
to local stables with WIHS’s Barn Night. T is year’s theme is
“Equestrians Around the
This year’s Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Washington (aka - The President’s Cup) will be shown free of charge on FEI-TV.
ing the day show. WIHS’s annual Barn Night is T ursday evening (see below for details), with the International Jumper Accumulator Cos- tume Class. Friday has more national classes during the day and the big International Jump- er Puissance High Jump in the evening. Ponies invade the arena on Saturday dur- ing the day, and the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Washington for the President’s Cup ending the evening. And fi nally on Sunday, re- gional equitation and hunter fi nals take center stage. Tickets are available for purchase online and at the ticket counter of the Capital One Arena. In addition, ATT is sponsoring the First Re- sponder ticket program, which has a bigger reach this year. Last year was the fi rst year for this spe- cial discounted ticket program and WIHS is making more tickets available at more pick up lo- cations this year. WIHS is also continuing its Military ticket program for members of the armed serves.
More Than Just a Horse Show
In addition to watching
US Olympic medalist Laura Graves will be the clinician for this year’s big Barn Night winner!
great competition, specta- tors can get up close and personal with horses and ponies at a variety of exhibi-
tions during the show. On Wednesday morn- ing, stop by the Hotel Monaco on F Street NW for Breakfast with the Mounted Police before heading down the block to WIHS.
World,” with contests for larg- est group, group spirit and the annual banner and video con- tests. Prizes this year include a custom golf cart from United Metro Golf Cart, custom drape set from T e Clothes Horse, Dover Saddlery shopping sprees and a clinic with Olym- pic bronze medal-winning U.S. dressage rider Laura Graves. “T is is the fi rst time we have had a dressage rider as our cli- nician and we are really excited about it,” said WIHS digital
media and content director Linda Macklin. Several international jumper riders will be available during Barn Night for autograph signings as well. Shetland Pony jockeys return to WIHS on
The ever popular Australian Guy McLean returns to WIHS for two evening performances.
T ursday and Saturday evenings for the fi nale of the WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Championship Series, which kicked off at the Devon Horse Show earlier this year. Australian horseman and entertainer Guy
McLean will wow the crowds again on Friday and Saturday evenings with his bridleless per- formances. Saturday morning from 10am to 2pm with be
WIHS’s annual Kids’ Day, a free event outside the Capital One Arena where children can pet a pony, meet the U.S. Cassion Platoon Horse Klinger, paint horseshoes, and several other activities.
New Equitation Grant
T e Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund has come on board this year as the title sponsor of the WIHS Equitation Finals. “It has been
continued... OCTOBER 2017 | THE EQUIERY | 35
906018-161016
Shannon Brinkman/US Equiestrian
Shawn McMillen
Alden Corrigan
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
