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Lexington, Ky. – August 25, 2012 – The second edition of the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, KY, is set for October 30 through November 4, 2012. The show will once again be held at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.

In addition to world-class show jumping and the country’s best and most competitive hunter divisions, the show will also feature one of the nation’s longest running and most coveted national championships, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Maclay National Championship.

Over the years the ASPCA Maclay Finals have been termed the “proving ground of champions” and the ultimate test for America’s young riders. And in the case of this classic test of horsemanship skills, that’s certainly more fact than hype.

During last year’s ASPCA Maclay Finals, it was 17-year-old Sarah Milliren of Sapulpa, Okla., who took top honors. “It’s so exciting; I’m so happy,” beamed Milliren after leading the victory gallop. “For the second round I had moved down, so I knew I had to give it my all. I feel so honored to win this prestigious national championship.”

“It’s the culmination of a long year of competition; it’s the final national championship, and with all of the history behind it, it’s just a great event to be a part of,” said top trainer Missy Clark, who, during the course of her stellar career as one of the nation’s very best teachers, has sent nine different ASPCA Maclay National Champions to the ring. “If you look back at the names on the Maclay trophy, you see so many names of riders that have gone on to do great things in their careers. If you can get through the Maclay Finals, you can go on and do anything. If you win that class, you’ve got the goods; you’ve got the ingredients to do great things.”

“Since its beginning in 1933, the ASPCA Maclay has been the most prestigious and coveted award for junior riders, and the ultimate test of horsemanship and partnership between horse and rider,” said Valerie Angeli, senior director of equine and special projects for the ASPCA. “To ride in the Maclay is a huge accomplishment on its own, but to win a Maclay class is truly exceptional, and to win or place in the championship finals elevates a young rider to celebrity rider status.”

The ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Trophy contains the names of some of America’s great riders. Previous winners include United States Equestrian Team superstar William Steinkraus in 1941 and his teammate and longtime Chef D’Equipe of the U.S. team, Frank Chapot in 1948. World Cup Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Conrad Homfeld won the championship in 1967 and fellow Olympians Leslie Burr Howard (1972), Peter Wylde (1982) and Katharine Burdsall (1975) all got their start with a victory in the ASPCA Maclay Finals. The ASPCA’s own Equine Welfare Ambassador, Brianne Goutal took home the coveted title during the 2005 show season, and Hayley Barnhill, also an ASPCA Equine Welfare Ambassador, won the championship in 2010.

Probably, the most impressive name of all on the trophy is that of the legendary George Morris who led the victory gallop at Madison Square Garden in 1952. And this year, for the ASPCA Maclay National Championship, George Morris, along with California’s legendary Hap Hansen will be the judges for this prestigious event. “It’s an American heritage, a real tradition in our sport,” Morris noted last year. “The purpose of this wonderful discipline of equitation is to encourage good horsemanship. Horsemanship is caring for your horse, whether you have a pony or an Olympic jumper.”

“It is important to remember that in this competition, just like in any other, true champions are not only the best at what they do, their hearts are in the right place and they truly care,” said Angeli. “The ASPCA Maclay is, and always has been, about not just mastering the finest skills in hunt seat equitation; it is about compassion, consideration and responsibility to the horses. Now more than ever we ask our ASPCA Maclay riders to put the welfare of their horses first and think about the many thousands of horses in this country who are not lucky enough to be properly loved and cared for,” she noted. “After all, the ASPCA’s history is about more than 145 years of protecting the horses who have served man so well throughout time.”

And as Clark points out, the ASPCA Maclay Finals have always been an important stepping stone to future equestrian endeavors and success.

“It’s a great developmental area for so many of our riders. If you use it as a tool as you move forward in your career, to perfect your riding, to learn about proper position, proper function, that enables you to go on and do so many other things,” Clark went on to say. “I think it’s an important event in our American system, and if you look back in history at some of the winners, and even the great riders that maybe didn’t win, but competed well, you see that verified time and time again.”

“The Alltech National Horse Show made an all-out effort to make sure that Maclay Sunday was an extraordinary day,” said Mason Phelps, the President of the National Horse Show Association of America. “We were very happy with last year’s event, but we’re even more excited for 2012 as we make the small, but necessary changes to make Sunday even more exciting. Once again, we will be pulling out all of the stops to make sure this event is superb at every level.”

Phelps also noted, “On Sunday at the Alltech National Horse Show, there is no charge at all for General Admission. So, with that in mind, we encourage everyone to come out to the show. We hope that in lieu of the free admission, that anyone visiting us on Sunday will take some time to stop by the ASPCA booth and find out about this great organization and make a contribution to their worthwhile efforts.”

“Maclay Day” at the National has always been a pressure packed day of equestrian excellence.

“Maclay day is simply intense,” Clark affirmed. “You’ve prepared harder and in a more concentrated manner than you have for any other championship. Just like when you’re preparing for the Super Bowl, you train harder, right?” she asked. “You’re pretty much up all night in preparation, and then competition day is a full day of just intense concentration, with plenty of highs and some lows too. With the Maclay, there’s really nothing like it. It’s a year’s worth of work all boiled down to one intense day of competition.”

This year’s highly competitive event, pitting America’s top juniors in a head to head battle for horsemanship supremacy, takes place on the final Sunday of the Alltech National Horse Show on November 4th.

No matter the winner, that Sunday in November promises to be a very special day, as it has been every year since the inception in 1933.

“I have a friend who is in her 80s and has lived an amazingly adventurous and rich life, having traveled all around the world and done just about everything,” Angeli said. “But when asked, she will tell you that one of her proudest accomplishments was riding in the Maclay at Madison Square Garden and competing against Jacqueline Bouvier (Kennedy) in the 1940s. The Maclay program is framed on her piano as you walk in the door and it states that “the purpose of the ASPCA Maclay competition is to reward young riders, through a serious of tests, for excellence in horsemanship and thoughtfulness to their mounts.”

For information on the ASPCA Maclay and the Alltech National Horse Show, please visit the website at: http://www.alltechnationalhorseshow.com/

In addition to hosting the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals, the show will feature a complete schedule of ‘AA’-rated hunter divisions, a big money Open Jumper division with a major Grand Prix, and as always, the signature event of the National Horse Show, the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals.

Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America’s oldest indoor horse show, firmly established as a major fixture on the national and international sports and social event calendars. The National Horse Show Association’s primary activity is the annual production of the National Horse Show and all ancillary events. Over the years, the National Horse Show has provided financial aid to many worthwhile charities.

For more information on the National Horse Show Association of America, Limited, please visit www.nhs.org.

2012 Alltech National Horse Show – Fast Facts

What:
The Alltech National Horse Show is a weeklong championship event featuring “AA”-rated hunters, open jumpers, junior/amateur jumpers, and the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals. The event will run from October 30 – November 4, 2012, in the Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games(TM).

Parking:
Parking is Free. Dogs are permitted at the Kentucky Horse Park on a leash.

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located 8 miles northeast of Lexington, Kentucky at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
Carolyn Vincent
National Horse Show
PO Box 386
Greenvale, NY 11548

Telephone:
Phone: (516) 484-1865
Fax: (516) 484-1982

Email:
NationalHS@aol.com

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

Additional Contacts:
Vendors – Matt Morrissey at Mmorri4398@aol.com or 941 915-3457
VIP Table Sales – Kiki Umla at KIKIUMLA@aol.com or 904-606-5541
Advertising – Laura Reed at reed.laura@insightbb.com or 859-321-7687
Sponsorship – Mason Phelps at mpjr@phelpsmediagroup.com or 561-753-3389 or Susie Webb at webb_susie@yahoo.com or 301-520-6162

Hotels:
CLARION HOTEL (formerly Holiday Inn North) – 859 – 233-0512 – Approximately 4 miles
FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES BY MARRIOTT – 859 -977-5870 – Approximately 4 miles
FOUR POINTS SHERATON – 859-259-1311 – Approximately 4 miles
LA QUINTA – 859-231-7551 – Approximately 4 miles
KNIGHTS INN – 859-231-0232 – Approximately 4 miles
EMBASSY SUITES – 859-455-5000 – Approximately 4 miles
MARRIOT GRIFFIN GATE – 859-231-5100 – Approximately 4 miles
RESIDENCE INN – 859-231-6191 – Approximately 5 miles
COURTYARD BY MARRIOT – 859-253-4646 – Approximately 5 miles
HOLIDAY INN GEORGETOWN – 502-570-0220 – Approximately 6 miles
RAMADA INN – 859-299-1261 – Approximately 6 miles
RED ROOF INN – 859-293-2626 – Approximately 6 miles
HAMPTON INN – 502-867-4888 – Approximately 6 miles
SUPER EIGHT – 502-863-4888 – Approximately 6 miles
MICROTEL INN & SUITES – 502-868-8000 – Approximately 6 miles

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: nhsshowoffice@aol.com

ALLTECH MEDIA CONTACT:
Katie Gehrt
North American PR and Advertising Manager
Alltech Corporate Headquarters
3031 Catnip Hill Pike
Nicholasville, Kentucky
Telephone: (859) 881-3589
Mobile: (859) 553-6312
Email: kgehrt@Alltech.com
Web site: www.alltech.com

ALLTECH NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Re: Media Credentialing:
Classic Communications
38 Mechanic Street – Suite 101
Foxboro, MA 02035
508-698-6810 (phone)
508-698-6811 (fax)
info@classic-communications.com
www.classic-communications.com

About Alltech:
Founded by Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech is a global animal health and nutrition company with 31 years’ experience in developing natural products that are scientifically proven to enhance animal health and performance. With more than 2650 employees in 128 countries, the company has developed a strong regional presence in Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle-East, Africa and Asia. For further information, visit www.alltech.com. For media assets, visit www.alltech.com/press.