Tag Archives: Washington Int’l Horse Show

The EQUUS Foundation Partners with the Washington International Horse Show to Support Kids’ Day

Photos courtesy of the Washington International Horse Show.

WESTPORT, CT – October 12, 2011 – The EQUUS Foundation is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) in support of its Kids’ Day on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

“The Washington international Horse Show is thrilled to have support from The EQUUS Foundation for our Kids’ Day event. Kids’ Day is a wonderful way to expose the equestrian sport to the local community and engage the youth of Washington, D.C. By aligning with the The EQUUS Foundation, we will further our mission of promoting a greater interest and education of all things equestrian,” said Bridget Love Meehan, Executive Director, Washington International Horse Show.

Fun & Excitement in the Nation’s Capital
An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, will bring top notch equestrian competition to the nation’s capital from October 25-30, 2011 and a free family-friendly event for the local community.

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Get Ready for a Barn Night Blast at the Washington International Horse Show

The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), the leading year-end championship horse show in the country, is pleased to announce the popular kid-centric Barn Night will return to the show on Thursday Oct. 27, 2011. The 53rd Annual Washington International Horse Show will take place Oct. 25-30 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Starting at 6:00 PM, Thursday, Oct. 27, WIHS will welcome local barns and horse enthusiasts for Barn Night 2011. Barn Night offers a fun and exciting evening for riders, their barnmates, friends, and families to celebrate equestrian sport and pay tribute to those that excel at all levels of hunter jumper competition.

“We are creating a spectacular night of exciting competition and special exhibitions by equestrian stars, as well as interactive contests for kids and teens with great prizes,” said show Executive Director, Bridget Love Meehan.

Breyer Animal Creations will be joining Barn Night this year with Stablemates Painting on the concourse, free for kids 12 and under. In addition, special prizes will be given out for the first 100 kids to arrive for the big night courtesy of Breyer.

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Kids’ Day Returns to the Washington International Horse Show

Free Pony Rides, Georgetown Cupcakes, Smithsonian and More!

Washington, DC, October 11, 2011 – On Saturday, October 29, 2011, as Olympians and their horses get ready for the President’s Cup Grand Prix and junior riders practice in the schooling ring to compete at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), a team will be erecting a tent on F Street outside Verizon Center and the Hotel Monaco for WIHS Kids’ Day, to be held from 10am-2pm. This free, family-friendly event will offer kids an opportunity to ride and meet ponies and learn about equestrian sport.

FAST FACTS:

-WIHS Kids’ Day will host free pony rides

-Meadowbrook Stable will host a grooming station

-Horse shoe painting with the U.S. Army’s Caisson Platoon

-Book nook and arts and crafts hosted by Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)

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National Museum of the American Indian and Washington International Horse Show Team Up to Celebrate Horses

Photo: Fine Art Photography by Brady Willette

Exhibition Grand Opening Oct. 29-30 and Free Kids’ Day

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Washington International Horse Show announce a new partnership to celebrate horses in Native American culture and equestrian sport throughout history.

The museum opens “A Song for the Horse Nation” Saturday, Oct. 29, at its flagship museum on the National Mall, a major exhibition that explores the role horses have played in Native culture from the 1500s to the present. The exhibition runs through Jan. 7, 2013. The Washington International Horse Show celebrates its 53rd year Oct. 25-30 at Verizon Center. Together, the two organizations will celebrate these occasions with free family programs on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and at Verizon Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and all day Sunday, Oct. 30, at the museum. A free shuttle service between the museum and Verizon Center will be provided by Reston Limousine on Saturday.

Activities include free pony rides at Verizon Center Oct. 29 for WIHS Kids’ Day, war-pony painting demonstrations by Crow equestrian and tribal general council member Kennard Real Bird, storytelling by award-winning children’s book author and illustrator S. D. Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux), hands-on ledger-art lessons, and much more at both locations.

“What better way for us to come together to illuminate our shared history and distinct cultures than through our mutual admiration for horses,” said museum director, Kevin Gover (Pawnee). “This unique collaboration celebrates the indomitable spirit not just of the Horse Nation, but of the whole nation. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Washington International Horse Show and know that the spectators at Verizon Center and the visitors to the museum will be, too.”

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Elite Dining and Hospitality Club to Debut at 53rd Annual Washington International Horse Show

Washington, D.C., August 3, 2011 – The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) is offering an elegant new way to experience the most exciting indoor equestrian sporting event in the country, which will be held October 25-30, 2011, at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

The Fidelity Investments Club, a new VIP dining platform created expressly for the horse show, will offer the best vantage point to watch the top horses and riders in the country, including Olympic veterans, in breathtaking jumping competition.

“Dining facilities close to the action are a mainstay of big European horse shows and we are very proud to bring this concept to the Washington International at Verizon Center here in the nation’s capital,” said Juliet W. Reid, WIHS President.

Sponsored by Fidelity Investments, the new hospitality space will be built at the west end of Verizon Center, easily accessible from the arena concourse.

“We are very pleased to welcome Fidelity Investments as the title sponsor of this elegant VIP dining facility,” said Bridget Love Meehan, WIHS Executive Director. “The Fidelity Investments Club will be the perfect place to enjoy the show and entertain business associates, clients, family and friends.”

“After scouting all possible locations at Verizon Center to create something new and very special for sponsors and friends to enjoy the show, we selected a position near the in-gate, where patrons of the Fidelity Investments Club will have a unique view of the horses and riders as they enter and exit the ring, and get a real sense of the size and scope of the jumps,” added Meehan.

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2011 Poster Contest Washington International Horse Show

Deadline Extended to July 31, Midnight!

Washington, DC, June 7, 2011 – The Washington International has extended its deadline for submitting entries in the 2011 Poster Contest to July 31st at midnight.  WIHS, the leading indoor equestrian event in the US, is seeking an original poster design for its 53rd annual event, to be held Oct. 25-30, 2011, at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.  The six-day equine extravaganza features the country’s leading horses and riders in exciting jumping competition.

The poster contest is open to U.S.-based artists, both amateur and professional, 18 years or older.  A maximum of three entries per artist will be accepted. There is no entry fee. Artists submit photos (prints or digital files) of their work (not slides, not original art).  The work submitted must be original and may be in any medium suitable for duplicating on posters and souvenir merchandise.

Entries should be inspired by the WIHS and reflect an equestrian or horse theme. Artists also should consider the event’s longstanding ties to Washington, D.C.

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Call for Entries: 2011 Poster Contest Washington International Horse Show

Washington, DC, April 25, 2011 – Let the horses inspire you! The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), the leading indoor equestrian event in the US, is seeking an original poster design for its 53rd annual event, to be held Oct. 25-30, 2011, at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.  The six-day equine extravaganza features the country’s leading horses and riders in exciting jumping competition.

The poster contest is open to US-based artists, both amateur and professional, 18 years or older.  A maximum of three entries per artist will be accepted. There is no entry fee. The work submitted must be original and may be in any medium suitable for duplicating on posters and souvenir merchandise. The deadline for entries is 4:00 p.m., Monday, May 31, 2011.

Entries should be inspired by the WIHS and reflect an equestrian or horse theme. Artists also should consider the event’s longstanding ties to Washington, DC.

The winning design will be selected by a panel of judges and will be used to promote the 2011 horse show. The winning artist will receive significant publicity, 100 posters and a package of all other items produced with the winning design, four weeklong passes to the show and the option to have a vendor booth during the show. The artist retains the original artwork.

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Hillary Dobbs at the 2010 Washington International Horse Show

Photos by Diana De Rosa.

Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs’s daughter Hillary showed her wining style at the 2010 Washington International Horse Show in DC the last week. The 22 year old, who lives between Palm Beach, FL and Sussex, NJ, competed as “The Flash” aboard Marengo placing in second during always colorful and exciting $20,000 Gambler’s Choice Costume Class. Rodrigo Pessoa won the class, decked out in an authentic Formula One racing outfit, complete with helmet.  Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina (also of Palm Beach and NYC) placed 6th, in a full nun’s habit.  The 3rd place ribbon in the costume class went to Shane Sweetnam, who partnered with Dobbs to win Saturday night’s $15,000 Open Jumper Pair Relay.

Please contact the Washington International Horse show www.wihs.org.

Chester Weber Thrills Crowds with Combined Driving Demonstration and Autograph Sessions at Washington International Horse Show

Chester Weber recently shared his passion for driving with thousands of enthusiastic spectators at the Washington International Horse Show. (Photo © Diana De Rosa Photography)

Washington, D.C. (November 4, 2010) – Combined Driver Chester Weber, the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Champion, recently shared his passion for driving with thousands of enthusiastic spectators at the Washington International Horse Show. In addition to the driving demonstrations, Weber also autographed posters and signed copies of the book, For the Love of the Horse, Volume III, which features a story about his highly decorated equine teammate Jamaica.

Weber, who helped the U.S. Combined Driving team clinch the Silver Medal at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, said the driving demonstrations at the Washington International Horse Show went extremely well. “The show always draws large crowds and it’s always a great experience for me when I get to introduce new people to the sport of combined driving,” Weber said.

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2010 Washington International Horse Show Wrap-up: October 26-31, 2010

Washington, D.C. – November 3, 2010 – The 52nd Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) hosted the best hunter, jumper, and equitation riders in the nation competing for top prizes at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. over six days of competition, and the WIHS thanks all of the sponsors, employees, exhibitors, volunteers, and spectators for making this year’s show an incredible success.

“The WIHS was a success,” said horse show manager Robert Ridland. “We felt, and it seems to backed up by input from riders, that it was run very smoothly in terms of the unusual logistical problems it has inherently. It’s a unique challenge, and we don’t want it to disappear. We are happy to go through what it takes to keep this show going. We have the support of many riders who come to this show because they feel the same way.”

Show manager David Distler agreed, “I was happy with the way everything went. There was a lot going on at the same time in the city, with the The Daily Show and President Obama next door, to the rally, and the marathon all in the same week. A lot of issues could have been very difficult, but we overcame them in large part because we have a great staff.”

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