McLain Ward and Rothchild competing for the United States at Barcelona (Herve Bonnaud)

Halifax, MA - July 15, 2015 - The Silver Oak Jumper Tournament, presented by the Davis McCullough Foundation, is less than a month away now and the list of top riders continues to grow for this year's show. The Tournament lifts off on August 12th and runs through the 14th at the Fieldstone Show Park, just 28 miles south of Boston. The show runs Wednesday through Sunday with jumping classes every day. The main event is Sunday's $75,000 Agero Grand Prix and will feature a world-class field of top equestrians from around the world. The afternoon's main event is preceded in the morning by the D & G Ventures Mini-Prix. These two exciting classes make for a full day of excitement and entertainment in a gorgeous setting.

This is the third year for the tournament, ranked as one of the NARG's (North American Riders Group) top rated American horse shows, in each of its first two years.
 
The first two winners of the $75,000 Agero Grand Prix, both top Irish equestrians, will be returning to Halifax to compete again. Paul O'Shea a winner during the first year and last year's champion Kevin Babington will both be in action again, trying to get a second leg up on the trophy. Since his win at Silver Oak, O'Shea went on to post a win in the prestigious $100,000 Grand Prix of Devon. Babington, meanwhile, followed up his win at Silver Oak with an excellent victory in $250,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix.

This year however, they'll be faced with their toughest challenge to date as America's winningest and most decorated rider, McLain Ward has confirmed that he'll be coming to Halifax this year.    

"I'm looking forward to competing at Silver Oak this year," Ward said. "Jeff Papows works very hard to put on a first-class event and I'm glad we could schedule our trip to Halifax to support him." Ward, a key member on the United States Equestrian Team's events in Europe, has been unable to attend until now, because of conflicts with dates on his international schedule.

"We are thrilled to have McLain coming to this year's show," said Show Chairman Dr. Jeffrey Papows. "He is the ultimate professional and one of the world's greatest riders." A photo of Ward and
his great mount Sapphire graces the cover of Papows' popular equestrian book, 'Unbridled Passion.'

Over the course of his career, Ward has put together an unmatched resume that includes two Olympic Gold medals, a Pan American Games Gold medal and a Silver and Bronze medal at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen in 2006 and last year in Normandy. His grand prix win total eclipses every rider in American history and just a week ago at Spruce Meadows in Canada, he crossed the $10 million dollar mark in prize money, the first rider in U.S. history to do that. He'll arrive at Silver Oak following the Pan Am Games in Canada.

Other top competitors making the trip to Massachusetts include Georgina Bloomberg who is on the Pan American Games team with McLain Ward, Chris Kappler, a Gold Medal teammate of Ward's in Athens, Greece, and Molly Ashe-Cawley, a two-time American Invitational champion. Addto those names, Charlie Jacobs, who had a brilliant double clear
round on the United States Nations Cup team at Falsterbo, Sweden, just last week, Atlanta Olympian Peter Leone and former World Cup champion Mario Deslauriers. Also

Charlie Jacobs and Flaming Star competing in Falsterbo, Sweden - photo by Roland Thunholm
making the trip to Halifax this year are riders from Missy Clark's North Run, Darren Graziano, Judy Garofalo-Torres, Alan Griffin, Candice King, Jeffery Welles and Margie Engle's Gladwinds Farm. When you add this star-studded group together, you have the makings of a very competitive Silver Oak competition in 2015.