The 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival opened today with the first rounds of the Open Division of the $150,000 National Horse Show Hunter Championship in the Internationale Arena. The next two rounds of Phase One will be contested December 1-2 to determine the top 12 that will move on to Phase Two, the final two rounds on December 4 that ultimately determine the National Horse Show Hunter Champion. A highlight of today’s hunter competition--Shachine Belle aboard In Disguise won the Regular Conformation Hunter Round 1. In Disguise was Green Conformation Hunter Champion at last year’s National. “With In Disguise you have to kick him a little bit in the beginning but once he’s rolling, he’s simple,” said Belle. “It never gets old riding him; he’s just an amazing horse.”

The 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival runs from November 30-December 5 at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, FL. More than 500 of the nation’s top horses are entered to compete. Total prize money for the event is over half a million dollars. The $341,000 Jumper Division begins December 1. The 3rd Annual Zada Enterprises LLC Dressage at the National starts on December 3.

Eight Olympians are competing in the 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival–-Norman Dello Joio, Margie Engle, Alison Firestone, Nona Garson, Lauren Hough, Laura Kraut, Todd Minikus and McLain Ward. The Jumper Division kicks off tomorrow, December 1, highlighted by the $25,000 Palm Beach Post National Welcome Qualifying Stake. Featured competitions in the Jumper Division are the $100,000 Lexus National Horse Show Jumper Championship, CSI-W presented by Chesapeake Petroleum on December 3, and the $100,000 Budweiser AGA Championship, CSI*** presented by Chesapeake Petroleum on December 5.

Stadium Jumping, Inc., producer of the 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival, announced today that VIP seating in the Diamond Horseshoe is sold out (66 tables of six). The reserved boxes (eight seats per box) are sold out for Friday night’s Jumping Under the Stars, but a limited number of reserved boxes are still available on other days of the week. For more information, call (561) 793-5867. General admission tickets are available daily at the Spectator Entrance Gate and can also be reserved by calling (866) NHS-SHOW or on the website at www.nhs.org.