Stadium Jumping, Inc., is pleased to announce that it will present a $20,000 International Hunter Derby on April 6, 2008. This special High-Performance Hunter class will be hosted by Wrenwood Farms in Naples, FL.

The International Hunter Derby is a return to the tradition and roots of the show hunters, where horses and riders will tackle a course of banks, stone walls, hedges, coops and more set in an open field. The class will be run under a two-round format, with Round One as a traditional classic course with 10 fences. Round Two is styled after a handy hunter course. The fences will be set between 3'6" and 3'9". Several 4' bonus fences will be available as options. Additionally, formal attire for horses and riders is required.

The derby is one of 16 similar classes that will be held throughout the course of the year as part of a new high-performance hunter movement. Originally the idea of George H. Morris, a High-Performance Hunter (HPH) Committee was founded as part of the United States Hunter Jumper Association, and this resurgence of hunters has gathered great momentum.

"The depth of the riders today is not the same as it was in the 1970s," said Diane Carney, a member of the HPH Committee. "The riders are good, but there are not as many as there should be. The riders at the top are not as sharp as they could be, and that's part of the artificial nature of the hunters in general."

She continued, "The ultimate goal is to build a better base for the future so that the medals are easier to get, along with the riders to get to the higher levels of jumping with better skills, which is the formula that worked so well in the 70s and 80s. We're bringing back the principles of riding to the sport, which is essential to the competition of hunters."

A charity luncheon will be held during the event to benefit Naples Equestrian Challenge, which is a therapeutic riding program for children and adults with disabilities. The theme of the event is "Tradition, Tailgate, Top Hats & Tails," which is nostalgic of historical Sunday derbies.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. For more information, please contact Wrenwood Farms at (239) 633-1949.

For more information on the High-Performance Hunter program and the International Hunter Derby series, please visit www.ushja.org.