HITS is pleased to announce that they will host the Dressage Getaway CDI*** during week III of the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA. The show, held on February 12-14, will feature a full schedule of national and high-performance dressage classes. The 2010 HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA, will have six weeks of hunter/jumper competition from January 26 to March 14.

During the Dressage Getaway competition, the CSI jumpers and CDI dressage horses will share the indoor warm-up ring and indoor show arena for their top classes on alternating days, in a similar schedule to the highly successful World Cup Finals held in Las Vegas.

Regina Antonioli, the manager of the Del Mar CDI show for the past 15 years, is the show manager for Dressage Getaway. "We were very excited when Tom Struzzieri (HITS President and CEO) offered us his facility," she said. "We hope to make it a very European-type experience for riders with jumpers and dressage horses together. It's a great opportunity for spectators to see not only top jumpers, but also top dressage horses."

"Hosting the Dressage Getaway will be a nice addition to our Thermal circuit," said Struzzieri. "It's the first time we'll have another event taking place during the circuit in Thermal. In Saugerties, we've hosted the NEDA Fall Festival/CDI-W Region 8 Championships for several years during the Marshall & Sterling Finals with much success. It will be exciting to have both the hunter/jumper and dressage exhibitors come together at the same time, especially since it's also a FEI World Cup week for the jumpers. It will be a great weekend, and we are looking forward to help make this show a great success."

The highlight of the CDI competition will be a full day of freestyle competition on Sunday. Grand prix dressage will be held on Friday evening, while all of the national classes will run in the outdoor ring.

The Sponsor Pavilion will provide hospitality every day, and there will be a welcome party during the jog on Thursday for dressage riders. A VIP brunch will be held in conjunction with the Freestyle competition on Sunday.

Along with watching dressage legends Hilda Gurney and Charlotte Bredahl score the riders as judges, fans of dressage can look forward to seeing 2009 World Cup Finals champion Steffen Peters and Olympic dressage rider Guenter Seidel compete at the event.

The Dressage Getaway CDI*** is the first high-level dressage show held in 2010 on the West Coast. "It is a very nice opportunity," Antonioli said. "It's great to have a high-rated show earlier in the year so they're not all bunched up in the spring. This show will help riders tremendously in their quest to qualify for the World Equestrian Games (WEG). With so many riders wanting to go to the WEG in the United States, that is the big concentrating factor for riders. By offering this extra rated event, it gives high-performance dressage riders even more opportunity to get their scores for the WEG."

Announcements on special classes, judges, course designers, prize money, and more will be made regularly for the HITS Desert Circuit. To learn of the latest news, please become a fan of HITS' page on Facebook and sign up to receive HITS' Twitter updates.

HITS, Inc., produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. In 2010, HITS will take the industry to new heights when it hosts the $1 Million United States Grand Prix League Grand Prix in Saugerties on September 12.

To keep on track with the updates or to request a copy of the winter circuit prize lists, please visit www.HitsShows.com.