Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, the management company for hunter/jumper competitions at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, is pleased to announce that Hagyard Equine Medical Institute will be the proud sponsor of the Hagyard Challenge Series. The 2010 Hagyard Challenge Series consists of five grand prix show jumping competitions at the world-class horse park. These classes start in May at the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows and conclude in August at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show.

The rider who accumulates the most points in the series will receive a $40,000 Leading Rider Bonus, presented after the $50,000 Hagyard CSI-W Lexington held on August 20. All series classes will offer the same points regardless of prize money paid. The first class of the 2010 Hagyard Challenge Series will be held on Thursday, May 13, in the Main Outdoor Stadium at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, which runs from May 12-16, 2010. The Main Outdoor Stadium will be hosting the jumper events for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™. The second class in the series, the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, CSI**, will be held the following week on May 20 at the Kentucky Spring Classic. The Kentucky Spring Classic is scheduled for the week of May 19-23, 2010.

The Hagyard Challenge Series will continue during the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, beginning with the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic on Thursday, July 29. This will mark the third event in the Series, and will be held during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show running from July 28-August 1, 2010. The fourth class will be held during the Kentucky Summer Classic on Thursday, August 5, and the show will be held August 4-8, 2010. The final class in the series, the $50,000 Hagyard CSI-W Lexington Grand Prix will be held on August 20 at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show running from August 18-22, 2010.

"This year will be really exciting for the Hagyard Challenge Series because of the high level of competitors competing at the Horse Park this year in preparation for the 2010 World Equestrian Games," noted Hagyard Equine Medical Institute CEO Dr. Andy Clark. "This may be a once in lifetime opportunity to see this level of competitors in the Hagyard Challenge Series. Last year was a huge success, and we think that this year will be even better. We tweeted the results of the Hagyard Challenge Series last year and there were many people who enjoyed having the results at their fingertips, so this year we plan on doing the same thing. Hagyard is very excited about the series, and we are confident that the riders are excited too."

The Hagyard Equine Medical Institute of Lexington, KY, was founded in 1876. The institute, which is located directly across from the Kentucky Horse Park, is one of the oldest and largest equine veterinary practices in the world and is known for its excellence in veterinary medicine. The Hagyard Sport Horse Program, a specialized department at the institute, serves the nation's top sport horse athletes and brings the same level of excellent care to high-performance horses that the institute has provided for the racehorse and breeding industries for decades.

The facility at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute offers 13 Digital Radiology systems, 1.5 Tesla Siemens Open MRI, Nuclear Scintigraphy, a high-speed treadmill, an on-site laboratory, an on-site pharmacy, full surgical services, 24-hour ambulance and emergency services, and Hyperbaric Medicine. The institute has practiced veterinary medicine for more than 133 years and is currently composed of over 60 experienced veterinarians, with 12 board certifications in specialty areas of medicine, surgery, critical care, and theriogenology.

For more information on Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, please go to www.hagyard.com.

For more information about the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.