Philip Richter returns to the Devon Horse Show to defend his championship on Glasgow in Amateur Owner Jumpers on Friday and Saturday, June 4-5. The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, May 27-June 6, benefits the Bryn Mawr Hospital, to which it has donated almost $14 million.

New footing in the Dixon Oval at Devon has been installed by Equestrian Services International, which has provided the footing for the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, and jumper riders are thrilled with it.

A Devon favorite is Laura Chapot, who has ridden the Open Jumper Champion for three of the past five years and has also been Leading Open Jumper Rider three of the past five years. Chapot is bringing a new grand prix horse to Devon this year, Tsarin, a mare she got only recently in Europe. She is bringing three additional horses, Bradbury, Valentia and Chili Pepper as well as a couple of young horses for the Five-Year Old, Six-Year-Old and Seven/Eight-Year-Old sections which will compete Tuesday and Wednesday, June 1 and 2. Open Jumpers compete Tuesday, May 31, through Saturday, June 5.

Chapot is also bringing two students, Joy Slater and Madeline Cox, to compete in Amateur Owners, along with Barbara Rochford, who will ride in the Adult Jumper section on Memorial Day.

Richter qualified two horses to show in the Amateur Owner section, the returning champion Glasgow and Ray Ray. Glasgow is a former grand prix jumper (who was campaigned very successfully by Norman Dello Joio) that Richter has been riding for three years.

“Riding Glasgow in High Amateurs is like taking a machine gun to a quail hunt,” said Richter. “He knows he’s so talented. He’s a real athlete and a real competitor, but he’s always a gentleman. He always tries to win.”

Richter, an equity owner in Hollow Brook, LLC, an investment management firm in New York City, shows very lightly due to his business obligations.

“I show at Old Salem and Devon, and I don’t show again until Lake Placid (two weeks at the end of June and beginning of July),” said Richter. “Then I don’t show again until the Hampton Classic (Labor Day weekend), and after that I’m done until Florida. Mom (Judy Richter) and Norman have the horses set up, and I can just get on and go,” said Richter.

The Devon Horse Show has been honored with the United States Equestrian Federation’s designation as a USEF Heritage Competition. An historic Pennsylvania equestrian event that has become a part of the fabric of the American horse show scene, Devon is only the fourth show to receive this honor.

Devon opens Thursday, May 27 with a full day of equitation in the Dixon Oval and pony breeding in the Gold Ring. Children 12 and under will be admitted free on opening day, courtesy of Hartstrings, a locally headquartered children’s clothing company.
Junior hunters and jumpers and ponies compete Friday and Saturday, and the Carriage Pleasure Drive opens a week of adult competition on Sunday, arriving at the Dixon Oval at 2 p.m, followed by Pony Jumpers Sunday evening.

Hunters compete Monday through Wednesday, with Side Saddle featured Wednesday afternoon, and Saddlebreds, harness ponies, fine harness, Friesians, roadsters and coaching begin Wednesday. Breeding classes take over Thursday, followed by “Devon at Sunset” at 4:30, featuring the piece de resistance of the Devon Horse Show, the $100,000 Grand Prix at 8 p.m.

The Open Jumper’s Gambler’s Choice is Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., and the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake, followed by the awarding of the Championship and the Leading Rider title are the last classes Saturday evening, June 5. The $25,000 Hunter Derby, competed for in a two round format, begins at 10 a.m., Sunday, June 6.

There will be a reining exhibition by Stacy Westfall on May 28-30, and the beloved Budweiser Clydesdales will perform in exhibition the last four evenings, Wednesday through Saturday, June 2-5.

The Country Fair has redesigned and rebuilt some of its most public spaces, including the Garden Café Pavilion, the Souvenir and the Candy booths, expanded the picnic grove and renovated the interior of the Art Gallery.

The Country Fair offers boutique shopping for sports wear, often appliquéd with a horse, dog or fox design, gorgeous hats, boots, beautiful gold and silver jewelry, again often with an equestrian design, paintings and prints, leather goods, collectibles and souvenirs.

Food to tempt any and all palates ranges from gourmet dining in the Garden Cafe to hot dogs and hamburgers and the famous Devon tea sandwiches, Devon fudge and lemon sticks.

Rides and games line the west end of the Fair and include the Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and all kinds of fun games with prizes.

For ticket information, call (610) 688-2554. The ticket office is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon. General admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under and seniors 65 and over.
Devon is also selling tickets through TicketLeap, but ticket packages and seats for the Grand Prix Thursday evening will not be sold over the internet in 2010.

For additional information, visit www.devonhorseshow.org.