Augusta, NJ — Celebrating its 60th year, Garden State Horse Show (GSHS) prides itself on retaining traditions of the past while adding new and innovative features to the show each year. This year the AA-rated show, which runs from May 4-8 at the
Driving for Surviving will once again entertain the crowd just prior to the Grand Prix. (Photo by Reflections).
The Garden State Preview Horse Show will serve as a warm-up and give all the riders the experience of riding in the main rings – which will be as beautifully decorated as at the AA show. Several add-back classes and wildcard qualifiers are a great incentive for the jumper riders. The hunters, too, will have a host of C-rated divisions on Saturday with NJHSA, NJPHA, NAL, WIHS, and MS classes scheduled as well.
GSHS Manager Tim Cleary notes that the horse show committee’s goal is to build this new show up to an A or AA competition and make it a well-pursed jumper show as well. “We have so many loyal exhibitors that love Garden State. Why not give them an opportunity to show here two times back-to-back?”
While the preview show is Garden State’s big new offering this year, the regular features that have made it New Jersey’s largest horse show, will continue. Always a highlight of the show, the $50,000 Garden State Grand Prix, as well as the $25,000 Welcome Grand Prix, perennially attract top caliber riders and horses and make for very exciting classes in the main jumper arena. “Having two big money classes is very popular with the top jumper people and their organizations,” Cleary affirms.
Crowd pleasers, the children with miniature horses and ponies from Driving for Surviving, a pediatric oncology equestrian carriage driving program of sharingVillage, will once again take center stage in the main arena just prior to the Grand Prix on Saturday, May 7.
<b>ENDS</b>
Garden State’s horse show office urges trainers and exhibitors to get entries in early this year, noting the show is just about at capacity and there is a strong possibility that entries will close prior to the start of this year’s show.
For prize lists or questions regarding entries call the show office at 201-210-8517 (alternate number, 973-948-5022) or visit the website, http://www.gardenstatehorseshow.org.