Lexington, KY - The St. Louis National Charity Horse Show will be held beginning Wednesday, September 28 through Saturday, October 1 at the National Equestrian Center, in Lake St. Louis, Missouri.

The new Show Manager for 2011 will be Peter Fenton. Peter is introducing some changes to the show, while continuing to build upon the show’s longstanding tradition and prestige. The judging panel for this year includes Jim Lowry, Bill Waller, and Lisa Waller.

The show is seeking recognition from the United States Equestrian Federation as one of the oldest horse show traditions west of the Mississippi, as part of the history with the St. Louis National Horse Show and St. Louis Horse Show that date back to 1856. The St. Louis National Charity Horse Show was established in 1978 and has enjoyed 34 years as a major charity event in St. Louis. This year, the show has chosen “Stray Rescue of St. Louis” as its charity organization.

The $5,000 R.S. Palmer Memorial Five-Gaited Jackpot stake on Saturday night is expected to draw top open five-gaited horses from around the nation. Open Jackpot Stakes classes are also being introduced this year for the Fine Harness and Three-Gaited Horses. Qualified equitation riders will have two medallion finals in which to compete - the MHSA Junior Saddle Seat Equitation Medallion and the Saddle & Bridle Pleasure Medallion. The highly coveted Saddle & Bridle Shatner Country Western Pleasure Championship trophy will be awarded Saturday night.

Overall, five National and World Championship events for American Saddlebred Pleasure Horse, including the Hunter Classic, are sponsored by Saddle & Bridle, and a new division has been opened for English Pleasure (any breed), including open and walk-trot classes.

In addition to the four-day lineup of high-quality competitive pleasure and performance classes, the show is again hosting the Midwest Regional Academy Championships, offering lesson barns a two-day academy competition in tandem with the St. Louis classes on October 1. Melissa Hughes will judge this October 2 event. New this year is the Becker Brothers WTC Challenge Clinic and Class. The show promises to be a challenging, educational, and rewarding event designed to attract new families to the show horse industry.

For additional information about the St. Louis National Charity Horse Show, please visit the show’s website.