Washington, DC - Polish your boots and spiff up your horses because The Washington International Regional Horse Show & Zone 3 Finals starts this week. This popular show is the sister event to the Washington International Horse Show, the country's leading metropolitan indoor horse show, held the following week at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. In addition to being a top show in its own right with a broad selection of classes for riders of all levels, the WIHS Regional Show offers several last-minute ways to qualify for the big event at Verizon Center.

The Regional will take place Friday through Sunday, Oct. 21-23, at Prince George's Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The U.S. Hunter Jumper Assn. (USHJA) Zone 3 Finals, hosted by the Regional, will be held on Sunday. A warm-up day on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will give horses and riders a chance to acclimate to the indoor and outdoor arenas before the show begins.

Riders across the country compete year-round to earn enough points to qualify for Verizon Center. The Regional Show provides a great opportunity for top riders from our local area as well. The Regional Show's Children's and Adult Hunter champions will qualify for the WIHS Children's and Adult Championship held Tuesday evening, Oct. 25, and the top Regional Horses and Ponies owned by exhibitors living within 100 miles of Washington, D.C. will qualify for the Regional Hunter Finals on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Included in the Regional schedule are a variety of hunter, jumper and equitation classes, as well as short stirrup and lead line for the very youngest equestrians. Highlights include the Gittings Horsemanship Finals, the Maryland Horse Show Association Hunt Seat Equitation and the Virginia Horse Show Association Medal classes.

The USHJA Zone 3 Finals include the following divisions: Adult Amateur Hunter, Children's Hunter and Children's Hunter Pony, Children's Jumper, Adult Jumper and Pony Jumper. The top 20 horse and rider combinations in Zone 3 (MD, VA, DC, NC) will be invited to compete in their respective divisions in this year-end final.

The Regional is sponsored by The Saddlery of Great Falls, Va. To capture your special moments, Shawn McMillen Photography, the Official Show Photographer, and videographers from EquestrianGameTape.com will be on hand throughout the weekend.

The Regional is rated "Local Member" by the U.S. Equestrian Federation and is open to all horses and ponies. The prize list, class details and directions are available at www.wihs.org/wihs-regional/.

The 53rd Annual Washington International Horse Show will be held October 25-30, 2011 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.