Excited WIHS fans on Barn Night show their spirit!

Washington, D.C. - The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) is pleased to announce “What’s Your Dream?” as the theme for this year’s Barn Night. Barn Night, presented by Dover Saddlery, will be featured on Thursday, October 25, during the 54th annual WIHS. The competition will be held on October 23-28, 2012, at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C.

Returning sponsor Dover Saddlery is excited to be a part of this year’s Barn Night and looks forward to a fantastic event. “It is great to see so many young riders coming out to support the Washington International Horse Show and get involved in the sport,” said Dover’s Janet Nittmann. “Barn Night is such a fun event and we love seeing the dedication and excitement of all of the barns that come out each year.”

Barn Night at WIHS is a favorite with local young riders and horse enthusiasts who attend in groups and have a chance to enter contests, win big prizes, and enjoy a fun, horse-filled evening. Join us on Thursday, October 25 at 6:00 p.m. for activities on the concourse, including a Stablemates painting activity hosted by Breyer Animal Creations. The first 100 kids to arrive will receive a special prize, also courtesy of Breyer. Enjoy the evening’s entertainment, like the exciting and hilarious Gambler's Choice Costume Class, the Mutton Busting exhibition, a t-shirt toss, plus an autograph session with top riders! The famous WIHS Puissance wall will also be on the concourse for photos ops.

WIHS is thrilled to announce some amazing prizes for the Barn Night contests. For Best Group Spirit, the Champion group will receive a clinic for their barn from Olympic gold medalist Joe Fargis. Fargis was an individual and team gold medalist in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and is one of the most successful and respected trainers in the United States. Honorable mentions for the Best Group Spirit contest will receive Gift Certificates courtesy of Dover Saddlery.

Barn Night is a terrific opportunity for the region's horse lovers to come together and enjoy a night of entertainment and camaraderie. At last year's Barn Night, there were many enthusiastic local barns that participated. The incredible turnout is something that makes Thursdays at WIHS so special.
In addition to runner-ups and honorable mentions, the 2011 contest winners were:

Largest Overall Barn Contest: Meadowbrook Stables, Chevy Chase, MD
Largest Barn, Maryland: Full Moon Farm, Finksburg, MD
Largest Barn, Virginia: Cedar Creek Farm, Sterling, VA
Largest Barn, DC/Other: Rock Creek Park Horse Center, Washington, DC
Barn Banner Contest: Rock Creek Park Horse Center, Washington, DC
Best Barn Video: Cedar Creek Farm, Sterling, VA
Best Barn Spirit: Meadowbrook Stables, Chevy Chase, MD

One farm that has been a great presence at Barn Night each year is Cedar Creek Farm of Sterling, VA, which won last year's Biggest Virginia Barn Contest and the Best Barn Video. Mary Elizabeth Cordia is a 14-year-old rider from Alexandria, VA, who has attended Barn Night as part of the Cedar Creek crew for the last four years.

Cordia started riding when she was seven and trains with Jenny Graham at Cedar Creek. Cordia’s mother, Liz, also gets involved with Barn Night as a volunteer. Cordia loves the upbeat atmosphere of Barn Night and enjoys the time with her fellow riders and their families.

“Barn Night is really fun,” Cordia stated. “They have the costume Gambler’s Choice class that is really fun to watch. The mutton busting last year was the funniest thing ever. It is great because we know some of the other barns, so it is fun seeing them and we are all together. We pick a theme and then we all dress up as the same color and then we all go out to dinner and hang out. We make signs and banners, a movie, and a song for our movie. We usually have 25-30 people. Not just the kids come, but their whole families come too.”

Register your barn now to be eligible to participate in fun group contests and for the chance to win our great prizes! Join WIHS on Facebook and sign up on the Barn Night Facebook Event Page to enter contests, see who will be attending, and connect with other Barn Night participants!

See Barn Night Contest Rules for details about the 2012 WIHS Barn Night Contests: Largest Group (Overall, MD, VA and DC/Other), Best Group Spirit, Best Group Banner, and Best Group Video.

Lots of other great prizes will be awarded to this year’s contest winners. For the Largest Group (Overall, Maryland, Virginia and DC/Other), a $1,000 cash prize will be provided, courtesy of Gaithersburg Equipment Company. The three individual largest groups (Maryland, Virginia, and Other States/DC) will receive prizes from Dover Saddlery.

The Group Banner Contest will feature the “What’s Your Dream?” theme. Prizes will include gift certificates from Dover Saddlery, which will be awarded for Champion, Reserve Champion, and three Honorable Mentions.

In the Group Video Contest, also with the “What's Your Dream?” theme, prizes will include gift certificates from Dover Saddlery awarded for Champion, Reserve Champion, and three Honorable Mentions.

Go to www.wihs.org/Barn-Night now to sign up to be eligible for this year's contests and prizes. Discounted tickets for Barn Night are available at the Verizon Center Group Sales Office. Call (202) 661-5061 now to reserve your seats! The minimum group size is 10 people.

Visit www.wihs.org/tickets/ for more information on purchasing tickets to this year’s event. Download the 2012 Official WIHS Prize List at www.wihs.org/prize-list/. Learn more about the Washington International and the WIHS Regional Horse Show & USHJA Zone 3 Finals at www.wihs.org, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.