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HITS Hosts Fall Conference Call with Desert Circuit Committee Members
Written by: Jennifer Wood Client:HITS Desert Circuit and HITS Ocala Winter Circuit Release Date:2009-11-19
Thermal, CA - November 19, 2009 - HITS, Inc. has been working closely with their West Coast Trainers’ Committee and West Coast High Performance Committee since last year’s HITS Desert Circuit to implement changes from the advice gathered during discussions with these well-respected industry professionals. On Wednesday, HITS hosted a conference call with its committee members to discuss plans for the upcoming circuit. The HITS Desert Circuit will be held in Thermal, CA, from January 26 to March 14, 2010. The world-class horse show will feature six weeks of competition for equitation, hunters, and jumpers.
On this HITS Desert Circuit Conference Call were HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri, HITS West Coast Management Team member Dale Harvey, Danette Kadlic for HITS Exhibitor Marketing, HITS West Coast High Performance Committee members Susie Hutchinson and Guilhermo Obligado, and HITS West Coast Trainer’s Committee members Kathy Hobstetter and Rudy Leone.
A variety of topics were discussed on the conference call, including the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit prize list and schedule, HITS Desert Horse Park property updates, circuit pricing packages, the grand prix schedule, and the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix.
Management and Committee members reviewed the recent prize list change implemented for the Low Amateur Jumpers, which will now be open to Amateur riders and will not require the rider to own the horse. Struzzieri shared with the members that HITS had received feedback on this particular division early on and moved quickly to address the concerns from exhibitors. HITS also added a new division, Amateur-Owner Hunter (Low) 3’3”, which was another popular update.
With horses at all levels of the jumper divisions, the committee members were also interested in the Course Designer schedule for the circuit.
“Once again, we have a fantastic line-up of Course Designers for the Desert Circuit,” said Harvey. “In many cases, the main course designers stay on for the following week, so all of our jumpers will have an opportunity to compete on courses set by some of the best designers in the world in the secondary rings!”
The schedule for the Grand Prix Ring course designers for the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit is as follows:
DC I - Robert Ellis
DC II - Leopoldo Palacios
DC III - Olaf Petersen, Jr.
DC IV - Bernardo Cabral
DC V - Steve Stephens
DC VI - Olaf Petersen
Some of the top course designers in the world will also be setting the courses in the secondary arenas during the HITS Desert Circuit. They include:
DC I - Leopoldo Palacios
DC II - Robert Ellis
DC III - Florencio Hernandez
DC IV - Danny Foster
DC V - Bernardo Cabral
DC VI - Steve Stephens
Grand prix rider and trainer Susie Hutchinson was happy to report that the circuit pricing packages have allowed her to place all of her horses in permanent stabling for the 2010 circuit. She stated it was a direct consequence of HITS lowering their prices, and it was “a huge impact.” She explained, “In the first two years of Thermal, I’ve had about five horses in the permanent barns and 12 to 15 in the portable stalls. I felt like I was spread out too much, and we didn’t feel like we were a group. This will make it feel much better. The permanent barns there are lovely.”
Hutchinson is happy to be a part of the West Coast High Performance Committee. She said, “The committees definitely help, and I do like being a part of it. It’s a nice, diverse group where people are entitled to their own opinion. HITS has allowed us to have that diversity.”
Grand prix rider Guilhermo Obligado joins Hutchinson on the High Performance Committee, and he agreed, “I think it’s very good to be able to have communication with the managers and the riders. Everybody is trying to make this a better show. It’s very, very positive.”
Both riders were pleased with the news that new scoreboards from Ryegate Show Services will be used in the Grand Prix Ring and Main Hunter Ring. The scoreboards will also be in place in the indoor arena during the World Cup qualifying grand prix events. The boards are 16 feet wide and six and a half feet tall, and the jumper scoreboard will have video capability. Along with informing spectators who is showing in the ring, they will also produce stand-by lists and class standings.
“The scoreboard gets the crowds so much more into it; it’ll be nice to have those,” Hutchinson pointed out. “It helps people stay on track to where they are, and it’s good for riders. They can look up and see immediate results.” Obligado added, “It is very nice to have new scoreboards. It’s a show, and the more you can do to dress them up and get the ambience going, the more people will come. It’s also great to add more trees and different jumps, to make things more important, even if you don’t show in the grand prix field. Then it becomes a show.”
Lloyd Longenecker, President of Ryegate Show Services, stated, “This is the first year that Ryegate Show Services has provided scoreboards for HITS, and we will have two each in Thermal and Ocala. I think it’s really important to have good quality scoreboards when they have spectators, so that you can see the running scores and times in the jumpers. It’s a great way to keep everyone informed.”
Longenecker also pointed out, “Riders like the scoreboards too because they highlight the owners’ names, and they know their scores right away. It enhances the whole experience. It’s also an opportunity to really showcase the sponsors, show their logos, and it lists the sponsors whenever the classes are on a break.”
Obligado was also interested in the new Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, which will be held on September 12, 2010, in Saugerties, NY. “Tom always puts up a lot of money, and it’s very nice for him to do it. In this economy, to get a ribbon in the grand prix you still get a nice check. I hope it works and pushes everybody to jump in it.”
“The Committee calls have been an important part of our preparation for the circuit,” said Struzzieri. “I appreciate the time and effort of the Committee members and their ideas on how we can continue to ensure Thermal is a success for everyone. In the past two years that we’ve been conducting these meetings, the ‘to do’ list has been considerably shortened, which is a great sign that we have addressed the most important aspects of the property and now we are moving into the fine-tuning stage of things.”
HITS, Inc. welcomes feedback for all of its horse show circuits. To send suggestions, please e-mail info@hitsshows.com. For more information or to sign up to receive a prize list, please visit www.hitsshows.com.
Announcements on special classes, judges, course designers, prize money, and more will be made regularly for all of the HITS Horse Show circuits. To learn of the latest news, please become a fan of HITS’ page on Facebook and sign up to receive HITS’ Twitter updates.
HITS, Inc. produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. In 2010, HITS will take the industry to new heights when it hosts the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties on September 12.
