2004 Dressage at Devon

Tip Your Top-hat: Dressage at Devon Celebrates Ladies’ Day with Hat Contest

Hat Day at Devon: Hat Contest, Goodie Giveaways and More Ladies’ with hats admitted for free and receive a bag full of goodies Celebrity judges dish out great prizes to those wearing the top hats Friday, October 1st

Because they are so important to the spirit of the show, Dressage at Devon tips its hats to the ladies. Ladies are amongst dressage’s top competitors, trainers, judges, officials, volunteers and spectators, so Dressage at Devon has declared a day to celebrate the ladies. The first ever Dressage at Devon Ladies’ Day will be held on Friday, October 1st at the 30th annual Dressage at Devon Horse Show. The horse show opens Tuesday, September 28th and runs through Sunday, October 3rd.

Ladies in fancy hats (baseball caps don’t count) will gain free admission to the prestigious international horse show. They will also receive a bag of goodies including Dressage at Devon souvenirs, coupons, champagne brunch for two at the show’s Mimosas on the Midway and more surprises from Wayne’s Blue Tulip and other local businesses. At 3 p.m., the bonnet bedecked contestants will convene in the Dixon Oval where their headwear will be judged by a panel of celebrity judges. Categories will include Prettiest, Most Whimsical, Most Likely to Take Flight, Most Tempting to Take a Bite Out Of and more, and prizes include dinner for two at Le Mas Perrier, a gift from Blue Tulip, a getaway courtesy of the Desmond Hotel and a one-of-a-kind equestrian-themed ceramic platter from DreamHorse Works.

Judges for the hat contest will include famed Philadelphia restaurant-owner and Chef Georges Perrier, NBC10 TV Meteorologist Amy Freeze, and Hatmakers to the Dutch Royal Family Boy and Wilhelmina DeWinter. DeWinter has been making hats for equestrians at Dressage at Devon for several years, and some of the top riders in the world proudly don his custom-made top hats.

The celebrity-judged hat contest is only one of the exciting new happenings at Dressage at Devon. This year’s show will feature a special exhibition pas de deux with a classically trained dancer and Andalusian stallion. Also appearing in the Dixon Oval will be Ponies of the British Isles in a driven dressage exhibition. The Born in the USA Awards celebrate the top US-bred horses, and the North American Breeders Futurity Championship Finals offer up to $20,000 in prize money.

Dressage at Devon offers one of the highest-rated dressage shows in North America and one of the largest breed shows in the world, drawing entries from across the United States and Canada. . The show is presented by Delaware Valley Combined Training Association and benefits Thorncroft Therapeutic Horseback Riding, Inc., one of the oldest and largest therapeutic riding facilities in the nation. Thorncroft helps the disabled to improve balance, circulation, muscle tone, and concentration, while enhancing self-esteem. Since 1991, Dressage at Devon has raised close to $850,000 for Thorncroft.

Back to the Devon Index