Fair Hill, MD—August 31, 2004—An internationally-sanctioned 100-mile endurance ride will join the traditional eventing CCI championship on the featured schedule when the 16th annual Fair Hill International Festival in the Country returns to the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area in the beautiful countryside of Fair Hill, MD, October 14-17, 2004.

The CEI*** 100-mile endurance ride, a prelude to next year’s anticipated North American Endurance Championship at Fair Hill, will augment newly revised driving competitions and clinics as a co-feature with the U.S. Equestrian Federation CCI*** Eventing Fall Championship on the Fair Hill International schedule. Driving will remain part of the equestrian activity at Fair Hill with carriage driving dressage clinics with Hardy Zantke of California on Friday and Saturday hosted by the Brandywine Valley Driving Club, and a modified combined driving event on Sunday.

“Driving has become an integral part of what we feature at Fair Hill,” said Fair Hill International Executive Director Lou Morris, “and it will still be part of what we present. Sunday, spectators will still feel the excitement and thrills as the carriages navigate through the marathon hazards.

“We certainly are keeping driving as part of the Fair Hill experience,” he added. “Its presence will still be very visible -- it’s just that the format has changed from years past.”

In 2002 and 2003, a 100-mile endurance ride was held on the weekend prior to the Fair Hill International as a kick-off to the event. This year, for the first time, Fair Hill will host the Fair Hill International CEI*** 100-mile endurance ride on its regular weekend of competition. The ride will take place on Saturday, October 16, the same day as Fair Hill’s eventing cross-country competition. Top finishers are expected to cross the finish line between 9:00 and 10:00 pm in the Wilmington Trust Main Arena in front of the Fair Hill Club tent during the annual Competitors Party.

This new addition to the regular line-up of top-level competition is sure to afford spectators a rare and unique opportunity to witness some of the world’s best endurance horses and riders in action as they tackle the challenging 100-mile course. The ride, only the third-ever 100-mile ride hosted in Maryland, weaves through the picturesque landscape of the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area in northeastern Maryland’s Chesapeake watershed area.

As always, this year’s Fair Hill International also features exciting eventing competition highlighted by the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Fall CCI*** Championship, one of the most prestigious three-day events held in the United States, in which riders will vie for the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation Challenge Trophy. Since the Fair Hill CCI is one of only two three-star competitions held in the United States, top riders prime their horses specifically to conclude their competitive seasons with this celebrated competition. This year’s CCI will start the qualifying process for the 2006 World Equestrian Games.

Last year’s Fair Hill International, host of the Pan American Eventing Championships, was the most successful Fair Hill ever. Eventing horses and riders from North and South America came to Fair Hill for an incredible weekend that saw record crowds and a team Gold Medal for the United States.

Olympic medal-winners Phillip Dutton of Australia, David and Karen O’Connor, Bruce Davidson and all five members of the United States’ 2004 Bronze Medal Olympic team, including individual Silver Medalist Kim Severson, John Williams, Julie Richards, Amy Tryon and Darren Chiacchia, who won the individual Gold Medal at the 2003 Pan American Championship at Fair Hill, regularly compete at Fair Hill.

While world-class equestrian competition makes the Fair Hill International a rare treat for spectators, the amenities at Fair Hill round out the event to provide an ideal family outing. The Country Shops boast a wide variety of shopping and dining, featuring vendors of tack, jewelry, artwork, pet needs, exceptional apparel and fine gifts for the approaching holiday seasons. The Fair Hill Club offers fine dining, while visitors seeking a more casual snack or meal will find pubs around the Fair Hill grounds serving classic Maryland crab-cakes and other treats. In fact, the Maryland Department of Agriculture named the Fair Hill International as a “Maryland Top Event!”

Fair Hill’s ever-popular dog agility trials will return this year with over 400 canine competitors. Many additional exciting activities are also planned, including Maryland State Police K-9 demonstrations and appearances by the Stuart Family Miniature Horses who will perform driving, hunter/jumper and obstacle jumping demonstrations along with giving talks on the care of miniature horses. Other planned activities include friends from the Winterthur booth, who will offer quick crafts for children and a family sign-up opportunity, and the Chesapeake Foundation Booth, where spectators can learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and related environmental concerns.

The 2004 Fair Hill International Festival in the Country will benefit Christiana Care Health System, one of the Chesapeake region’s largest not-for-profit health care providers. Christiana Care, which began in 1888, serves the people of Delaware, as well as neighboring areas of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It maintains a teaching hospital which specializes in cardiology, cancer and women’s health services, and has trauma and neonatal intensive care units that offer an exceptional degree of care.

This year’s sponsors include American Home & Hardware; Bit of Britain; Cosequin/Nutramax Labs; County Banking & Trust Co; Dansko; The Equiery; Glenmede Trust Company; Goldman, Sachs & Co.; The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation; Jeff D’Ambrosio Chevrolet; Maryland Horse Industry Board; M. H. Eby, Inc.; Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit; Primedia Equine; Rice, Unruh & Reynolds; Stancill’s; The Stewart Foundation; Summit Aviation; Thoroughbred Charities of America, Ltd.; Wachovia; Walnut Green Bloodstock; and Wilmington Trust.

For further information on the 2004 Fair Hill International, please call (410) 398-2111 or visit www.fairhillinternational.com.