Combined Driving Events Highlight Competition at 2005 Fair Hill International

Fair Hill, MD—September 26, 2005—The Fair Hill International Festival in the Country will once again feature Advanced and Intermediate Level Combined Driving Events, in addition to its popular eventing and endurance action. This year’s Fair Hill is being held at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area in the beautiful countryside of Fair Hill, MD, October 13-16.

The Advanced Level competition features action in Single Horse, Pair Horse, Single Pony, and Four-In-Hand Pony divisions. The Intermediate Level competition features contests in the Single Horse, Pair Horse, Single Pony, and Pair Pony divisions.

Several of the nation’s leading drivers will be on hand to compete in the driving competitions. Heading the list are Lisa Singer of Chadd’s Ford, PA; Boots Wright of Southern Pines, NC; and Jamie O’Rourke of Unionville, PA. Singer, who has won the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Pairs Driving Championship a record seven times, was the highest-placing American driver at the 2005 FEI (International Equestrian Federation) World Pairs Driving Championship in Austria over the summer with her 11th place finish.

Wright is fresh off her recent win in the Advanced Four-In-Hand Pony class at the Laurels at Landhope in early September, which earned her the 2005 USEF National Combined Driving Four-In-Hand Pony Championship.

A member of the first squad to represent the United States in an international driving competition in 1980, O’Rourke is a two-time World Championship veteran. He served as the Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. team at the 2002 World Singles Championship.

“Driving has a long and cherished history at Fair Hill. Last year the driving competition was modified to a simple one-day driving trial, and the full three-day combined driving competition was sorely missed,” said Fair Hill Executive Director Charlie Colgan. “We’re very happy to bring the sport back onto schedule this year to give people the chance to see exciting competition in three international disciplines.”

The sport of driving is modeled after that of eventing in that it involves three separate phases of competition. The driving phases are Dressage, Marathon, and Cones. Driving competition at Fair Hill begins on Friday, October 14 with Dressage. This phase requires drivers to demonstrate the freedom of movement, regularity of paces, harmony, impulsion, and correct positioning of the horse(s). Obedience and precision are the keys to winning.

For spectators, the Marathon phase is considered the most exciting to witness. With its challenging obstacles and tests of pace and precision, the Marathon on Saturday is a must see for visitors at the Fair Hill International this year.

The third and final phase of driving competition is the Cones phase on Sunday. This is the carriage driver’s equivalent to eventing’s jumping phase. Cones tests the driver’s ability to negotiate an obstacle course delineated by sets of cones through which the driver must pass. The wheels of the carriage often have clearance of six inches or less on either side. While horses may be tired after facing the Marathon on the day before, they must be quick to respond to every request from the driver if they are to successfully complete the course.

In addition to exhilarating driving competition, this year’s Fair Hill International also features the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) CCI*** Championship, one of the most prestigious three-day events in the United States, and the North American Endurance Championship, a 100-mile FEI CEI**** Endurance Ride

Fair Hill’s CCI***, in which riders battle for a chance to win the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation Challenge Trophy, is one of only two three-star events in the country. Top riders prime and condition their horses to meet the challenging obstacles Fair Hill presents every year. Regular competitors at Fair Hill include Olympic medal-winners such as last year’s winner Phillip Dutton, as well as Karen O’Connor, Robert Costello, Stuart Black, and Kim Severson, who won individual Silver and team Bronze Medals at the Athens Olympics. This year’s CCI*** will be run under the Olympic (short) format and once again serves as the USEF Three-Star Fall Championship.

The North American Endurance Championship takes place on Saturday, October 15, marking the second year the endurance competition has taken place on the same day as the eventing cross country. With the addition of the driving marathon on that day, October 15 promises to be one of the most action-packed days of equestrian sport ever seen.

The 2005 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 AERC International; Atlantic Tractor; Aventine Wealth Management; Bit of Britain; John K. Burkley Company; County Banking & Trust Company; Coventry Health Care; Cranberry Endurance Ride; Dansko; M.H. Eby Trailers; Equestrian Entertainment Partners; EquiPedic; First National Bank of North East; Freeform USA Saddles; Glenmede Trust Company; Goldman Sachs & Company; W.L. Gore & Associates; Gulf Coast 4-Star Trailers; Gunnip and Company; Herr’s Foods; Kanavy Saddles; Morgan Stanley; Northview Stallion Station; Nutramax Labs; Steve and Dinah Rojek; Southern States; Summit Aviation; Thoroughbred Charities of America, Ltd.; United States Equestrian Federation; and Wachovia Wealth Management.

For more information on the 2005 Fair Hill International, please call (410) 398-2111 or visit www.fairhillinternational.com.