$50,000 Cleveland Challenge Expected to Attract Top Show Jumpers to Ohio
RELEASE: June 14, 2007
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By Betty Weibel
Two of the nation’s top horse show jumping events are teaming up to promote grand prix show jumping in Cleveland, OH. Organizers of the Chagrin Valley PHA Hunter Jumper Classic and the American Gold Cup (both held annually at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field in Moreland Hills, OH) have established a $50,000 Challenge to encourage the world’s best grand prix riders to travel to Northeast Ohio to compete at both events. Any rider that wins the $65,000 Cleveland Grand Prix in July and the $100,000 American Gold Cup in September in the same year will be awarded a $50,000 bonus.
“The $50,000 Challenge has been established to promote top-level grand prix show jumping in Cleveland,” said Karen Schneider, Chairman of the Chagrin Valley PHA Horse Show, which organizes the Hunter Jumper Classic. “We were happy to work with the American Gold Cup when it returned to the Polo Field last year, and are thrilled to partner with them on the $50,000 Challenge to promote equestrian sports in Cleveland.”
“Our return to Cleveland last year was a tremendous success, and we are committed to being here long-term,” said Michael Morrissey of Stadium Show Jumping, Inc., organizers of the Gold Cup. “Riders love this venue and the footing, and they love the community support they get when they return to Cleveland each year. Our hope is that this incentive will bring even more world-class competitors to Northeast Ohio each summer.”
Next year’s Hunter Jumper Classic will be held on July 14-22 and the American Gold Cup will return on September 19-23.
About the Events
The Chagrin Valley PHA Hunter Jumper Classic is an eight-day horse show extravaganza with more than 100 classes for beginner through grand prix rider. The event’s Cleveland Grand Prix has historic significance in the equestrian world because the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field is the site of our nation's first grand prix in 1965. The Hunter Jumper Classic raises money for a number of local charities, including the Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center in Bainbridge, OH, which provides therapy and education-based equine facilitated programs for children and adults with disabilities. For details, visit www.clevelandhorseshow.com.
The first American Gold Cup was held in 1970 at the historic Polo Field. The Gold Cup then moved to Florida and later to Devon, PA, outside Philadelphia, where it remained for 27 years. In September 2006, the event returned to its Cleveland birthplace, where it will remain. The American Gold Cup attracts premier international show jumping competitors who are the sport's best professional competitors, amateurs and children. The Gold Cup benefits City Year Cleveland, which unites a diverse corp of young adults (age 17 to 24) for a demanding year of full-service community service, leadership development and civic engagement. For more information, visit
www.stadiumjumping.com.