June 18, 2013 – East Dorset, Vermont – The Vermont Summer Festival will once again welcome some of the top course designers in the world to the Manchester, VT, area during the six-week equestrian festival running July 2 through August 11 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.

Priding itself on using the best course designers in the business, the Vermont Summer Festival will welcome six well-known names to this year’s event.  Each course designer will each have the opportunity to showcase their skills by creating challenging tracks in the all-weather grand prix ring during their assigned week.

Alan Wade (IRE), Chris Brandt (CAN) Ken Krome (USA), Conrad Homfeld (USA), Michel Vaillancourt (CAN), and Eric Hasbrouck (USA) will all be returning to set tough but fair questions for competitors and their horses.

Returning for his fourth consecutive year, renowned Canadian course designer Chris Brandt will set the tracks during week two, the Manchester Summer Festival, running July 9 to 14.

“I work about 40 to 45 weeks a year at venues all over North and South America, and the Vermont Summer Festival is at the top of my list of favorite venues,” said Brandt.  “The competition itself is so well run.  All of the people, from organizers John and Dotty Ammerman to show manager Billy Glass, and all of the rest of the team, really care about the quality of the competition and work hard to make sure they put on the best event possible.  They do such a great job year after year.  It is truly a pleasure to work with them.”

Brandt continued, “The venue itself is so beautiful.  It’s one of the few places where you can come for the full six weeks and have so much to do outside of the horse show.  The weather is normally great, the restaurants are top-notch, and the accommodations all have their own unique feel.  Plus there’s all that shopping.  I have a hard time not spending everything I make!”

Offering more than $750,000 in prize money, the Vermont Summer Festival is the richest sporting event based on purse in the state of Vermont.  The competition routinely attracts Olympic athletes, top trainers and some of North America’s most talented up-and-coming riders.

The first five Saturdays of the Vermont Summer Festival will feature a $30,000 Grand Prix.  The $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix will be held during the sixth and final week on Saturday, August 10.  The weekly $10,000 Open Welcome Stake, Presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, will be held each Thursday.  The hugely popular $5,000 3’3” Hunter Derby will also be held each Thursday for the first five weeks, with week six featuring the $15,000 Hunter Derby.

For over 20 years, the Vermont Summer Festival has attracted exhibitors and their families to the Manchester region in southern Vermont.  Known for its wide variety of area amenities including a large range of lodging options, restaurants to suit every taste, outdoor activities, and lots and lots of shopping, Manchester-area businesses warmly welcome horse show competitors to the area each summer.

The Vermont Summer Festival is a proud member event of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame, the Marshall & Sterling League, and the North American League (NAL).  For more information about the Vermont Summer Festival, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit
www.vt-summerfestival.com.