Woodside, Calif., May 17, 2013 – The fifth annual Woodside Preliminary Challenge will be the highlight of the Woodside Horse Trials on May 24-26. The popular competition, which climaxes on Saturday evening, will offer a total of $15,000 in prize money and an additional $15,000 in prizes for the two divisions.
A record number of 47 horses are entered to compete in the Woodside Preliminary Challenge—presented by Professional’s Choice and Equine Insurance of California—at the Horse Park at Woodside, on Sand Hill Road, barely 30 minutes south of San Francisco, just off I-280. Gina Miles, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, is one of the favorites for the Preliminary Challenge Horse division, riding Bravo.
The Woodside Preliminary Challenge will get underway on Friday morning with dressage, evaluated by a panel of two judges. The horses and riders will next tackle the challenges of Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course early on Saturday morning.
And then the winners will be decided on Saturday evening over a special show jumping course set in the Horse Park’s expansive Grand Prix Arena. The top 10 horses in each of the two Preliminary Challenge divisions will begin show jumping at 6:20 p.m., with awards to follow immediately afterward.
Since Saturday afternoon will feature the advanced and intermediate divisions taking their turns over the panoramic cross-country course, spectators can spend the entire day watching the cross-country action for $10 per person, which includes parking and a program.
And then fans, other Woodside competitors, friends and family can cheer for the final phase of the Woodside Preliminary Challenge from a heated ringside platform while enjoying a Gala Dinner catered once again by the popular Paso Robes-based catering firm Cahoots. Or they can bring their own chairs to watch from ringside. Local wines, beer and soft drinks will be served while the horses are jumping, with dinner following the awards ceremony.
Reserved seating and dinner is available for $55 per person or $475 for a table of 10. For ticket information, go to www.woodsideeventing.com.
For the last four years, the gala dinner has been sold out. In 2012, more than 350 people enjoyed the show jumping while having dinner, and another 400-plus cheered from their own seats along the rail.
“I think the format we’ve created for the Woodside Preliminary Challenge—the evening show jumping competition with the awards right afterward and the catered dinner—have become something truly special over the last four years,” said event organizer Robert Kellerhouse. “The Preliminary Challenge has become a competition that the riders aim for every year, and it’s become an event that people in the Woodside area and people riding in the other divisions at Woodside look forward to watching every year.”
Proceeds from the Preliminary Challenge Gala Dinner benefit construction of the cross-country course at the Horse Park at Woodside.
The Woodside Preliminary Challenge offers two divisions: the Horse division is open to riders of any level of experience on horses that have not competed at the intermediate level or above from 2009 to 2013; the Rider division is open to all horses with riders who have not competed at the intermediate level or above from 2009 to 2013. Horses and riders must achieve two qualifying results at the preliminary level as a pair in order to compete.
The trade fair, located next to the Bay Arena, will feature booths for the two presenting sponsors of the Woodside Preliminary Challenge—Professional’s Choice and Equine Insurance of California.
Professional’s Choice will bring a trailer with their full line of products and will be offering a 15-percent discount to all competitors.
Equine Insurance of California offers a wide range of policies, including equine mortality, surgical and major medical, trainer and stable liability, horse owner’s insurance, workers’ compensation and employers’ liability.
The additional generous sponsors of the Woodside Horse Trials include: Gold Medal—Devoucoux Biarritz-France and Equine Comfort Products; Silver Medal—Saddlery Solutions, Voltaire Design, CWD, K and M Contracting; Bronze Medal—American Medical Response, Auburn Laboratories, the California Horsetrader, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Geranium Street Floral, Point Two Air Jackets, Professional Riders Organization, Ride On Video, SmartPak, and Sunsprite Warmbloods.
To learn more about the Horse Park at Woodside or the Woodside Horse Trials, go to woodsideeveting.com. To learn more about eventing, visit the U.S. Eventing Association’s website (useventing.com). For Press Credentials, please contact the press officers.