SAUGERTIES, NY (April 25, 2012) — HITS Saugerties, the home of HITS Championship Weekend, will celebrate the start of its ninth season at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York, on May 23, as three weeks of top show jumping get underway. Entries for the highly-anticipated circuit will close and must be postmarked by today, April 25, 2012.

HITS' Official Entry Service Provider, Equestrian Connect, will equip exhibitors with the opportunity to complete their entry blanks online at EquestrianConnect.com. By using this convenient and fast service, competitors will be able to seamlessly complete and print entry blanks for all HITS horse shows.

Entries are expected to fill up fast as the first weeks of the season will kick off with something for all, including qualifiers for HITS Championship Weekend, scheduled for September 7-9, 2012. Weekly qualifying classes will give riders a shot at making an appearance in the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final and $250,000 HITS 3’ Hunter Prix Final, as well as the Marshall & Sterling Junior Medal Final and National PHA Medal Final classes, which will make their debut as part of the season finale and be held in an all-new indoor arena HITS-on-the-Hudson. The acclaimed Marshall & Sterling League National Finals will be held following HITS Championship Weekend, September 12-16.

Throughout the spring and summer seasons, HITS-on-the-Hudson will host nine weeks of competition beginning with the upcoming spring circuit. The action returns in July for another three consecutive weeks (July 18 - August 5) and again in late August with the final two weeks and HITS Championship Weekend (August 29 - September 9). The highly-coveted Marshall & Sterling League National Finals will be held September 12-16 to round out the season.

If the world’s richest classes weren’t enough, HITS continues its mission of creating the most unique opportunities in show jumping with the debut of the all-new HITS Children’s Hunter Pony Final August 4-5. This new Final was birthed from the aim of HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri to provide a finals atmosphere to young riders and their ponies nationwide.

“We felt it was important to create an opportunity for Children’s Pony riders here in Saugerties, which has become one of the most important and pivotal circuits of the show season,” said Struzzieri. “Our goal was to create something simple, inexpensive and centrally located to a large audience of riders. We hope that this Final helps to shape these young riders into the competitors that we will one day cheer on in the Grand Prix stadium.”

During the Children’s Hunter Pony Final, a panel of three judges will evaluate the young riders and their ponies over two days in a model phase, an under saddle phase and an over fences phase for small, medium and large ponies. There will also be a conference session with the judges during the Final where riders will be given feedback on their performances.

The 2012 HITS Saugerties Prize List has been mailed and the online version can be found on the Saugerties page of the HITS Website. To request a prize list, please visit HitsShows.com or click here.

2012 HITS-on-the-Hudson Show Dates:

HITS-on-the-Hudson VII: August 29 - September 2

HITS-on-the-Hudson VIII: September 5-9, featuring HITS Championship Weekend

© ESI Photography.
McLain Ward and Oh' D Eole captured the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS-on-the-Hudson I in 2011.