HITS gets OK for six-week series
Approval comes after Vermont Summer Festival events are moved to Saugerties
The Great American Summer Series of horse shows at HITS-on-theHudson is officially a go.
HITS got official approval by the United States Equestrian Federation over the weekend to host the six-week series that starts July 1 in Saugerties.
Ostensibly, what was needed by the USEF was for permission to have the Vermont Summer Festival move its three events to the HITS location.
The Great American Summer Series, which be presented by Alliant Private Client, will run through Aug. 9 and offer nearly $2 million in prize money. There will be featured classes for hunters and jumpers each week. That will include three $200,000 Grand Prix, three $100,000 Grand Prix, three $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derbies and also two World Championship Hunter/Rider weeks.
“When John [Ammerman] told me the Vermont Summer Festival was in jeopardy of not running this year due to current conditions, it only made sense to combine our efforts to produce the Great American Summer Series, presented by Alliant Private Client,” said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. “I cannot express how excited HITS is to collaborate with VSF on this project. We think this summer in Saugerties will knock your socks off.”
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Vermont Summer Festival to cancel its schedule and HITS to cancel its threeweek spring series.
The Great American Summer Series begins with the VSF Summer Special July 1-5 and then the VSF Manchester Classic July 8-15. HITS will follow with its regularly-scheduled summer series — HITSon-the-Hudson IV, V and VI on July 15-19, July 22-26 and July 29-Aug. 2, respectively. The sixweek series concludes with the VSF’s Summer Celebration on Aug. 5-9.