The American Hunter Jumper Foundation (AHJF) has just announced that Show Circuit Magazine will be the new media sponsor for the winner of their annual Professional World Champion Hunter Rider Finals. This year the finals will be held at the Capital Challenge Horse Show at the Prince Georges Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland on October 3.

The AHJF was formed in 1992 to further the development of the equestrian sport of show hunter rider and show jumping competition by providing a national office to organize, coordinate and support hunter rider and show jumping equestrian competition. Programs of the AHJF include the World Championship Hunter Rider Awards, the AHJF Emergency Relief Fund, AHJF Educational Programs, the AHJF BSA Inc. 401k and Profit Sharing Plan. They also feature the annual AHJF Hunter Classic in Wellington, Florida, which next year takes place on February 21.

The annual National and Regional WCHR program is an important part of the AHJF. Professional, Junior and Amateur Riders are invited to compete by qualifying through the WCHR National program during the year. The WCHR Awards Program sanctions a limited number of shows throughout the U.S. and Canada. Member shows are selected by a membership vote and are subject to renewal or cancellation at the discretion of the exhibitors. The finals for this awards program take place each year at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in October.

The Show Circuit Magazine Professional World Championship Hunter Rider is provided a year-long Media Sponsorship. The winner is provided the opportunity to get well-deserved exposure in the media for the year following his or her victory. Press Link of America, a New York based PR Company, handles this media campaign, which in the past has netted an extensive variety of published clips for the winner.

The WCHR Pro Finals, sponsored by Stillwell Hansen, is special to the professional riders because it gives them a chance to vie against their peers. In this class, four riders qualify for the final competition, which is held starting at 8 p.m. on October 3rd. The riders alternate riding four different horses which they have not ridden before. Riders are allowed to briefly warm-up on their first horse, but for all subsequent rides they have to go directly to the course in the ring. The rounds are scored by four judges and then all four scores are totaled to determine the final winner.

Recent past winners include Californian John French in 2000, Louise Serio (2001) from Pennsylvania, and Texan Peter Pletcher in 2002.

Show Circuit Magazine, one of the top publications in the country, is thrilled about this new media sponsorship and will feature news from the AHJF on a regular basis. To find out more about the magazine visit the Show Circuit On Line Magazine website: www.showcircuit.com.

For more information, the AHJF can be contacted at 335 Lancaster Street, West Boylston, MA 01583-0369, 508-835-8813, fax: 508-835-6125, or email: ahjf@earthlink.net. For complete WCHR results go to www.ryegate.com.