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Horse
Sports by the Bay, Inc. Press Releases |
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I thought it was interesting that this kind of a horse show was being held in Traverse City, about a three hour drive from our home. Traverse City has long been a place of fascination for me. When I was a kid, everyone around here associated the name “Traverse City” with psychological instability because it was home to a large state hospital. “Hey, what happened to our teacher?” “They had to send her to Traverse City because we were bad.” “Yeah, fourth grade is tough on educators.” It was only as an adult that I discovered that Traverse City, Michigan is an utterly cool place. My photographer and I started going up there in the early 90’s, having discovered an awesome bike trail which ran along the bays. For us, Traverse City means bike riding, hiking and the downtown brewpubs. Throw in a jaunt up Old Mission Peninsula to partake of its rural charm and vineyards, and we can have a great week-long vacation without even trying. But last Wednesday, Traverse City was all about horses. That was when Horse Shows by the Bay opened its brand new permanent facility, just three miles east of Grand Traverse Bay. The photographer and I happened to be in town, so we thought it would be fun to drop in for the ribbon cutting ceremony. According to my sources, the old site at Chum’s Corner was available strictly on a year to year basis and show organizers and supporters didn’t find that deal all that chummy. The new facility is impressive. There are four main arenas, each with an adjacent warm-up ring so there will be no excuse for missing one’s turn. Each pair of rings has an accompanying shaded pavilion with tables and chairs for the comfort of those not currently on top of a horse. There is a separate ring for lunging, wide pedestrian pathways connecting the arenas and about a gazillion stalls. It’s all new, all very nice and all set on a gorgeous piece of property with the soft rolling hills that are typical of my native state. The whole atmosphere is pleasant and inviting, rivaling even that of the downtown brewpubs. A big Michigan thumbs up on this one.
As I walked away from the introduction, I was left to ponder what this woman’s property in the index finger knuckle region had to do with this wonderful new facility. Some people are important no matter where they go, I supposed. Later, I found the answer in the program from last year that Jamie had given me. Under the “2006 Show Sponsors – Grand Prix” was the name of Karin Flint from D-BRAIDER. Forgive me, but I have no idea what D-BRAIDER is, but it sounds useful. Anyway, that’s when it all came together. The awesome facility we had visited had been built on Flint Fields and the glowing lady I had met was the owner of the property. And she did indeed just have a baby. A healthy, happy baby with all its parts working nicely. My photographer and I spent the next couple of hours roaming around Karin’s Flint’s new baby, taking pictures and watching the hunters do their thing over fences in the warm northern Michigan summer sunshine. The photographer commented that it was a lot more relaxing since we didn’t have either of our “brats” competing. We plan on returning for the last weekend of the show.
The state hospital is gone, but Traverse City is still good therapy and
Horse Shows by the Bay gives us another reason to go for treatment. |
| Scott Lau, Designer to the Stars Elise DeVoe for PhelpsSports.com, Friday, July 20, 2007 Scott Lau of Bradenton, FL, has been designing flowers for 25 years, but these are not just your typical centerpieces. Lau has been the creative force behind the beautiful and mostly artificial scenery at some of the top horse shows in the country: Capital Challenge, Washington International and the World Cup in Las Vegas, just to name a few. For the past two weeks, Lau has been in Traverse City, MI, arranging and maintaining almost 2,000 silk flowers for Horse Shows by the Bay. This afternoon, I was able to sit down with Lau and talk with him about his amazing resume and what it takes to be a designer to the stars. ED: How did you break into the horse show world? SL: The first show I ever did was in ’89, the World Cup in Tampa. I worked with Richard Jeffery there and at that time he was also course designing and doing the flowers for the Washington International Horse Show. So, he asked if I could come do the flowers while he did the courses and from there it just blossomed. ED: I’ve heard you have quite an impressive resume. What other horse shows have you done? SL: This will be my nineteenth year doing Washington. I did the American Jumping Classic in Cincinnati for 15 years. I’ve also done the Olympics in Atlanta, four world cups in Las Vegas, the Olympic trials in San Juan Capistrano, Oaks Blenheim and also Del Mar. I’ve done the CSI classes in San Juan Capistrano, a couple of those. I’ve done the New Albany Classic three times. Also, Capital Challenge for a number of years and the Vermont Summer Festival, [among others.] Since I started, I’ve done almost 60 shows in eight states and the District of Columbia. ED: And what goes in to designing all the arrangements for a horse show? |
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ED: Do you design your arrangements prior to a show or once you arrive? SL: I usually sit down and talk to the [horse show management] prior to getting to the show. I’ll ship flowers from all over the country because to get the quantity you need for horse shows, like I said we have almost 2,000 flowers here, and to get them matching and to get enough I usually end up calling around the whole country trying to get wholesalers that have 180 or 360 matching something so that when I get [to the show] it doesn’t just look like one of these and one of those. We definitely discuss it ahead of time so I can see what they’re looking for. The great thing about [Horse Shows by the Bay] is that it was important to Alex and Dean [Rheinheimer] that everything look really nice and they were willing to put the money into it, which a lot of shows are not. They wanted to make sure things all matched and looked good together, that the rings all were very appealing, and I think we’ve accomplished that. ED: What has Horse Shows by the Bay been like for you? SL: The first five days, when I was putting everything together, were probably 13 to 14 hour days because everything had to be finished before the start of the show. And now it’s basically just at the end of the day when they are rebuilding the courses for the next day, just to make sure that everything looks right, the things that got smashed during the day and dirtied up need to be sprayed off with a hose and straightened back up and made to look like brand new. For this show, we’ve done 1,960 silk flowers around the show. We have 96 hanging baskets, 80 greens ground lines, 60 flower ground lines, 120 pots of flowers for around the jumps, flowers for two dressage rings, some small arrangements for the tables in the VIP tent, 8 large arrangements in the VIP tent, and those are all silk so they look good from start to finish for three weeks. So, that’s what we’ve done here. ED: What is your favorite show to design for? SL: Well, Horse Shows by the Bay is great because normally I’m in to a horse show and gone before the show even starts. This has been fun because Alex [Rheinheimer] wants me to stay. I loved doing the World Cup in Las Vegas. It was a lot of work and the hours were long but it was great. It’s been on TV, and I go home and everybody else is watching the horses and I’m watching the flowers [laughs]. The nice thing about horse shows it that you can step back and really see your work. In an arena like Las Vegas it’s like a huge centerpiece. ED: After this show, where are you off to next? SL: I go back to the silk flower shop in Tampa and then I’ll be at Capital Challenge in September and Washington International in October. ED: Thanks for your time. SL: Thank you. My fingers are feeling a little arthritic because it’s a lot of fluffing [laughs]. But it’s been a lot of fun. |
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2007 Phelps Media Group Press Coverage Grand
Traverse Resort & Spa Selected As Official Horse Shows by the Bay
Host Hotel Horse
Shows by the Bay’s Dean and Alexandra Rheinheimer receive 2007 Community
Champions Award from the Traverse City Visitor and Convention Bureau Horse
Shows by the Bay III Wrap Up: August 1 - August 5 Lynn
Walsh Wins Ovation Leading Amateur Rider Award at Horse Shows by the Bay Milo
Mott and Marquis Trump Class for Grand Prix Win at Zada Enterprises Dressage
by the Bay II Bernona
Stevens and Riva Show the Kids How It's Done in $10,000 NAL/WIHS Children's/Adult
Prix on Last Day of Horse Shows by the Bay Scott
Lenkart Wraps Up Final Week of Horse Shows by the Bay With a Second Grand
Prix Victory on Impulsive Falkland
Dragonfly and Barbara Butman Land at Top of Leaderboard in USDF Test of
Choice Freestyle at Zada Enterprises Dressage by the Bay I Belvedere
and Kimberly Seay Edge out Laura Pfeiffer for Win in Low Junior/Amateur
Owner Speed Class Lisa
Goldman and Ruben are Victorious at Horse Shows by the Bay III Kelly
Burke Hayner and Rantaro Top Field in FEI Prix St. Georges on First Day
of Competition at Dressage by the Bay I Peter
Pletcher Wins Ovation Leading Professional Rider Award at Horse Shows
by the Bay Scott
Lenkart Takes Top Two Spots in PhelpsSports.com $10,000 Welcome Prix at
Horse Shows by the Bay III Zada
Enterprises, LLC, Dressage by the Bay Joins Horse Shows by the Bay for
its Third Week Casey
Hodges and Rinaldi Take Win in 5 & 6 Year Old Young Jumpers at First
Day of Horse Shows by the Bay III Horse
Shows by the Bay II Wrap Up: July 25 - July 29, 2007 Bridget
Hallman and Hear Say Win Tricolor and Grand Championship at Horse Shows
by the Bay II Brian
Shook Shakes it Up for Win in $25,000 Grand Traverse Bay Grand Prix at
Horse Shows by the Bay II Tammy
Provost Rides North Shore Straight to the Win in the $10,000 Hunter Classic
at Horse Shows by the Bay II Orley
and Kels Bonham Prove Consistency is Key in Back-to-Back Wins in $10,000
SJHOF Jumper Prix David
Beisel and Irish Hunt Have Repeat Performance in $10,000 Positive Step
Farm Welcome Prix at Horse Shows by the Bay II David
Beisel and Irish Hunt Catch Win in $3,000 NAL Open Speed at Horse Shows
by the Bay II Peter
Pletcher Rides Cape Town to Grand Working Hunter Tricolor at Horse Shows
by the Bay II Zada
Enterprises, LLC, Dressage by the Bay Arrives at Flintfields in Traverse
City Next Week Julia
Lourie and Vivaldi In Tune for Win in High Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers
at Horse Shows by the Bay II Hunter
Riders Come Out in Full Force for Horse Shows by the Bay II Horse
Shows by the Bay I Wrap Up: July 18-July 22, 2007 Amigo
F and Grace Socha Win $1,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic at Horse
Shows by the Bay I Scott
Lenkart and Impulsive Win $25,000 Grand Prix of Traverse City at Horse
Shows by the Bay I Katie
Polk and Eminem Win $10,000 NAL/WIHS Adult Hunter Classic at Horse Shows
by the Bay I Kels
Bonham Pilots Orley to Victory Over Khari Taustin and Katja in $10,000
SJHOF Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Prix Roberto
Teran and Distant Star 3E Win $10,000 Welcome Prix at Horse Shows by the
Bay I Louise
Serio and Reese capture Grand Working Hunter Championship at Horse Shows
by the Bay I Sven
Frei and Quebec Victorious in $3,000 NAL Open Speed at Horse Shows by
the Bay I Michigan
Native Erin Haas Captures Top Two Places in Low Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper
Class on First Day of Horse Shows by the Bay Ribbon-Cutting
Ceremony Celebrating New Permanent Facility Highlights Horse Shows by
the Bay’s Opening Day Horse
Sports by the Bay to Host Five Fundraisers Over the Course of its Three-Week
Equestrian Festival Horse
Shows by the Bay to Host Kid's Day on Saturday, July 21 Ribbon
Cutting Ceremony to Kick Off Fourth Annual Horse Shows by the Bay on July
18, 2007 Quality
Vendors to Sponsor Championships and Series Awards at Horse Shows by the
Bay Horse
Shows by the Bay Adds Hunter Classic Prize Money to 2007 Summer Series Local
Attractions and Area Highlights Make Horse Shows by the Bay and Zada Enterprises,
LLC Dressage by the Bay a Summer Vacation Nation’s
Top Riders Hunt for World Champion Hunter Rider Points at Horse Shows
by the Bay New
Horse Park Location Brings Additional Area Business Partners to Horse
Shows by the Bay Sponsors
Ensure Success of Horse Shows by the Bay and Dressage by the Bay Horse
Shows by the Bay and Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage by the Bay Prize List
is Now Available! Fast
Facts: 2007 Horse Shows by the Bay and Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage
by the Bay Save
the Date: Horse Shows by the Bay and Dressage by the Bay, Traverse City,
MI: July 18, 2007 – August 5, 2007 Horse
Sports by the Bay Teams Up With Phelps Media Group Local Attractions and Area Highlights Make Horse Shows by the Bay and Dressage by the Bay a Summer Vacation Wellington, FL – May 18, 2007 – Riders who compete at the 2007 Horse Shows by the Bay and Dressage by the Bay are treated to more than a world-class horse show. Held in Traverse City, MI, a luxury summer resort area, Horse Shows by the Bay and Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage by the Bay are set against the Cherry Capital of the World, complete with vineyards, beaches, orchards and golf courses. Cherries Day Trips Torch Lake is another destination for a special day trip and is located just 30 minutes north of Traverse City. The lake is known for its exceptional beauty as its waters are unusually clear and exhibit a bright turquoise hue. It’s also a popular fishing destination and was named one of the world’s most beautiful lakes by National Geographic Magazine. Grand Traverse Lighthouse & Museum Sleeping Bear Dunes Downtown and Old Town Shopping Golfing Fishing Wineries MEDIA CONTACT: Chrissy Lane of Phelps Media Group, Inc. at (561) 753-3389 or at pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com Sponsors Ensure Success of Horse Shows by the Bay and Dressage by the Bay Wellington, FL – March 29, 2007 – Horse Sports by the Bay, Inc. is known for their production of Northern Michigan’s Horse Shows by the Bay and Dressage by the Bay Series. The five show, three-week equestrian festival is held in the beautiful resort area of Traverse City, MI, and will run from July 18 through August 5. Although Horse Shows by the Bay is a new addition to the summer circuit, generous contributions from supporters and sponsors have added to the early success of the festival. Grand Prix Level sponsors are D-BRAIDER and Karin Flint, Janet Read and Positive Step Farm. Karin Flint is an avid horse show enthusiast and a Harbor Springs, MI, native. She currently owns four horses that are under the tutelage of Olympic veteran Lisa Jacquin. In addition, she has extensive horse show management experience, as she organized the Bloomfield Open Hunt’s Detroit-Motor City Horse Shows. Flint also invented the D-BRAIDER, a device used to take out horses’ braids. Janet Read is another equine enthusiast with ties to the Traverse City, MI region—as a child growing up she vacationed at her family’s lakeside Old Mission Peninsula Cottage annually. As such, Read decided to honor her roots and family history by naming one of the premier arenas at the new horse park. The Polk Family Main Hunter Ring will feature the rated hunters and the evening hunter classics. Read has horses in training with Tim and Kelly Goguen of Bogg’s Hill Farm in Wellington, FL. Most recently, her talented five-year-old gelding Safari won the prestigious AHJF Hunter Spectacular at the Winter Equestrian Festival under the guidance of Tim. Positive Step Farm is a private 46 acre training facility located northwest of Detroit, MI, which is owned and managed by Patrice Schreiber and her husband, Brian Moore. The farm specializes in importing Irish Sport Horses from the Loughnatousa line out of County Waterford, Ireland. Schreiber is an amateur equestrian with extensive experience organizing and sponsoring various dressage, eventing and show jumping competitions in Michigan. Platinum sponsors include PhelpsSports.com and Team Elmer’s. PhelpsSports.com is an innovative subscription equestrian sports web site that offers equestrians and fans of a single web address for breaking news of the Hunter, Jumper, Dressage, Eventing and other High Performance disciplines. It features up-to-the-minute audio reports and unique features from around the globe, photos and reporting from some of the finest equestrian journalists in the world. Team Elmer’s, or Elmer’s Crane & Dozer, Inc., is the largest and most respected construction engineering company in northern Michigan. In business since 1956, Elmer's has grown to include surveying, engineering, earth moving and site preparation, underground services, aggregate production, crane/rigging, concrete, asphalt (commercial & residential), milling, restoration, snowplowing and more. They assisted management in the development of the new Horse Park site plans and represented the company at all the township meetings this past fall. Team Elmer’s is currently on-site preparing the ground for this year’s festival. Gold sponsors include Kodiak Equipment Company, Lisa A.H. Cudahy, Meijer, Schreiber Corporation and Zada Enterprises, LLC. Kodiak Equipment Company is an all service golf car and sports utility equipment company based out of Williamsburg, MI. Kodiak Equipment Company supplies Horse Sports by the Bay with golf cars during their three week event. In addition they service both the Lamplight and Littlewood Horse Shows during their respective circuits. Last season the company sponsored a JEEP styled golf car that was used in a raffle for the CANTER Fundraiser & Benefit at Horse Shows by the Bay, Series II. Lisa A.H. Cudahy of Cedarburg, WI, is the sponsor of this year’s $10,000 NAL/WIHS Adult Hunter Classic on July 21, 2007. Cudahy is an amateur competitor who has horses in training with Cookie Beck. She is also an avid sponsor of various equestrian events, including the Legacy Cup and the Professional Hunter Finals for the American Hunter-Jumper Foundation. Meijer is a one-stop shopping supercenter that features over 40 departments with more than 170 stores through the Midwest region. Corporate headquarters are in Grand Rapids, MI, and this year, Meijer is the sponsor of the CANTER (Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses) benefit that will be held on August 4, 2007 at Horse Shows by the Bay, Series III. The Meijer family enjoys horses and competes annually on the Michigan Horse Show Circuit. The Schreiber Corporation, based out of Detroit, MI, and Hamilton, Ontario-Canada, specializes in Industrial & Commercial Built-Up Roofing, Modified Bitumen, Single Ply and Metal Standing Seam Roofing Systems. The company purchases from all major manufacturers such as Honeywell, Inc., GAF Building Materials, John Mansville, Koppers Industries, Siplast and others. More than 80 percent of their business is with repeat customers such as Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation and DaimlerChrysler Corporation. Zada Enterprises, LLC, based in Grosse Pointe, MI, is a family company operated by Joe Zada, an amateur equestrian who competes and trains in dressage, hunters and jumpers. Zada Enterprises is an active sponsor of the dressage community and is the title sponsor and of the Dressage by the Bay shows. Silver sponsors include Boggs Hill Farm--Kelly and Tim Goguen; and Uphill Farm Investments--Tom Wright. Bronze sponsors include Ariat International, Inc.; Ann K. Hubbard Tack Shop; English Riding Supply; Equisports, Inc.; Equisport Insurance Agency, the Franciso Group; Hampton Green Farm; Hillside Farm & Friends; Hunterpointe Farm and Brian Shook; Luitpold Pharmaceuticals and Adequan; Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Shook; and Trattoria Stella. Charter sponsors include Bowers Harbor Vineyards; Personalized Products; Stikky Likky Horse Treats; and Walstrom Marine. Contributing sponsors are Grand Traverse Resort and Spa; Parkshore Resort; Sugar Beach & Grand Beach Resorts; Traverse Bay Inn & Lodge; Traverse Victorian Inn; and Turtle Creek Casino. Other sponsors include Eastfield Laundry; the Hylant Group; Auntie Ann’s Horse Cookies; the Horse Village; R. Bruce Duchossois; and Sport Horse Saddlery. MEDIA CONTACT: Chrissy Lane of Phelps Media Group, Inc. at (561) 753-3389 or at pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
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