After 18 years in Hamilton and Ipswich, the annual Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic equestrian event has moved up the coast to New Hampshire. Show officials announced this week that the competition will move from the Hamilton-based Myopia Hunt Club to the Silver Oak Equestrian Center in Hampton Falls, N.H., this year.

The event draws world-class riders and thousands of spectators. Last year, state tourism officials confirmed Jumper Classic estimates of $14.4 million in spending impact on Boston and the North Shore. According to Classic officials, 40 percent of attendees come from outside New England, and 10 percent of those are from other countries. The event drew 10,000 people last year and featured 500 horses. 

The decision to move was made to better accommodate the event's growth and was spurred by an impasse in lease negotiations with Myopia, according to Jeff Papows, chairman of the Jumper Classic board of directors. "They wanted more and more control of the economics," said Papows, former president and CEO of Lotus Development Corp. 

He noted that the show is a nonprofit event benefiting two charities: City to Saddle (for urban children) and Lovelane Therapeutic Riding in Lincoln. Messages left for Myopia Hunt Club president Jack Stevenson were not returned. 

With 75 acres of show grounds, the Silver Oak Equestrian Center offers more than twice the space of the Myopia facility, according to Classic officials. "I'm very happy that we're going to be able to work with them," said David irdsall, co-owner of Silver Oak. 

"This is a great event for the community, for me, and for the Jumper Classic, because it's a great show facility." 

The Jumper Classic has also become an anticipated event for the equestrian community. 

"It's terribly sad that it's moving away from Hamilton," said Russell Clark, one of the founders of the event, which was originally held on his family's property (donated to the US Equestrian Team) on Bridge Street. It was later moved to Ted Raymond's property in Ipswich for two years, and the Myopia Hunt Club for the past six years. Papows acknowledged that the move would negatively affect area hotels, restaurants, and other businesses.

"We booked the Sheraton Ferncroft [hotel] and every hotel between there and the North Shore to capacity every year," he said, noting that riders arrive not only with horses but also with grooms, blacksmiths, caregivers, and more. 

Paul Thober, an owner of The Weathervane Tavern in Hamilton, is among those sorry to see the event leave town. 

"Those type of events give you an extra boost," Thober said. "If you run a small business in this day and age, it's a challenge to stay in business. You need every type of market." 

Bill Bowler, chairman of the Hamilton Board of Selectmen, noted that there was limited direct financial benefit for the town itself, but it was good for individual businesses and for the town's reputation as an upscale equestrian community. "It's unfortunate," he said. "It's a nice event that brings cachet to the town." 

Eric Small, the Hampton Falls town administrator, said that organizers would need to comply with local stipulations, but noted that Silver Oak held some smaller events last year, and the facility had hosted larger events before that.

The New England Summer Festival, held at Silver Oak in 2006, was also a 500-horse event, said Birdsall. 

One complication for the organizers is that the Jumper Classic is scheduled for the same weekend as the annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival, which attracts an estimated 250,000 over three days.

As a result, said Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce president Bruce "Doc" Noel, many of the area's 2,000 hotel rooms are already reserved.

"We're all for it," Noel said. "Speaking for the business community, we think it's great. I just hope one doesn't contradict the other because of requests for rooms." Doug Bates, president of the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, said, "We're happy they chose the seacoast. We have a lot to offer - rich history, lots of arts and culture, and great hotels and restaurants. We're a great location for their event."

This year's Classic is planned for Sept. 3 through 7.

Classic officials anticipate that several of the riders will have competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

SILVER OAK TO HOST GRAND PRIX EVENT
Equestrian show expects to attract 10,000 spectators

HAMPTON FALLS - The Jumper Classic, a renowned equestrian show expected to attract more than 10,000 spectators, is moving to the Silver Oak Equestrian Center in Hampton Falls.

The event will be Sept. 3-7 at the Exeter Road show grounds. Organizers of the Jumper Classic made the move from the Myopia Schooling Fields in South Hamilton, Mass., 23 miles to the south, due to a desire for more space and a tripling in the rental price, according to Jeff Papows, chairman of the board of directors of the nonprofit Jumper Classic Inc.

The Jumper Classic had leased the grounds in South Hamilton for the past seven years from the Myopia Hunt Club. 

"This horse show was founded 19 years ago as a much lower key horse show that has grown over time to become an international event," said Papows. "As that evolution has taken place, we've had to look for a home that is on par with that kind of facility. It wasn't so much dollars and cents." 

At 75 acres, the Silver Oaks Equestrian Center is double the size of the former facility, according to Jumper Classic spokeswoman Anne Wargo.

The property, owned by David Birdsall and family, offers quality footing for horses and riders, said Papows, a factor that is as important to equestrians as Astroturf is to athletes in the Super Bowl. 

"This is a high-quality facility," said Papows. "It's a good deal more physical property. On the main day, Sunday for the Grand Prix runs, we'll have 10,000 to 12,000 spectators." 

The town's Planning Board approved horse show events at the facility, according to an April 2006 Planning Board action. The site plan allows up to 20 horse show days per year, with no show exceeding 600 horses. Other conditions regarding noise, toilets, parking, dust, lighting, camping and even manure also apply.

Planning Board Chairwoman Charlyn Brown said the agreement pertains to the number of horses and shows, not to the number of people attending. The police and fire chiefs are aware of the event and are awaiting a meeting with horse show officials to plan details. The number of spectators expected to attend, with Exeter Road the only way in and out of the facility, is more than double the population of Hampton Falls.

"There is a fair amount of work to be done," said Police Chief Robbie Dirsa. "They are allowed horse show events and this is a horse show event and we will work out logistics," said Fire Chief Jay Lord. "I'm aware that it's a big event, we, at some point, will sit down with department heads and planning people."

David Birdsall, owner of the property for the past three years, said a 500-horse event was held at the facility last summer and larger shows have been held there in the past. He has been in contact with town officials, he said. 

"When I bought the property," Birdsall said, "I laid out my vision for the property; I wanted to make it a world-class facility. I'm thrilled (Jumper Classic) ended up selecting us."

Last June, Birdsall allowed the fire department to stage a mass casualty drill on the property.

Last year, the Jumper Classic brought in $14.4 million to the local economy in Boston and the North Shore, according to a released statement from spokeswoman Anne Wargo. 

The Jumper Classic is expected to attract athletes who will have just completed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as European, South American, Canadian and other international riders. Riders will vie for the $75,000 Grand Prix. 

"We position it as a rider's show," Wargo said. "We have Olympic, world-class athletes; this is the largest equestrian event in New England. It is the only American Grand Prix sanctioned event in New England. We expect between 10,000 and 12,000 people and anticipate that growing."

New this year will be the derby with a purse of $15,000, on Sept. 6.

The show benefits two charities, the Lovelane Therapeutic Center and City to Stable, both in Massachusetts. Lovelane aids children and young adults with physical handicaps, and City to Stable gives inner-city, low-income families in Boston a chance to give their children the opportunity to ride, said Papows.

Jumper Classic recently added a local therapeutic riding facility at the University of New Hampshire to the list of charities it sponsors.

The 2008 Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic will be Sept. 3-7, at the Silver Oak Equestrian Center in Hampton Falls.

Jumper Classic canters out of Hamilton

HAMILTON - Horse country just threw a shoe.

The Fidelity Jumper Classic, a fall fixture in Hamilton for the past 19 years, is pulling up stakes. The five-day equestrian grand prix is relocating to the Silver Oak Equestrian Center in Hampton Falls, N.H.

The Classic's departure robs Hamilton and the rest of the North Shore of a prestigious event attended by spectators and riders from around the world and an economic engine, as well. According to a study by the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, more than $14.4 million was spent by participants and spectators in Boston and on the North Shore last year.

The nonprofit event benefits City Saddles, which introduces inner-city kids to horses, and Love Lane Therapeutic Riding, where people with mental and physical handicaps ride horses as therapy.

The Classic, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, had a seven-year lease for the Myopia Schooling Fields on Route 1A in Hamilton that expired this year. Jeff Papows, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Jumper Classic, said the Myopia Hunt Club, which owns the schooling fields, demanded an increase in the lease and a share of TV revenues and media rights.

"That rubbed me the wrong way," Papows said.

Dave Cugini, manager of the Myopia Hunt Club, said yesterday he could not answer any questions about the negotiations.

The Classic spent about $85,000 a year on the lease and mowing the 22-acre field every year.

Papows said he could have lived with the 150 percent increase in the lease Myopia was looking to get, but not the other demands. The negotiations became a conflict of personalities, Papows said, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was time for a change, anyway.

The organization spent $230,000 over the past few years improving the conditions of the Myopia fields, but they still weren't top-notch for Olympic athletes and their mounts, Papows said.

"They're a B-plus," he said. "They're not bad but they're not the caliber of Silver Oak."

And what began as the Ritz Carlton Jumper Classic at a Bridge Street farm in Hamilton | an event Papows characterized as a "backyard horse show" | has evolved into a grand prix challenge that drew 10,000 spectators on the final Sunday last year. Competitors were complaining the grounds were becoming too congested, and Papows had to turn away 200 riders last year due to lack of space.

Silver Oak is 130 acres and boasts a grass jumping ring plus four-all weather rings.

Papows said he regrets the Classic leaving the North Shore, where he grew up. He predicted the departure will be felt by local business, since riders come to these events with an entourage of groomers and trainers.

"They all need places to stay and places to eat," Papows said.

In all likelihood, the Classic would have been back in Hamilton again this year if negotiations had gone better.

"I probably wouldn't have done it (moved) if they hadn't pushed me," Papows said.

JUMPER CLASSIC GALLOPS OUT OF TOWN

HAMILTON - The Fidelity Jumper Classic equestrian show is changing course this year and relocating to New Hampshire after 19 years in Hamilton.

The renowned fall event has kept its stakes in the Myopia Schooling Fields on Route 1A for the past six years, bringing in millions of dollars, thousands of spectators and riders from all over the world to town during the five-day equestrian grand prix.

The Classic's seven-year lease at Myopia expired this year. Jeff Papows, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Jumper Classic, said the move to the Silver Oak Equestrian Center in Hampton Falls, N.H. was prompted by a disagreement in terms for a new lease.

"It had always been our intent to leave it in Hamilton," he said of the Classic.

He said, however, Myopia's demands were "unreasonably invasive" and included an increase in the lease and a share of TV revenues and media rights.

"They wanted to triple the rent," Papows said.

Papows said he was forced to think out of the box and looked to the center in New Hampshire, which is twice as big and has more technical footing than Myopia. Silver Oaks' property also has all-weather sand and synthetic fibers, which is a mixture more suitable for horses in terms of better traction, he said.

"The Myopia property is beautiful," he said. "I loved it there."

But the show has grown considerably over the years and there are some technical maintenance issues with the schooling fields in Hamilton. So much so that the Classic spent $230,000 over the last few years making improvements to the fields.

Russell Clark, a member of the Myopia Hunt Club, said it is disappointing the Classic is leaving the area.

"I don't think enough of an effort was done to keep them here," he said.

Before making its home at Myopia, the Classic was held at Brackenside Estate on Bridge Street in Hamilton, which was then owned by Clark's parents.

Clark was a master of the Hunt for 20 years and is also a lifetime trustee of the United States Equestrian team, which also occupied the Brackenside Estate for about 18 years prior to the Classic.

The Classic was held on the Clark property for about 10 years before it outgrew that space and moved to property in Ipswich owned by Neil St. John "Ted" Raymond, where it stayed for two years.

And it has kept growing. According to a study by the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, it is estimated that the value of the event is more than $14.4 million in spending impact by participants and spectators in Boston and on the North Shore economies.

Based on ticket sales and rider participation, the Jumper Classic estimates that over 10 percent of its show enthusiasts are international visitors from countries including England, Germany, Belgium, France, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, to name of few.

Papows said 87 percent of the events riders are also out of state, and country, garnering riders from as far as France, Ireland, Argentina and many other countries, and last year attracted a crowd of around 10,000.

The Classic, which is sponsored by Fidelity Investments, is a nonprofit event with proceeds going to Love Lane Therapeutic Riding in Lincoln, as well as City to Saddle, which is a nonprofit organization that introduces inner-city youth to horsemanship programs.

With the move to New Hampshire, Papows said he has already contacted the University of New Hampshire, which also has a therapeutic riding program, to begin sending some proceeds there as well.

The Classic is moving into its 19th year and Papows said with exception of the move out of Massachusetts, the show will remain the same - with more room to accommodate the crowds. Corporate sponsorship, which ranges to the $.5 million mark, will also remain unaffected.

"We haven't lost a single one," said Papows. "It is a huge statement of the loyalty of our sponsors," some of which give "serious amounts of money."

"Even though it wasn't a move of our choosing, (the show) will benefit," he said, adding, "I feel bad the heritage of the thing is swallowed." Papows said the organization signed a lengthy lease with Silver Oak and therefore it is "not likely (the show) will move back to Hamilton."

After learning that the Classic was not going to accept the terms of the new lease, Myopia did try to work it out, said Papows, however the damage was done.

"We have found a new home," he said.

This new home at Silver Oak is 23 miles north of the South Hamilton facility, said Papows, a location that offers easier access off the main interstates.

Since its roots are so deep in Hamilton, Papows said he hopes to arrange buses to stop in Hamilton to transport spectators from Hamilton, Wenham, Ipswich and the surrounding area who are not mobile, but still want to attend the show.

The 2008 Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic will be held Wednesday, Sept. 3 through Sunday, Sept. 7 at Silver Oak Equestrian Center.

"The town will lose quite a bit," said Clark of the move. "The (local) equestrian world will lose by not having the caliber of riders here for a week."

EQUESTRIAN EVENT JUMPS BAY STATE FOR N.H.

An equestrian event that generates an estimated $14.4 million in spending to the North Shore area of Massachusetts has been relocated to New Hampshire.

The Jumper Classic, now in its 19th year, announced Wednesday that the renowned equestrian show jumping event will move to the Silver Oak Equestrian Center in Hampton Falls, N.H. For the last three years the show has leased the show grounds at the Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Mass.

Silver Oak Equestrian Center has 75 acres of show grounds, which more than doubles the South Hamilton facility.

Since its inception, the Jumper Classic has grown to reach crowds of 12,000 and attracting Olympic medalists, European, South American and Canadian riders. It is estimated the 2007 show brought in $14.4 million in economic impact, according to the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Based on ticket sales and rider participation, more than 10 percent of The Jumper Classic's show enthusiasts are international visitors.

The 2008 Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic will be held Wednesday, Sept. 3 through Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 at Silver Oak Equestrian Center.

OVERLAPPING EVENTS FILL HOTELS

Thousands of horse lovers and people who love to eat seafood could be jockeying, or casting about, for hotel accommodations on the Seacoast come September.

The Jumper Classic, a large equestrian show, is coming to Hampton Falls, and it happens to overlap another big event - the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival. Both events are in their 19th year.

The Jumper Classic will be at Silver Oak Equestrian CenterSept. 3-7, while the Seafood Festival runs Sept. 5-7.

The Seafood Festival usually attracts more than 150,000 visitors and was recently selected by the American Bus Association as one of the "Top 100 Events in North America."

The Jumper Classic, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, last year drew more than 10,000 spectators and is considered the largest equestrian event in New England and is the only American Grand Prix sanctioned event in New England.

B.J. Doc Noel, president of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce, said he thinks it is great the Jumper Classic is coming to the area. 

"We're all for it," Noel said. "Speaking for the business community, we think it's great."

While the chamber puts on the Seafood Festival, Noel doesn't think the new event is going to hurt Seafood Festival attendance.

"The type of people who attend the Jumper Classic are really not the same crowd that goes to the Seafood Festival," he said. 

Noel said the festival attracts mostly people from New England and Canada, while the Jumper Classic reports 40 percent of its attendees come from outside New England. Another 10 percent come from other countries.

Melissa Lovasco, president and CEO of the Jumper Classic, said the organization is looking forward to having its event during the Seafood Festival weekend.

"I think there are seafood connoisseurs (who) are definitely equestrian lovers," Lovasco said. "And there are definitely some equestrians who are seafood connoisseurs. We actually see this as a positive thing that is going to bring more awareness to our event." 

Organizers of both events said one problem they do see is finding hotel accommodations. 

Noel said most hotels at Hampton Beach have already been booked for those
going to the Seafood Festival.  But when he brought it up to organizers of the Jumper Classic, they were not looking to move back the event.

"They didn't want to change it," Noel said.

Jumper Classic organizers say they are conducting research on accommodations, but don't see it as a big problem.

"We have been doing market research specifically for hotels in Portsmouth, Seabrook, Hampton and Amesbury, (Mass.)," Lovasco said. "We are honing in on those four communities for our riders, entire brigade, as well as spectators and staff of the event. Portsmouth is going to be one of the main areas."

The group is also looking at hotels elsewhere in Massachusetts, just in case.

The number of spectators expected to attend the Jumper Classic is more than double the population of Hampton Falls.

And while accommodations may be tough to find, both events are going to bring a boost to the local economy, officials said.

The Seafood Festival is the big tourist draw to the beach after Labor Day.

Last year, Massachusetts state tourism officials confirmed Jumper Classic estimates of $14.4 million in spending impact on Boston and the North Shore.