Land Rover announced on Wednesday their official vehicle sponsorship of week four of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL.
Taking place at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), the annual largest and longest-running horse show in the world brings together riders from 33 countries and all 50 U.S. states to compete for more than $9 million in prize money.
The 12-week international equestrian festival runs from January 13 through April 3, 2016, and is the perfect venue for the world’s top show jumping and eventing riders to showcase their skills and tackle challenging courses both in the arena and out on the cross country course.
Unique to week four is the addition of the Asheville Regional Airport Wellington Eventing Showcase, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty, that takes place on Friday and Saturday, February 5-6, at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Top class eventers will vie for $75,000 in prize money and demonstrate their skill in the Dressage ring and over Show Jumps on Friday.
The same horse and rider combinations will then gallop Cross Country over a challenging course of natural obstacles with a time allowed penalty on Saturday. Top Show jumping highlights of week four are the Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments®, benefiting local Palm Beach County charities that takes place on Saturday evening and on Sunday, the $216,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 4.*
The beginning of 2016 marks Land Rover’s sixth year as official vehicle of the United States Equestrian Federation and the company’s affiliation with Eventing competition.
In addition, Land Rover’s commitment to the USEF through 2016 allows the organization to aid its athletes in planning and training for international competition and this year marks an important milestone for U.S. equestrian competition with the Olympic Games taking place in Rio de Janeiro this August.
On site, Land Rover will display their 2016 model line-up and encourage guests to interact with and also learn more about the vehicles and the brand during the five-day event. Vehicles on display will include the all-new Land Rover Discovery Sport, the luxurious Range Rover Autobiography, the new-generation Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover Evoque, and Land Rover LR4.
“Having the opportunity to feature vehicles at the Wellington Eventing showcase during the Winter Equestrian Festival allows us to extend our support of the Eventing community,” said Kim McCullough, Vice President of Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover North America. “Land Rover has been the vehicle of choice for horse lovers for decades and we look forward to showcasing our vehicles in this exciting outdoor environment.”
This will be the second year for the brand to sponsor the multi-week, multi-discipline, multi-location equestrian festival and the second year that the Wellington Eventing Showcase will be hosted during the Winter Equestrian Festival.
“We are pleased to welcome back Land Rover to the Winter Equestrian Festival and the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center,” said Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions, the management company for the Winter Equestrian Festival. “Their vehicles are closely aligned with equestrian sport. We have had a great relationship with them over the years, and they are the perfect complement to the competition that takes place here.”
General admission and parking are free at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. For more information on the event, please visit www.PBIEC.com.