Halton Place Forced to Cancel Canadian Country Classic Horse Show

Halton Place regretfully confirms that the three weeks comprising the Canadian Country Classic Horse Show, scheduled from August 24 to September 11, 2011, in Halton Hills, ON, have been cancelled.

Following a surprise move by the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) on June 16, 2011, in which the application for a permit for three weeks of equestrian competition was denied, competition organizer Halton Place Horse & Country Inc. was forced to cancel the popular three-week Canadian Country Classic. Featured events were to include Grand Prix competition, a Hunter Classic, the Jump Canada Young Horse Series including the Central Regional Final, and the Charity Challenge.

In the fall of 2010, Halton Place submitted an application for a perpetual permit from the NEC in order to host an unlimited number of horse shows on its property. The last permit issued by the NEC in 2009 was valid for eight competitions per year in 2009 and 2010. The application made in the fall of 2010 was denied, subsequently appealed and a hearing has been scheduled for later this year. That denial, however, caused the cancellation of the first three weeks of horse shows in 2011 at Halton Place, namely the Horse International tournament (May 25-29 and June 1-5) and the Summer’s Here tournament (July 20-24).

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Subsequent to the denial for perpetual shows, Halton Place applied for three weeks of horse shows in 2011 (the three weeks comprising the Canadian Country Classic), subject to the same terms and conditions that have governed the horse shows and that the NEC has approved for the previous five years.In an entirely unexpected decision, the NEC refused permission for any shows to be held at Halton Place in 2011.

The Halton Place application for 2011 was designed to allow Halton Place to open its doors to all equine disciplines, and to eliminate the numerous restrictions put on horse shows held on the property in the past. These restrictions included no overnight access to the horses, no start times prior to 8 a.m., no activity on the property after 7 p.m., and a maximum of six shows a year.

“It is difficult to express how frustrated we are by the Niagara Escarpment Commission’s decision,” said Timur Leckebusch of Halton Place. “Halton Place is a first-class venue, and it is estimated that our 2010 competitions had an economic impact of $25 million on the area. If the NEC prevents horse shows from being held at Halton Place permanently, competitors will lose one of the best venues for Gold shows in Ontario. It may also give the NEC the ability to dictate the location, hours, number and type of equestrian events that occur in many areas of the province.”

Halton Place will use every avenue and resource to ensure competitors and horses can continue to compete at Halton Place in 2012.

For more information, please contact Halton Place at (905) 873-2316 or e-mail info@haltonplace.com.

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