Wellington, FL – August 31, 2011 – The next College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show will take place on January 13-15, 2012, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. The show will be based on the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) hunt seat equitation classification. In addition, the 2012 CPI will feature classes for riders interested in the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA).

The College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show continues to make exciting additions to the program for this year’s competition and they are pleased to announce Bernie Traurig and Scott Hofstetter as two of the three hunt seat equitation judges for the second annual CPI Horse Show.

Traurig has represented the United States Equestrian Team both at home and abroad on many occasions and reached the top of the sport in all three of the International Equestrian Olympic disciplines: Show Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing. In 2009 he was inducted into the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame. As a teacher and trainer, he is one of the most sought after clinicians in the country today. He is currently the West Coast’s associate Chef d’Equipe to George H. Morris. 


Bernie Traurig

Most recently, Traurig developed a website, Equestriancoach.com, which has successfully made quality education accessible and affordable to every equestrian, regardless of their background, their level, or their geographic location. Equestriancoach.com was a sponsor at this year’s IHSA Nationals and has since gotten involved with many colleges throughout the country, offering the website’s service to these school’s equine degree programs.

Traurig appreciates the importance of the intercollegiate teams and looks forward to helping the younger riders reach their goals as they participate in the CPI. “I love the format of the intercollegiate riding where you don’t have to be wealthy to get into the sport and compete. I love the fact that it is more difficult to ride horses that you have never ridden before, so the skill level is more demanding. A lot of the kids go on to ride at a very high level and I think that the coaches do a great job,” Traurig stated.

“The CPI program helps the high school-age kids prepare for what they will have to do in college, which is great; it is all such a connecting of the dots,” Traurig noted. “There is nothing like great education and I love these interscholastic and college riding opportunities. It is a lot of fun and it builds up team spirit. It gives these kids a team sport, which they can’t get most times unless they make it to a Nations Cup team, and I think that builds camaraderie and skills.”

Traurig looks forward to the opportunity to judge the CPI horse show for the first time. “I am happy to judge and happy to contribute,” he smiled. “I have never judged one of these events, but it is horsemanship and equitation, and of course I love equitation. It was big in my life. I won the Medal Finals and the Maclay Finals when I was a kid and that is my roots, so I am looking forward to it.”

Known for his kind demeanor with both humans and horses, Scott Hofstetter is highly regarded within the equestrian community. Throughout the course of his career, Hofstetter has worn a multitude of titles from rider, to trainer, to judge, to clinician. In 1986, Hoftstetter won the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Finals at Madison Square Garden, and as a professional, he won the Leading Rider Hunter award at the Devon Horse Show and the Capital Challenge Horse Show.



Over the last few years Hofstetter has judged numerous top hunter/jumper show including the 127th National Horse Show, the 2010 $25,000 Franktown Meadows Hunter Derby, and the 2009 $10,000 Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Queen City Classic.



Scott Hofstetter

Hofstetter will use his knowledge and experience in the equestrian world to judge the CPI Horse Show and even has previous intercollegiate experience. He judged at Texas A&M University, taught a clinic at the Savannah College of Art & Design, and judged an intercollegiate show and taught a clinic at Centenary College in New Jersey – all top equine intercollegiate programs.



“I really enjoy the team atmosphere of intercollegiate riding and I think that we will see that same atmosphere at the college prep level,” Hofstetter said. “It is great to see team spirit; to see riders encouraging one another and to see more family members and spectators coming out to cheer on the teams.”



He added, “I like to see riders adjust to each individual horse. It is encouraging to see riders that can think on their own and adjust their ride depending on each horse. I encourage good horsemanship in my training and I think that if a rider is good in the equitation, then they can go off of that and do well in the hunters and jumpers as well.”

This will be Hofstetter’s first time judging an interscholastic competition, and he is excited about the new opportunity. 

”I love the intercollegiate program and I think it is a great experience for young riders,” Hofstetter said. “It is one ring, so everybody is paying attention. I love the fact that it is two minutes of glory and that is all you have. It teaches horsemanship and it is a team sport, which is great. Everybody is rooting for one another. It is a whole different feel from the normal horse shows that we see today where everybody is busy running from ring to ring.”


“I think it is good for the horses too,” Hofstetter added. “I think it is good how they set it up where the horses get ridden well in the morning; they get to rehearse the course with the more experienced kids. They get to really understand the course and then the kids are able to just get on and give it a go.”



“Judging the CPI will be a new experience for me and I am looking forward to seeing what it’s all about,” he said. 



With so many prestigious honors for teaching, riding, and judging, Traurig and Hofstetter will add invaluable insight as two of the three judges for the CPI Horse Show. The 2011 CPI judges were John French, Nona Garson and Georgina Bloomberg.

The mission of the CPI is to prepare and educate student riders in grades 8 – 12 about the format of college equestrian competition, encourage academics and horsemanship, and to provide the riders with resources to create their desired college equestrian experience. The show is specifically geared to promote college recruitment of equestrians by providing the opportunity for coaches and potential students to meet. 



Along with the competition, the CPI will offer seminars and question & answer sessions during the show. Riders and their families will hear about the college equestrian experience and familiarize themselves with the different associations that govern collegiate riding. There will also be a number of colleges and universities present at the CPI to distribute literature and introduce the academic and riding opportunities, including scholarships, offered at their institution.

For more information on the 2012 College Preparatory Invitational, to find out more about scholarship opportunities, or to give your financial support to the program, please visit www.collegeprepinvitational.com or find them on Facebook.