Lexington, KY – August 25, 2010 – Equestrian Life would like to thank everyone who tuned into the live, free webcast of the 2010 $100,000 The Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals. Equestrian Life was thrilled with the response to the event, which shows the incredible interest and support for the sport of show hunters and the popularity of the derby classes.

The winner of the 2010 $100,000 The Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals was Lone Star, ridden by Hunt Tosh and owned by Dr. Betsee Parker. Thanks to Equestrian Life, Dr. Parker was able to watch her talented horse compete in the Finals.

“I was there for Pony Finals and couldn’t stay another week. It was so helpful for me to be able to see the Derby Finals on streaming video because my health precluded my being there,” Dr. Parker explained. “It was a very big night and was exciting. The course was magnificent and the whole event was beautifully produced. I thought the webcast was certainly helpful for an owner like me because I couldn’t be there in person.”

Dr. Parker was also excited with the response to the Derby Finals, both at the event and through the live webcast. The event coverage was led by commentators Melanie Smith Taylor and R. Scot Evans, who added information, insight, and humor to the class and our significant audience.

“I think it means we may inject new life into the sport,” Dr. Parker said. “If we can get people coming in as spectators and owners that we did not have before because of the Derby Finals, which is my hope, then it is a success. The hunter world has been bereft of spectators because it requires so much knowledge. The Equestrian Life commentating invited people in who didn’t have that knowledge. They couldn’t have picked two better people than Melanie and Scot. They managed to keep spectators’ interest, and it was a great new way forward. Everyone who was involved with the Derby Finals should be congratulated. I’m so appreciative of my team too; they get the credit for my horses’ success.”

The live webcast of the Derby Finals received an enormous amount of viewers and the replays of the entire event, available on the website, continue to receive many more. As part of a groundbreaking effort, Equestrian Life was able to offer a replay of all three rounds of the Derby Finals within an hour of the class finishing, something that very few other sporting events in America offer. This gave the audience the opportunity to watch and re-watch at their leisure and they will continue to be available on the website for continued viewing.

Equestrian Life Co-Founder and President Deana Bergquist stated, “The demand was dramatically higher than predicted. We worked hard so the final round was available to all viewers and posted the replays in record time, both accomplishments we’re proud of. We were really excited about the response that we had to this event. Equestrian Life is trying hard to forge into new territories for the sport. We hope that equestrians worldwide will appreciate this and continue to support our initiatives to bring high quality web broadcasts and television shows to equestrians.”

Equestrian Life was very excited to see that its social media platform was utilized extensively during the class and afterwards as people watch the replays. The popular group chat feature was an exciting addition while viewing the competition, as was a leaderboard for the class that offered links to horse and rider biographies.

Equestrian Life invested time and money to make the International Hunter Derby Finals a fantastic experience for everyone, and despite the overwhelming amount of interest, the final round of top 12 was available for everyone to watch, and the replay was available shortly thereafter.

Equestrian Life is adding another special feature to their replay of the International Hunter Derby Finals – videos of specific rounds for each horse in the top 12. This way, if you want to see the winners, Lone Star and Hunt Tosh for example, you can simply click on their individual video and watch the round that led them to victory. Videos for the top three horses are now available, and the rest of the top 12 will be available soon.

Another exciting aspect to the Derby Finals was the announcement that Dr. Parker would donate Lone Star’s prize money to Danny and Ron’s Rescue, a 501 (c) (3) run by equestrians Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta (who is also the Chair of the USHJA High Performance Committee) that rescues dogs and places them in loving homes. Dr. Parker began this commitment in June when Lone Star won a derby in Kentucky and continued when he won the derby at Blowing Rock Horse Show.

“I have long admired Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta. When I heard about the heroic rescue efforts that they make on behalf of animals, it was a simple thing for me to decide that I wanted to be a benefactor of theirs,” Dr. Parker related. “When Lone Star won, it occurred to me that it was time for me to give them another recognition. We can get creative with giving back to our sport, and one way to do it is to make a pledge and declare that all your winnings will go to a certain project.”

For more information on the USHJA International Hunter Derby, please visit www.ushja.org/ihd.

Equestrian Life is committed to bringing you the widest range of high-quality, interesting, and entertaining equestrian programming. A wide variety of videos are available for you to watch online anytime at Equestrian Life’s website and social media platform, www.equestrianlife.com. Watch all of your favorite shows and events: anywhere, anytime!

About Equestrian Life

Equestrian Life is a dynamic media company dedicated to the equestrian community and horse lovers across all breeds and disciplines. Equestrian Life’s website, www.equestrianlife.com, is a leading social media website for equestrians with cutting edge social media features. EquestrianLife.com is focused on providing its community with all the information and tools they need to learn and connect with other horse lovers who share the same passion. Equestrian Life is also the official television partner of HRTV for its non-racing programming, providing national exposure to key equestrian events and a wide range of other entertainment programming about horses and horse enthusiasts. Equestrian Life is the Official Social Media Partner of the U.S. Dressage Federation, the U.S. Pony Club, the Kentucky Horse Council, and the 2010 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals and is an official YouTube Channel Partner.