December 1, 2015 — The CP NationalHorse Show announced the appointment of Stadium Jumping, Inc. as the new management team for the show. Bringing over five decades of quality equestrian event production to Lexington, the SJI crew takes over for veteran show manager Hugh Kincannon, who announced that he would be stepping aside in an effort to reduce his year-long workload which includes the popular Kentucky Spring and Summer series of horse shows and the USEF National Pony Finals. He has also managed the International Hunter Derby Championship since its inception.
Under Kincannon’s guidance, the CP National Horse Show, about to begin its fifth year of success in Kentucky, has garnered top awards from the North American Riders Group (NARG) and has won the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame Horse Show of the year in four straight years.
With 50 years of experience, Stadium Jumping was the first event organizer to bring the World Cup Finals to the United States. Two of America’s most prestigious and longest running show jumping events, the American Invitational and the American Gold Cup, were both Stadium Jumping ground breaking creations, and decades later are still two of America’s highest rated events according to NARG. The all-new Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, debuting this past season, is their most recent endeavor.
“I can’t thank Hugh Kincannon and his fine organization enough. With his vision, we were able to launch the CP National Horse Show and right from the start, it made the horse show world stand up and take notice,” said Mason Phelps, the President of the National Horse Show Foundation. “None of that would have been possible without Hugh Kincannon.”
Phelps went on to reveal that coming up with Kincannon’s successor was an easy decision. “Hiring Stadium Jumping to take over for Hugh was a no-brainer,” Phelps stated. “They are America’s number one and certainly most popular production companies and my relationship with the Morrissey family goes back to the very early days with Stadium Jumping’s founder Gene Mische. Gene would be very proud of Stadium Jumping’s success since his passing,” Phelps smiled.
The dates of the CP National Horse in 2016 are November 1-6, 2016.
“We’ve worked closely with the National Horse Show for years and even had a chance to manage the Wellington version and one of the New York efforts when the show still on the move,” Stadium Jumping’s President, Michael Morrissey said. “And we’re honored to join forces once again and look forward to a great production in 2016. Hugh Kincannon did a fantastic job as the manager of the show from its opening day in Kentucky, and the groundwork he’s laid, makes our job that much easier,” Morrissey said. “I’m excited to work with the professionals at the Kentucky Horse Park as well.”
Matt Morrissey, who has been in charge of Vendor Sales and Sponsorships since the beginning is excited aboutStadium Jumping’s new role as the management team. “It should be a seamless and smooth transition,” he noted.”Many of the people already in place at the CP Nationalare folks that work with us now, have worked for us in the past or are people we’d want to bring along as the show continues. I’m very excited to get to work.”
This year marked the debut of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Lexington at the CP National Horse Show and according to all reports received rave reviews. One of just seven East Coast events, that class will be the highlight again at next year’s show when it returns to Lexington on Nov. 1st – 6th, 2016 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
