For Immediate Release
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Contact Press Officers John Strassburger & Heather Bailey
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Sponsor Equine Insurance Helps Make Galway Downs A “First Class” Event
Temecula, Calif., March 8, 2012— Equine Insurance of California will return for the sixth year as a sponsor of the Galway Downs International Horse Trials on March 29-April 1, and owner Joe Parker says that it’s an event he always looks forward to attending.
“We sponsor a lot of competitions and go to a lot of them, and I can tell you that it’s always a first-class thing at Galway Downs,” said Parker. “How it’s run and how it comes off—the atmosphere and the dinners and the competition— is great. It’s a tremendous event, and I’d say it’s as well run or better run than any shows anywhere else.”
Parker is an accomplished Thoroughbred breeder at his Channel Farm near Fresno, Calif., and he’s a past president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association. He began his own insurance agency 30 years ago, bought a couple more agencies and created Parker General insurance, which offers a wide range of policies for the human market.
He established Equine Insurance almost 20 years ago as a division of Parker General Insurance. The Equine Insurance office, managed by Donna Chopp, is located in Arcadia, Calif., only a half-mile from Santa Anita Race Track. The Parker General office is located in Fresno.
The equine policies they offer include equine mortality, surgical and major medical, care, custody and control, trainer and stable liability, horse owner’s insurance, club and horse show liability, stallion and mare fertility, farm/ranch, workers’ compensation and employers’ liability. Find out more at their website, www.equine-ins.com.
Equine Insurance of California sponsors a wide range of competitions in both the English and Western disciplines. Parker says that sponsorship is the cornerstone of their marketing plan. “It’s a great way to reach our customers. If people see your name around enough, they come to you for quotes and protection. And if the price is right and the service is good, they keep coming and tell their friends,” said Parker. “People like seeing who they’re dealing with, and we like to thank them for their business.”
Parker says the competitions at Galway Downs have a special appeal to him. “We really enjoy the eventing.” He said. “It’s such a hands-on thing, and so that means so much to me. I can really appreciate how much work they do.”
Said Galway Downs organizer Robert Kellerhouse, “Equine Insurance is one of our many great sponsors, and they’ve really helped us to make great strides. That’s why we now call the cross-country warm-up ring the Equine Insurance Arena. Joe Parker and Donna Chopp have helped to make the Galway Downs International Events what they are today.”
The Galway Downs International Horse Trials will begin on Thursday, March 29, with the first horse inspection at 3:00 p.m., followed by the presentation of horses that are being offered at the Elite Event Horse Auction, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Buyers can then bid on horses until Saturday evening.
On Friday, the international horses will compete in both dressage (starting at 8:00 a.m.) and in show jumping (starting at 1:00 p.m.). Then on Saturday the three international divisions will reach their climax on the cross-country course, followed by an awards ceremony and dinner, starting at 6:00 p.m.
But the event won’t be finished on Saturday—on Sunday morning the preliminary, intermediate and advanced horses will wrap up their weekend with show jumping, while the novice and training horses jump around the cross-country course.
The Galway Downs International Horse Trials is one of the seven events in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series.
The other generous sponsors of the Galway Downs International Horse Trials include: American Medical Response, Auburn Laboratories, Inc., Big Horse Feed, Devoucoux, Embassy Suites -Temecula, Equine Comfort Products, Holiday Inn Express, MdBarnmaster, Geranium Street Equestrian, Horsetrader, Point Two USA, Professionals Choice, Riding’s Publications, Inc., Smartpak Equine, Sunsprite Warmbloods and Voltaire Design.
General admission for the Galway Downs International Horse Trials is $8 per day in advance, $10 at the gate. VIP tickets—which include seating in the ringside tent, lunch and a full selection of beverages—are also available for $55 per day or $150 for the weekend in advance. For advance reservations, go to www.galwaydowns.com.
For more information on the Galway Downs International Horse Trials, visit www.galwaydowns.com or call 951-303-0405. To learn more about eventing, visit the U.S. Eventing Association’s website (www.useventing.com).
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