NEWS RELEASE

Jan. 10, 2008

PBIEC Progress Report in Photos

WELLINGTON, Fla. Jan. 10--The first of eight 120-foot high concrete poles to provide permanent lighting for the International Arena was hoisted into place at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center Thursday.

The lights will be used for major night events such as the Nations Cup, the American Hunter Jumper Foundation's Hunter Spectacular and dressage Grand Prix freestyles in the arena in which footing has been installed equal to the quality for this year's Olympic equestrian facility.

The first of the 30,000-pound poles was lifted into place by a giant crane while work crews throughout the Show Grounds began preparing for the start of the CN Winter Equestrian Festival next Wednesday.

On the four-week anniversary of taking over operational management of PBIEC, Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC has almost completed total rebuilding of four major competition arenas, the International Arena, Grand Hunter Field, Rost Arena and Ring 6. The Grand Hunter and Rost arenas were not on on the early plans for rebuilding because of the short time before the start of WEF.

However, crews have worked around the clock with only Christmas Day off and were ahead of schedule enough to be able to add the two main hunter competition arenas to the reconstruction program.

The first photo shows the first light poles being lifted into place. In the background is the new all-weather footing in the International Arena. The flip-up reserved seating installed in front of the International Club (formerly the Jockey Club) overlooking the International Arena. A total of 2,500 of these types of seats are being installed, about half for general admission spectators.

Crews preparing the structure for the permanent new spectator entrance Wednesday night.

By Thursday morning steel beams were bolted into concrete blocks and the ticket offices were being built.

All photos: Ken Braddick-HorseSport USA