Upperville, Va. – May 21, 2019 – The 2019 Upperville Colt & Horse Show (UCHS), presented by St. Bride’s Farm, is proud to announce its partnership with Green is the New Blue, a new environmental platform founded by amateur hunter rider Stephanie Riggio Bulger. Green is the New Blue will be introducing its exciting new initiatives, aimed at educating horse shows and equine participants on sustainability issues, through the debut of UCHS’ new recycling program at this year’s event.
“The Upperville Colt & Horse Show is pleased to announce its inaugural, comprehensive recycling program, sponsored by Green is the New Blue and its founder Stephanie Riggio Bulger,” said Barb Roux, president of the UCHS. “Recycling and engaging in environmentally responsible efforts is vital to our community. With this precedent-setting partnership and recycling initiative in equestrian sports, we hope to encourage other North American horse shows to follow our mutual lead.”
Green is the New Blue has two simple goals: educate horse show exhibitors and managers about best practices for sustainability and ecological safety and provide them with the tools to make these changes easy and straightforward to implement.
“The Upperville Colt & Horse Show seemed like such a great fit for our launch,” said Bulger. “It is the oldest horse show in the country, has such prestige and is an intimate show despite its size and scope, so it felt like a really good fit. I am honored, touched and excited to be a part of the oldest horse show in the country with this brand new and very modern initiative.
“I have always been interested in and had my ear turned toward environmental causes but I never really knew what to do or had a way in,” continued Bulger. “It seems so daunting. One day last year I was at a horse show and I was grazing one of my horses and I could not find a spot of grass that didn’t have cigarette butts or bottle caps or bits of plastic all over it. That’s when I realized that if I could make some changes right in my own backyard with the sport I love, the animals I love and the people I love, that could be my way in. As it is, horses and horse shows generate a lot of waste. There is a lot of stuff that comes along with the sport and I think that we can do better.”
As part of UCHS’ new recycling program, sponsored by Green is the New Blue, volunteers in utility vehicles will drive from barn to barn collecting various recyclable materials such as shavings and mulch bags, making it as easy and convenient as possible for exhibitors to sort, recycle and properly dispose of their trash.
In addition to improving recycling facilities at horse shows, other initiatives Bulger hopes to enforce in the future include straw-free horse show environments, working with vendors to utilize more eco-friendly packaging and eliminating the use of plastic water bottles by distributing reusable water bottles as prizes and providing water coolers throughout the showgrounds with biodegradable cups.
“We just started this program less than two months ago and it has caught on like wildfire,” said Bulger. “There is nothing really like it. People have fantastic thoughts on this because it is really important. We are just launching but I am really excited to see where it takes us. I think the [UCHS recycling program] is really wonderful. It is one less thing for the exhibitors to think about when they already have a very full day. I am really happy to be behind it.”
Join the Green is the New Blue movement at the UCHS! For more information and to find all of the ways you can get involved, visit www.greenisthenewblue.org or email info@greenisthenewblue.org.
About the Upperville Colt & Horse Show:
The Upperville Colt & Horse Show, founded in 1853, is the longest running horse show in the United States. Held June 3–9 in picturesque Upperville, Virginia, under the oaks, this iconic seven-day event has been highly regarded as a boutique attraction and a fixture on the schedules of Virginia locals as well as world-class equestrians. Featuring a FEI CSI4* rating and World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation, this is a can’t-miss event for both competitors and spectators alike.
A general admission parking pass for the 2019 UCHS is $45 per car and is valid for the entire week. A discounted rate of $30 for a parking pass may be redeemed online using the code “Phelps19.” Please display your emailed order or printed receipt to the gate attendant, who will provide you with your parking pass upon arrival.
