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Saugerties,
New York (April
24, 2008) – HITS, Inc. is honored to announce that it is helping the esteemed American Museum
of Natural History promote its upcoming exhibit The Horse, which is set to open on Saturday, May 17 and will remain on view through January 4, 2009 in New York City.
This major new exhibit will examine the powerful and continuing
relationship between horses and humans and explore the origins of the
horse family, extending back more than 50 million years. The exhibition
will also examine early interactions between horses and humans that
eventually lead to horse domestication, and show how horses have, over
time, changed warfare, trade, transportation, agriculture, sports, and
many other facets of human life.
The Horse
also celebrates the magnificent animal while presenting one of the most
fascinating stories in the history of life on Earth – the close and
complex relationship between horses and humans. The exhibition will
show how the two species have influenced each other through the ages
and explore the integral role the horse has played in the history of
humanity and civilization.
"We are thrilled to be associated with the Museum,
which makes such an enormous cultural and educational contribution to
New
York and the world," said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. "Our
facility in Saugerties provides great exposure to educate and encourage
our customers, sponsors and spectators to take advantage of the
opportunity to see this special exhibit."
The HITS Saugerties series of horse shows takes place at the
HITS-on-the-Hudson equestrian facility located in Saugerties, New York –
just two hours north of the American Museum of Natural History in
New York City. Each year HITS-on-the-Hudson welcomes
thousands of horses and riders from all over the United States and Canada, not to
mention hundreds of spectators.
"Being an Olympic year when many of our nation's best riders, some of
whom compete at HITS Saugerties, will be traveling to Hong Kong
for the equestrian competition, we expect even more spectator interest
in our show, which in turn should help to get the word out about the
American Museum of Natural History's exhibit," continued Struzzieri.
"We are delighted that HITS is helping the Museum reach out to an audience with a lively interest in horses," said
Lynn Hassett, Director of Marketing for the American Museum of Natural
History. "We hope the exhibition will further visitors' knowledge and
appreciation of this magnificent and influential animal."
The exhibition also features numerous interactive stations throughout, including videos, computer interactions, hands-on
activities and touchable casts that will invite visitors to measure their
strength in horsepower and much more. HITS provided video footage, courtesy of Video in Demand, of its
shows in Thermal, California and Saugerties, New York to be used in the
Museum's interactive multi-media project.
Informational materials on The Horse exhibit will be available throughout the spring and summer shows in Saugerties. HITS will also have a supply of free passes to The Horse exhibit in New York City to distribute during special events to exhibitors and spectators over the course of the show series.
The exhibition is curated by Ross MacPhee, Curator, Mammalogy, Division
of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History; and guest
co-curated by Sandra Olsen, Curator of Anthropology, Carnegie Museum of
Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Horse is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org),
in collaboration with The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage
(ADACH); the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau-Ottawa; The
Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, São Paulo, Brazil; and
the San Diego Natural History Museum.
The Horse
at the American Museum of Natural History is made possible, in part, by
the Eileen P. Bernard Exhibition Fund. Additional support has been
provided by an anonymous donor.
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s
preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. Since
its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to
explore and interpret human cultures and the natural world through a
wide-reaching program of scientific research, education, and
exhibitions. The Museum accomplishes this ambitious goal through its
extensive facilities and resources. The institution houses 46 permanent
exhibition halls, state-of-the-art research laboratories, one of the
largest natural history libraries in the Western Hemisphere, and a
permanent collection of more than 30 million specimens and cultural
artifacts. With a scientific staff of more than 200, the Museum
supports research divisions in Anthropology, Paleontology, Invertebrate
and Vertebrate Zoology, and the Physical Sciences. The Museum shares
its treasures and discoveries with approximately four million on-site
visitors from around the world each year. AMNH-produced exhibitions and
Space Shows can currently be seen on five continents in engagements
that reach audiences of millions. In addition, the Museum’s Web
site, www.amnh.org, extends its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more beyond the Museum’s walls.
HITS, Inc. is a
special events management company primarily focused on producing
hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of
Saugerties, HITS produced its first horse show circuit in Gainesville,
Florida in 1982. Since that time, HITS has grown into a nationwide
company with world-class hunter/jumper circuits in California, Florida,
Arizona, New York and Virginia.
For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com.
Media should contact Chris Mayone at 845.246.8833 or e-mail Media_Info@HitsShows.com.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
This horse
saddle originated in the Sakha Republic of Russia, which is part of the
larger geographic region known as Siberia. The saddle will be on view
in the American Museum of Natural History’s upcoming exhibition, The Horse,
on view May 17, 2008, through January 4, 2009. The exhibition
will examine the powerful and continuing relationship between horses
and humans and explore the origins of the horse family, which extends
back more than 50 million years.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
This skeleton
of Lee Axworthy, the first trotting stallion to break the two-minute
mile, was mounted by Samuel Harmsted Chubb, an anatomist and research
associate at the Museum, during the first half of the 20th century.
Chubb’s innovation of mounting skeletons in lifelike, natural
positions revolutionized the presentation of these specimens in museums.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
This horse doll from the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in
Florida will be on display in the American Museum of Natural
History’s upcoming exhibition The Horse.
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