Michael Donovan, Principal of Equestrian Services, LLC, Speaks at Annual National Equine Economic Development Summit

Summit Scheduled for April 17-19, The Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

(Charlottesville, VA - February 18, 2008) - Equestrian Services, LLC, the company setting the standards for planning, designing and managing equestrian amenities for resorts and communities worldwide, announces that its Principal, Michael Donovan, will be a featured speaker at the annual National Equine Economic Development Summit. The three-day event, from April 17-19, will be at The LionCrest at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, and it will feature informative sessions on how to best enhance and sustain local equine economies.

Donovan’s session “When Conservation Meets Development on the Bridle Path,” is scheduled for the morning of Friday, April 18, and it will focus on how today’s builders and developers are developing equestrian communities to address the growing demand for sustainable designs.

“When we created Equestrian Services, LLC in 2000, and began working with developers nationwide, we found that through effective planning, more building industry members recognized that conservation and development can be managed and transformed by building communities around the horse enthusiast,” said Michael Donovan, principal of Equestrian Services. “We also discovered that there has been increased public appreciation and acceptance due to sustainable practices that evolve around developing equestrian communities.”

Donovan’s session will highlight the benefits of building equestrian communities, including reserving large tracts of open space for pasture and cross-country courses and creating and maintaining quality trails for riding, as well as maintaining the highest-possible safety and health standards for the horses and their riders. Effectively-planned equestrian communities maximize use of the natural environment.

“We are pleased Mr. Donovan will be one of our featured guest speakers,” said Libbie Johnson, National Equine Economic Development Summit Organizer. “For three days, our attendees will address American equine communities and their role in contemporary agriculture best practices and equine economic development. It is fitting to have Equestrian Services at our event to emphasize that the equestrian market is an ideal community addressing the sustainability concept.”

Other featured speakers include:

• Dan Rosenberg, President, Rosenberg Thoroughbred Consulting, speaking about "Why We Need Horses",
• Dr. Richard Thalheimer, Thalheimer Associates, former chair of the Equine Business  Department, University of Louisville, speaking about "The Economic Impact of Equestrian Activities on Communities",
• Sharon Greene, Founder, Highland Conservancy, speaking about "Highland’s Got A Secret".

Nearly two million people own the 9.2 million horses in the United States, with another two million people involved as equestrian volunteers or engaged in the equestrian lifestyle through family affiliation, according to the American Horse Council Foundation (AHCF).

Equestrian Services offers a developer the opportunity to create an equestrian community under a Signature Equestrian Facility brand that is associated with world-renowned equestrian experts. Modeled on successful golf-industry branding and management concepts, such as Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus golf course communities, Equestrian Services’ partners, John Lyons (“America’s Most Trusted Horseman”™) and equestrian Olympians Karen and David O’Connor, offer exclusively the world’s first branded equestrian facilities and amenities to builders and developers tapping into the growing equestrian market.

The first O’Connor Signature facility in the world will be featured at The Oaks, a 1,220-acre site in Lake City, Florida, and it will showcase a cross-country course designed by David O'Connor. The Oaks facility will open for use this spring, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled on March 10, 2008.