Washington International Horse Show-Meet the People In Charge

Juliet Weber Reid
President
Reid has served as President of the Washington International Horse Show since 2008 and a member of the executive committee since she joined the board. Reid feels that one of her greatest accomplishments is assembling a top notch team for WIHS. Bringing the best of the best together to manage, promote, and produce the show. Under her leadership the show has developed programs to benefit children with autism through a partnership with Autism Speaks as well as strong ties to the District and various corporate partners and sponsors.
An Economic Impact statement indicates that the six days of WIHS and year long planning has a seven million dollar impact on the city. In addition to her commitment to children with special needs, during Reid’s presidency WIHS has established extensive partnerships with the military and since 2009, providing well over $100,000 in tickets to members of the military and their families.

The creation of Kids Day and working closely with the community is also important to Reid so much so that she has committed tickets to various DC Public Schools and supported the concept of the WIHS Youth Ambassador Program. Reid has also found a way to reach out every audience with the creation of Hunt, Jump, Pony Up! Casino Night and Brunch at the Barn. She is proud to say that although there are not many international sporting events that call our nations capital home, WIHS is honored to do so.

Eric L. Straus
Chief Executive Officer
Eric L. Straus has served as the Chief Executive Officer for WIHS for 14 months. He has been instrumental in the corporate sponsorship growth for WIHS. He brings a business sense to this 501c(3) that allows it to not only grow but develop and maintain lasting partnerships and sponsorships needed for the survival of the show.

Along with WIHS, earlier this month Straus served at the Chief Steward at the World Equestrian Games for Reining as he did in 2002 and 2006. In addition he has held various other high level positions at equestrian events all over the world. Before coming to WIHS Straus served as Senior Vice President for The Clark Estates, Inc., New York, NY, a family office whose clients include the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Fenimore Art Museum, The Farmers’ Museum, Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital and The Otesaga Hotel and Resort among other properties.

On the equestrian side, Straus has extensive experience as an organizer of hunter, jumper, dressage and combined training competitions. He is an active licensed official serving as a USEF judge, steward and FEI show jumping steward. He was Chief Judge for Modern Pentathlon at the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1987 Pan American Games. He also served as Executive Director of the American Horse Shows Association (now USEF) in 1996-1997.  

Anthony F. Hitchcock
Chief Operating Officer
Tony Hitchcock serves as Chief Operating Officer of WIHS. He has built and maintained a strong management team, marketing approach, with the help of Animal Planet, as well building a vital core infrastructure for WIHS. Since 1978, Hitchcock has held leadership positions with a number of major national horse shows.

For 30 years, he and Jean Lindgren, his wife and business partner, managed the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Sagaponack, NY, growing it into one of the largest hunter/jumper horse shows in the country with 1,500 competitors and close to 50,000 spectators annually, and contributions of more than $1.2 million to its beneficiaries.

Since 1993, Hitchcock has worked closely with HITS, Inc. (Horse Shows in the Sun), producer of horse show circuits in Thermal, CA, Ocala, FL; Culpeper, VA.; and Saugerties, NY, serving initially as National Marketing Director and since 1999 as Senior Vice President. Hitchcock also served as Director of Equestrian Activities for the 1989 World Cup Equestrian Festival in Tampa, FL, and Producer of the National Horse Show at the Meadowlands (NJ) from 1992-1994. Hitchcock served as an advisor to the WIHS in 2008 and assumed the position as Chief Operating Officer in 2009.