Johnson and Stover Top USET Selection Trials at Live Oak CDE

Gladstone, New Jersey—March 28, 2002—Tucker Johnson of Oldwick, NJ and Kim Stover of Warwick, MD won the USET World Championship selection trials at the Live Oak CDE.

Johnson, five-time USET Four-in-Hand Champion, topped the trial for the Four-In-Hand World Championship to be held at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain in September. He drove his team, owned by Mr. and Mrs. James L. Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Duke, to a three-phase score of 132.52 penalties. Johnson, who has competed in three previous Four-In-Hand Championships, won the dressage phase with a score of 33.33, was second in the marathon with 94.19 and tied for first in cones with 5.0.

Placing second to Johnson was 2001 USET Four-In-Hand World Champion James Fairclough of Newton, NJ. Driving his team owned by Jane Forbes Clark, Fairclough placed second in dressage with 40.00 penalties, won the marathon with a score of 90.05 and tied Johnson for the win in cones with 5.0 for a three-phase score of 135.05. Fairclough has competed in six previous Four-In-Hand World Championships.

In the trial for the Singles World Championship to be held in Conty, France in August, Stover had the best overall score of all advanced competitors at Live Oak. Driving True Grit, a Connemara/Thoroughbred

Cross owned by Doug and Cookie Cliever, she finished fourth in dressage with 40.67 penalties, and then was the overall marathon winner with a score of 68.46. She then turned in the only clean cones round to finish with a three-phase score of 109.13.

Stover qualified to drive for the USET in the first Singles World Championship in 1998 but had to withdraw when her horse became sick. Placing second to Stover was Eleanor Gallagher of Southern Pines, NC.

Gallagher was second in dressage on her horse Kashmier, with a score of 34.67 penalties, was fourth in the marathon with a score of 75.37 and tied for second in cones with 5.0 penalties for an overall score of 115.04.

"The USET is indebted to Charlotte Weber and Chester Weber for hosting these important selection trials," said Wendy Wares-Cooke, USET Director of Driving Activities. "They run a magnificent event at Live Oak and it was a great opportunity for our drivers to be able to compete there."

The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest possible standard to represent our country in major international competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships. To accomplish this, the USET seeks out and nurtures the development of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org