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USET
To Host Gala Dinner Dance and Silent Auction Presented
by Glenmede at 13th Annual Bayer/USET Festival of Champions,
presented by State Line Tack
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Gladstone, NJ—May 8, 2003—The United States Equestrian
Team (USET) will host a Gala Dinner Dance and Silent Auction,
presented by The Glenmede Trust Company, N.A., during the 13th
annual Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, presented by State Line
Tack, June 19-22 at the USET’s Olympic Training Center in
Gladstone, New Jersey.
The
Gala Dinner Dance and Silent Auction will take place on Saturday,
June 21 at 7:00 pm under the tent at The Mansion on Hamilton Farm
Golf Club in Gladstone, NJ. Proceeds from the Black Tie/Red, White
& Blue attire event are to be used to help send our athletes
to the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic in August.
Ann
Romney, First Lady of Massachusetts and no stranger to equestrian
sports, is Honorary Gala Chairman. Romney, wife of Salt Lake Organizing
Committee President and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, is
a dressage rider and helped arrange dressage demonstrations during
the Salt Lake City Olympic Games’ opening weekend. Her horse
“Liberte” will be competing in the selection trials
for the Pan American Games during the Festival.
The Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, presented by State Line
Tack will showcase four equestrian disciplines—dressage,
show jumping, endurance, and reining. The nation’s best riders
will be vying for USET Championships as well as the right to represent
the U.S. in upcoming international competition.
The Festival’s dressage competitions will feature the USET
Grand Prix Championship as well as the USET Intermediaire Championship.
The USET Intermediaire Championship will serve as the selection
trials to choose the horses and riders who will represent the
United States at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo,
the Dominican Republic in August.
The Dressage division will also feature the National Disability
Sports Alliance (NDSA) Championship for Riders with Disabilities.
This year, the Championship will serve as the Final Selection
Trial for the team that will represent the U.S. at the World Championship
for Riders with Disabilities to be held in Belgium in September.
Along with the dressage competition, the ballet of equestrian
sports, the Festival will feature the power and speed of show
jumping. The Show Jumping Division will be highlighted by the
$50,000 Rolex/USET Show Jumping Championship, a member event of
the American Grandprix Association (AGA), and the USET Junior
and Amateur-Owner Talent Derbies, both presented by BET on Jazz
and both part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic
Series.
The
Festival will again host the USET Endurance 75-Mile Championship,
a Fédération Equestre Internationale (International
Equestrian Federation – FEI) sanctioned CEI** ride. The ride
will take place in and around the USET grounds.
The
Bayer Reining Division returns, the fifth consecutive year the
Festival will feature reining. Teams of reiners from several countries
will compete in the Cosequin® CRIO Nations’ Cup. Riders
from all over the nation will vie for the prestigious USET Reining
Championship, presented by Bayer. The reining ring will also feature
the USET Futures Championship, presented by Intervet and the Reining
Young Rider Medal Final, which holds qualifying classes at reining
competitions throughout the country over the course of the year-long
qualifying period. These competitions award points to the top
placing riders. At the end of the year, the top point earning
Young Riders are invited to compete in Gladstone at the finals.
Along with top-level equestrian competition, spectators will be
able to enjoy a day of family fun and entertainment. A wide range
of gourmet dining options as well as a country fair featuring
the New Jersey Equine Expo hosted by the New Jersey Department
of Agriculture will complement the equestrian activities taking
place in three rings. The fair will feature equine demonstrations,
falconry and blacksmith demonstrations, the Jersey Fresh Horse
Expo, as well as vendors offering top-quality jewelry, souvenirs,
and products for the home as well as the stable.
General admission will be ten dollars for adults and five dollars
for children under the age of twelve. Children under the age of
six will again be admitted free of charge. Everyone will be admitted
free on Thursday. Admission for the Gala Dinner Dance and Silent
Auction is $250 per person. Tickets may be reserved by calling
Kim Rippard at (908) 234-1251, extension 25.
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
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