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USET
Reining Championship to be Featured at the Bayer/USET
Festival of Champions, Presented by State Line Tack
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Gladstone,
NJ—May 20, 2003—The United States Equestrian Team (USET)
will once again feature championship reining at the Bayer/USET
Festival of Champions, presented by State Line Tack, June 19 –
22 at the USET Headquarters and Olympic Training Center in Gladstone,
NJ.
Competitions
include the $75,000 USET Reining Championship, presented by Bayer;
the $25,000 Futures Reining Championship, presented by Intervet;
the $10,000 USET CRIO Gladstone Reining Nations’ Cup, presented
by Cosequin; the $10,000 Invitational Freestyle, presented by
Cosequin; and the USET Young Rider Reining Medal Finals.
Only
the best will have the chance to compete at the Festival. In 2002,
the top four finishers in the USET Reining Championship went on
to represent the U.S. in the World Equestrian Games in Jerez,
Spain, and made history by becoming the first reining Gold Medal
winners. Additionally, Shawn Flarida of Springfield, OH, won the
individual Gold Medal and Tom McCutcheon of Aubrey, TX, captured
the individual Silver Medal. This year’s competition will
prove to be just as exciting with members of the World Championship
team and other notables expected to compete.
The
FEI-approved CRIO Gladstone Reining Nations’ Cup will give
spectators a chance to meet reiners from other countries, including
Great Britain and Canada. Last year, five nations took part with
the team from the U.S. narrowly defeating the representatives
from Canada. The score now stands at U.S. with two Nations’
Cup wins and Canada with one in the first three Nations’
Cup competitions held in the U.S.
The
goal of the two reining developing rider programs – the Futures
and Young Riders Reining Medals – is to develop riders into
international competitors. Throughout the 2002/2003 season, the
USET has hosted a series of five Futures qualifiers throughout
the country, in which the top four finishers from each will be
invited to compete in the $25,000 added Final. The first round
of the USET Futures Reining Championship will be held at the Festival
on Friday, June 20 at 1:00 pm. The final competition will be held
on Sunday, June 22 at 10:30 am.
The
Young Rider Program has held classes since last May, with the
top four riders in each class receiving points towards qualifying
for the Finals. The top 20 point-earners will be invited to compete
in the Young Rider Reining Medal Final at the Festival. The first
round of the Young Rider Reining Medal competition at the Festival
will be held on Friday, June 20 at 10:00 am. The final round will
take place on Saturday, June 21 at 9:00 am.
The
Invitational Freestyle is sure to provide spectators with plenty
of style and fun as some of the top horses and riders are expected
in this crowd-pleasing event. In Freestyle competition, participants
dressed in costumes incorporate both optional and mandatory reining
maneuvers choreographed to music of their choice. The Invitational
Freestyle at the Festival will be held on Saturday, June 21 at
noon.
Each
year the sport of reining grows bigger and better as the USET
continues to realize the goal of featuring the very best reining
equestrians in the nation. The 2003 Bayer/USET Festival of Champions
is the one event that will highlight these champions.
Along
with exciting reining competition, the Festival will feature show
jumping, dressage, and endurance riding.
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
Dressage Division at the Festival will include the USET Intermediaire
Championship which will serve as the selection trials to choose
the horses and riders who will represent the United States in
dressage at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic
in August. Also featured are the USET Grand Prix Championship,
qualifiers for the North American Young Riders’ Championships,
and the National Disability Sports Alliance (NDSA) Championship
for Riders with Disabilities, which will serve as the final selection
trial for the team that will represent the U.S. at the World Championships
for Riders with Disabilities to be held in Belgium in September.
Additionally,
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.
Besides
top-level equestrian competition, spectators at the 2003 Festival
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
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 $10 for adults and $5 for children under the
age of twelve. Children under the age of six will again be admitted
free of charge. There will be free admission for all spectators
on Thursday, June 19.
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
.
