Wellington, Florida -- August 20, 2003 – Sidelines Magazine has just announced the details of its Fourth Annual Equestrian Triathlon. The popular event will be held, beginning at noon, on Saturday, December 27, 2003 at The Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington.

Sidelines is a bi-weekly magazine which regularly covers the sporting and social aspects of the equestrian disciplines of hunters/jumpers, dressage and polo, with occasional coverage of three-day eventing and foxhunting. Sidelines, owned by polo-playing Wellington-resident Samantha Charles, is published in Wellington and distributed nationally. It is fair to say that readers across the country wait for Sidelines to come out to learn the skinny on who’s who and what’s what in the equestrian world.

Four years ago, Samantha Charles decided it was time to create an event that would introduce the non-equestrian, as well as equestrian, community to the diversity within. Thus, The Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon was born. The last three Triathlons were held at Tim Gannon’s Outback Polo Club. Polo-playing Tim Gannon is the founder and owner of the well-known Outback Steak House.

What is an equestrian triathlon? Teams of three are established: one rider is a specialist in jumping, one in the precision flatwork of dressage, the other in polo. Each team will designate a player to compete against a player from another team, with both players competing in an equestrian discipline NOT his/her specialty. And therein lies the fun.

Jumper riders have one style, dressage another and polo – well – quite another. Their saddles are different, their horses are different, their riding attire is different, and their attitude and style are different. Picture this: A football wide-end pitching in a baseball game, a soccer player playing basketball, a NASCAR driver playing golf. This is the essence of the Triathlon. The Triathlon equalizes all riders as they, notwithstanding their specialty, face off in other specialties.

General admission tickets are $10. Those wishing to watch while lunching in the Special Events Pavilion will be charged $150/person, with non-reserved seating. Reserved seating in the Pavilion is available at $750 for a table of six.

For ticket/table information, please call 561.793.6229. Master Card, Visa and American Express cards are accepted. For all other information, please contact Phelps Wilkes & Associates, Inc. at 561.753.3389 or at info@phelpswilkes.com.

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