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USET
Honors 2002 Champions
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Gladstone,
New Jersey—December 4, 2002—The United States Equestrian
Team (USET) named champions in dressage, driving, endurance, eventing,
reining, and show jumping in 2002. The USET commends all equestrian
athletes in America for their outstanding 2002 achievements.
DRESSAGE
The
U.S. Dressage squad captured the team Silver Medal at the 2002
World Equestrian Games. The finish marked the best finish ever
for a United States dressage team in any World Championship or
Olympic Games. The U.S. also excelled in the individual competition.
The U.S. placed two riders in the top five in a dressage World
Championship for the first time. Debbie McDonald of Hailey, ID,
and Brentina, owned by Parry and Peggy Thomas, finished fourth,
just ahead of teammate Lisa Wilcox, who resides in Cappeln, Germany
riding Relevant, owned by Gudula Vorwerk and Dr. Claus Crone-Munzebrock.
Debbie
McDonald of Hailey, ID, and Brentina, owned by Parry and Peggy
Thomas, won the USET Grand Prix Championship in Gladstone, NJ,
following four rounds of competition that served as the Team's
World Equestrian Games selection trials.
Susan
Dutta of Thornwood, NY, rode her chestnut mare, West Side Lady
to victory in the USET Intermediaire Championship at the Bayer/USET
Festival of Champions, Presented by State Line Tack at the USET
Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, NJ.
DRIVING
The
USET squad of drivers competing at the 2002 World Equestrian Games
made history when they won the team Silver Medal. The team consisting
of Jimmy Fairclough of Newton, NJ, driving a team owned by Fairclough
and Jane Forbes Clark; Chester Weber of Ocala, FL, driving his
team; and Tucker Johnson of Hobe Sound, FL, driving a team he
owns with Mr. and Mrs. James L. Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph
Duke had the best finish the U.S. has ever had at a Four-In-Hand
World Championship. In close contention for an individual medal,
Tucker Johnson finished fourth individually and Weber was just
behind in fifth place.
Johnson
earned his record sixth USET Four-In-Hand Championship by way
of his top finish by a U.S. driver at the World Equestrian Games.
Fred
Merriam of Newfane, VT, driving Gaitwood Lightwing, an 8-year-old
Morgan owned by Nicholas J. Mercede, won the Bronze Medal at the
World Singles Championship in Conty, France, August 28 –
September 1. This marked the first individual medal ever won by
an American in a World Driving Championship.
Lisa
Singer of Chadds Ford, PA, won the USET Pairs Championship for
the fourth consecutive year and sixth time overall. The Championship
was held during the Gladstone Driving Event. With her victory,
Singer, driving horses owned by Anne Mimi Thorington, surpassed
Larry Poulin's record of five Championship titles. Singer, the
only woman driver to win the Championship, won in 1994, and again
in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
ENDURANCE
Two-time
Endurance World Champion Valerie Kanavy of Ft. Valley, VA, won
the USET Endurance 75-Mile Championship at the Bayer/USET Festival
of Champions, on Hott Property, owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum of Dubai, UAE, with a ride time of 9 hours 14 minutes
and 31 seconds.
Kanavy also won the first ever USET Endurance 100-Mile Championship
at the Fair Hill International. Kanavy rode Bells Snitzel, owned
by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to the victory.
EVENTING
The U.S. eventing team emerged as World Champions at the 2002
World Equestrian Games. The team members were David O’Connor
of The Plains, VA, riding Giltedge, owned by Jacqueline Mars,
Christa Badger and Jonathon Ireland; Kim Vinoski-Severson of Scottsville,
VA, riding Winsome Adante owned by Linda Wachtmeister and Plain
Dealing Farm; Amy Tryon of Redmond, WA, on her Poggio II; and
John Williams of Middleburg, VA riding his horse Carrick. The
riders did well individually as well. Williams just missed an
individual medal with a fourth place finish, Vinoski-Severson
placed sixth and O’Connor placed tenth.
Kimberly Vinoski-Severson claimed her first Rolex/USET Four Star
Eventing Championship at the Rolex/Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented
by Bayer, in April.
Vinoski-Severson, riding Winsome Adante, in a record setting field
of 63 entries was able to squeak by John Williams. Vinoski-Severson
finished the event with a three day total of 56.20 penalty points,
just barely ahead of Williams’ 56.61 points.
A
jubilant Bonnie Mosser celebrated her first three-star win at
the USET Three Star Spring Championship held during the MBNA Foxhall
Cup CCI *** in Atlanta, GA in April.
Mosser,
of Coatesville, PA, was third going into the final stadium jumping
phase of competition, where she was one of the few riders to jump
clean on the complicated course. She and her horse, Jenga, were
able to win although only 2.8 penalty points separated the top
five finishers.
David
O’Connor rode Custom Made to a fairytale finish at the USET
Three Star Fall Championship at the Fair Hill International in
Fair Hill, MD. O’Connor had announced that this year’s
Fair Hill International would be the final competition for his
Olympic Gold Medal winning mount.
O’Connor,
who won the USET Championship for a record sixth time, and second
in a row, finished with a three phase score of 48.61 penalties.
REINING
With a combined score of 657.5 points, the U.S. reining team of
Shawn Flarida of Springfield, OH, riding San Jo Freckles, owned
by Michael Harper; brothers Tom McCutcheon of Pilot Point, TX,
riding Conquistador Whiz, owned by George Shifrin, and Scott McCutcheon
of Whiteboro, TX, riding Inwhizable, owned by Inwhizable Partners;
and Craig Schmersal of Menifee, CA, who rode Tidal Wave Jack,
owned by B.S. Syndicate, won the first-ever reining World Championship
and became the first reining World Champions in history.
Individually,
Flarida emerged as the first-ever individual World Reining Champion
with a score of 221.5 points. Tom McCutcheon won the Silver Medal
after winning a run-off with Shawna Sapergia of Canada.
In
the USET Reining Championship, presented by Bayer, at the Bayer/USET
Festival of Champions, Tom McCutcheon rode Conquistador Whiz to
victory. McCutcheon and Conquistador Whiz earned the win with
a picture perfect pattern that the judges scored 228.
The
United States won the CRIO Gladstone Nations Cup competition with
a team score of 1326.5 points. Team Canada rode to a Silver Medal,
followed by Team Brazil in third.
VAULTING
For the first time the USET had responsibility for vaulting and
sent a team to the 2002 World Equestrian Games. Devon Maitozo
of Acton, CA, won the individual Bronze Medal in the men’s
division with a score of 8.612. The best U.S. finisher in the
women’s division was Pamela Geisler of Diamond Bar, CA, who
finished in eighth position with a score of 8.209. In the team
competition, the U.S. vaulting squad, F.A.C.E. of Moorpark, CA,
finished in fifth place.
SHOW
JUMPING
Peter
Wylde won the individual Bronze Medal at the 2002 World Equestrian
Games, the first show jumping individual World Championship Medal
since Conrad Homfeld won the Silver in 1986.
McLain
Ward of Brewster, NY, rode his horse Viktor to victory in the
$50,000 Rolex/USET Show Jumping Championship at the Bayer/USET
Festival of Champions. Ward edged Margie Engle of Wellington,
FL, by just six tenths of a second to earn the victory. Candice
King finished in third place.
Evan
Coluccio of Middleburg, VA, won the USET Junior/Amateur-Owner
Talent Derby, presented by BET On Jazz, at the Bayer/USET Festival
of Champions. Coluccio was riding White Russian, owned by Alex
Carl.
gh,
who won last year’s Grand Prix at the National Horse Show
aboard Windy City. “Clasiko is not a very fast horse, but
he’s been going great.”
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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