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USET Champions Crowned at Bayer/USET Festival
of Champions Presented by State Line Tack
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Gladstone,
NJ—June 25, 2003— The United States Equestrian Team
(USET) hosted the 13th annual Bayer/USET Festival of Champions,
Presented by State Line Tack, June 19-22 at the USET Olympic Training
Center in Gladstone, NJ. The weekend featured top-level equestrian
competition in four disciplines – dressage, show jumping,
reining, and endurance, as well as exhibitions in vaulting.
DRESSAGE
Kristina
Harrison-Naness of Burbank, CA, aboard Kantor, posted an overall
score of 69.843% to win the highlighted event of the weekend,
the USET Intermediaire I Championship which served as the Cosequin
USET Selection Trials for the 2003 Pan American Games, which will
be held this summer in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic The pair
earned a 68.950% to top a field of thirteen horse-and-rider combinations.
Along with Championship honors, Harrison-Naness received the Maria
Caleel Memorial Scholarship. The Maria Caleel Memorial fund was
established by the family of Maria Caleel and is awarded annually
to the winner of the USET Intermediaire Championship to help pay
for training expenses.
Other
top finishers in the Cosequin Selection Trials who qualified for
the Pan Am squad along with Harrison-Naness were Reserve Champion
Carol Lavell of Loxahatchee, FL, and Much Ado; Jan Ebeling of
Moorpark, CA, with two horses, Feleciano and Liberte; and Pierre
St. Jacques of Boscawen, NH and Lucky Tiger. Susan Dutta of Wellington,
FL with West Side Lady DC was named as alternate.
Leslie
Morse of Beverly Hills, CA, aboard her stallion, Kingston, topped
a field of twelve horse-and-rider combinations to win the USET
Grand Prix Championship. Earning the blue ribbon in the Grand
Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle and taking second place honors
in the Grand Prix Special, Morse finished the weekend with an
overall score of 68.711%. “He’s going really well. I’m
really excited. It’s only his fourth year in dressage,”
she said of her stallion.
Finishing
behind Morse and earning Reserve Champion honors was Jan Brons,
aboard Fernando. Brons and Fernando finished the weekend with
an overall score of 66.472%. Susan Dutta of Wellington, FL, earned
third place honors aboard Gumshoes DC.
The
dressage ring also hosted the National Disability Sports Alliance
(NDSA) Championship for Riders with a Disability, which served
as the Selection Trials for the team to represent the United States
at the 2003 World Dressage Championships for Riders with a Disability
in Belgium in September. In his first trip to the Festival, 20-year-old
Keith Newerla swept the Championship by winning all three blue
ribbons. “It’s my first year here. I’m the rookie,”
said Newerla who is by-passing the Championships as he will be
in college in September. “Somehow I ended up doing well.
I guess it’s beginners luck.”
While
Newerla will not be traveling to Belgium to compete, the following
riders were named to the squad: Lynn Seidemann of Coppell, TX,
Barbara Grassmyer of Placerville, NC, Rebecca Hart of Erie, PA,
Robin Brueckmann of Summerfield, NC, Cynthia Ruiz of Houston,
TX, and Kathryn Groves of Winter Garden, FL.
Mary
Haskins Gray aboard Fregat took top honors in the highlighted
event for Young Riders in the dressage ring by winning three blue
ribbons throughout the weekend to take Championship honors in
the Young Rider division.
SHOW
JUMPING
Mark Leone of Franklin Lakes, NJ, and Pinkata de Longpre won the
highlighted event of the weekend in the show jumping ring, the
$50,000 Rolex USET Show Jumping Championship. Leone was one of
only two riders to complete the first round fault-free. Jimmy
Torano of Fort Lauderdale, FL, aboard Aguila was the other rider
to jump clear in the first round to qualify for the jump-off.
In the end, it was Leone who prevailed as the only rider able
to turn in two clear rounds.
Evan
Coluccio of Middleburg, VA, aboard Rio won the featured event
for junior and amateur-owner riders, the USET Talent Derby Presented
by BET On Jazz, part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic
Series. Stella Manship aboard Elan Coriana finished in second
place behind Coluccio. Both riders turned in clear rounds in the
jump-off, but Coluccio stopped the timers at 42.58 seconds, while
Manship toured the course in 45.5 seconds to put her into second
place.
REINING
By
just a fraction of a point, Tom McCutcheon of Pilot Point, TX,
aboard Smartest Chic Olena, captured the win in the featured event
in the reining ring, the $75,000 USET Reining Championship, Presented
by Bayer. McCutcheon finished the weekend with a combined score
of 442.5. Finishing in second place with an overall score of 442.0
to take second place was Dell Hendricks of Scottsdale, AZ, aboard
Starlights Wrangler.
Mandy
McCutcheon, also of Pilot Point, TX, piloted Arc Sparkle Surprise
to victory in the $25,000 USET Futures Reining Championship Presented
by Bayer with a score of 434 points. Sally Broten of River Falls,
WI, aboard Rio Dun Good earned second place with a score of 433
points.
Sarah
Johnson of Gainesville, TX, aboard Chic Tommy won the USET Young
Rider Reining Medal Finals with a composite score of 427.5 points.
Finishing in second place with 422.5 points was Matthew Palmer
of Elverson, PA, aboard Malbrook Kid Jesse.
ENDURANCE
Also
part of the weekend was the 75-Mile USET Endurance Championship
Ride; however, because of arduous weather conditions, the ride
was shortened to a 65-Mile ride. Christina Rieksen of Holland
aboard Samblet topped the field of fifteen to cross through the
timers in a time of 9:38:13. Rieksen initially came to the United
States to visit top endurance rider, Valerie Kanavy, but ended
up staying longer than expected and crewed for Kanavy and cared
for her horse.
Finishing
in second place behind Rieksen and winning the USET Championship
as the top U.S. finisher was Pamela Weidel aboard Mount Adams.
This pair crossed through the timers in 9:40:31.
FAMILY
FUN
Along
with recognized competition in four disciplines, the Bayer/USET
Festival of Champions, Presented by State Line Tack, also featured
vaulting exhibitions by the Sunshine Vaulting Team. Vaulting has
been recognized by the USET since 2001.
Spectators
also enjoyed days of family fun and entertainment in Gladstone.
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 complemented the equestrian activities
taking place in three rings. The fair featured 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.
During
the Festival, the USET hosted a successful fundraising gala. The
event was held on the grounds of the USET and was attended by
Honorary Chairman Ann Romney, who was escorted to the event by
her husband, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
Full
results of the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions Presented by State
Line Tack are available on the USET website at www.uset.org.
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
.
