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Dressage
Competition Kicks Off The Laurels At Landhope International
Combined Driving Event |
West
Grove, PA—September 5, 2003— The Laurels at Landhope Combined
Driving Event kicked off without a hitch on Friday with the first
leg of the event, the Dressage phase, at Landhope Farm in West Grove,
PA.
This
world-class international equestrian competition features the very
best in the discipline including the current leader of the Advanced
Multiple Division, Chester Weber of Ocala, FL. Weber, a member of
the Silver Medal Winning Team at the World Equestrian Games (WEG)
in Jerez, Spain in 2002, received a score of 43.20 penalties, which
places him slightly ahead of his WEG teammate, Tucker Johnson, of
Hobe Sound, FL who received a 50.56. Weber is pleased with his top
placing.
“It
means a lot, ” said Weber. “I need to be on top in Dressage
because I have a history of not winning the Marathon. My goal this
year was to win all the international events that I compete in and
so far I have won three.”
Other
divisions featured in this driving extravaganza include the Advanced
Pair Horses, with Larry Poulin of Boxford, MA leading the way scoring
50.72 penalties. Fred Merriam of Newfane, VT leads the Advanced
Single Horse division with a score of 40.60. Tracey Morgan of Beallsville,
MD is currently first in the Advanced Pair Pony with 59.04 and Jack
Wetzel of Aiken, SC is the leader in the Advanced Single Pony with
a score of 47.80 penalties.
In
the Preliminary Divisions, Scott Adcox of Mendenhall, PA, leads
the Preliminary Single Horse “A” Division with a score
of 37.33 penalties. Rochelle Temple of Powhatan, VA, is on top of
the “B” Division with a score of 52.33. Ellen Epstein
of Newtown, PA is first in the Preliminary Pair Horse Division with
47.33. The leader of the Preliminary Single Pony “A” Division
is Suzy Stafford of Bear, DE with 35.67 and the “B” Division
shows Leslie Grieve of Southern Pines, NC on top, with 48.00 penalties.
The Preliminary Pair Pony leader is Dana Bright of Felton, PA, with
a score of 47.67 and the Preliminary Multiple Pony shows Claire
Reid with 62.00 penalties.
The
Laurels continues on Saturday with the most popular leg of the three-day
contest, the Marathon or Competition “B”, where the drivers
negotiate the carriages through challenging obstacles at top speeds
making for a thrilling day of competition.
International
competitors from Canada and drivers of the United States will be
vying for the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) North American
Top Driver Award. Other important national and international competitions
to be contested at The Laurels include the 2003 USA Equestrian Pony
Championships, the Martin Auctioneer/Kuhnle Carriage North American
Single Horse Challenge, and the FEI North American Single Driving
Challenge. The Laurels is also a United States Equestrian Team (USET)
Selection Trial for World Championship teams.
Horses
are not the only stars at the Laurels. Other highlights include
the AKC Tail Blazer’s Fall Dog Agility Trials, performances
by the Barbone Street Jazz Band and fabulous boutique shopping.
The
Laurels at Landhope Autumn Celebration continues through Sunday
and benefits the Brandywine Conservancy, the Cheshire Hunt Conservancy,
the Large Animal Protection Society and the University of Pennsylvania
New Bolton Center. Located on Wood View Road in West Grove only
one-mile from Rt. 1 and Rt. 41 this family event has free admission
with parking fees of $10 per car per day.
For
further information and results, please visit the website at www.laurelscde.org.
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