HorsesDaily: USET - Dressage: USET Confirms Expanded Dressage Short List

USET Confirms Expanded Dressage Short List

Gladstone, NJ-July 14, 1998

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Executive Committee has confirmed plans to utilize this country's depth of quality dressage talent by including seven horses on the short list for the World Equestrian Games.

Plans originally called for the naming of five horse-and-rider combinations to the short list. However, the results of the final selection trial at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions presented a unique situation where two of the riders ranked in the top five each had two qualified horses.

Recognizing the benefits of having all seven horses compete in Europe, the Selection Task Force opted to expand the short list from five horses to seven, while keeping the number of riders at five. To affirm this position, and consistent with U.S. Olympic Committee guidelines, the USET polled the 12 riders who competed in the final selection trials and their horses' respective owners. The riders and owners gave 100% unanimous consent to the expansion of the short list.

The five short listed riders are:

Guenter Seidel of Encinitas, CA with Graf George (pictured) and Foltaire, both owned by Dick and Jane Brown

Steffen Peters of Escondido, CA and Grandeur, owned by Lila Kommerstad

Susan Blinks of Mount Kisco, NY with Delano (pictured) and Flim Flam, both owned by Dressage Sponsor Corporation

Robert Dover of Flemington, NJ and Lennox, owned by Jane F. Clarkand Ken Acebal

and Shelly Francis of Woodstock, VT and Pikant, owned by Hank Smith

Following Grand Prix competitions at Rotterdam and Donaueschingen, the USET will name a final squad of four horse-and-rider combinations to ride in the Dressage World Championships at the World Equestrian Games in Rome, Italy, September 30-October 11.