Honorary Chairs Announced For The 2002 Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, Presented By State Line Tack

Members of New York City Police, Fire and Port Authority Police Departments
To Serve As Honorary Chairs For The 2002 Bayer/USET Festival of Champions,
Presented By State Line Tack

Gladstone, NJ—January 17, 2002—The 12th annual Bayer/United States
Equestrian Team (USET) Festival of Champions, presented by State Line Tack,
is honored to have the courageous members of the New York City Police, Fire
and Port Authority Police Departments serve as Honorary Chairs of this year’
s event, June 20-23.
Robert C. Standish, USET Executive Director, commented, “It is an honor for
the USET to be able to recognize the heroes of World Trade Center tragedy in
the center arena at the USET Olympic Training Center during an awards
ceremony.”
In addition to a patriotic theme, the 2002 Festival will once again showcase
the nation’s highest level of equestrian competition in five disciplines –
dressage, combined driving, show jumping, endurance and reining.
Held at the USET Headquarters and Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, NJ,
the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions features the nation's best horses,
riders and drivers vying for USET Championships and the right to represent
the United States in international competition.
The 2002 Festival will feature final selection trials to choose the riders
who will represent the U.S. in the first-ever Reining World Championship at
the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain in September. The Festival will
also serve as the final selection trial for drivers for the 2002 Singles
Driving World Championship to be held in Conty, France in August and the
Four In Hand World Championship at the World Equestrian Games.
Along with these selection trials, the Festival will host dressage
competition, the ballet of equestrian sports, featuring the USET
Intermediaire I Championship.
The Fleet Show Jumping Division will feature the $100,000 Rolex/USET Show
Jumping Championship and the USET Junior and Amateur/Owner Show Jumping
Talent Derbies both presented by BET On Jazz.
Top endurance riders are expected to compete during the 65 Mile Sooner
Trailer/USET Endurance Championship, sanctioned by the American Endurance
Ride Conference and the East Coast Trail Riders Association, which will take
place in and around the USET grounds.
This year’s Festival will again feature the $100,000 USET Reining
Championship presented by Bayer that will serve as the final selection trial
for the World Equestrian Games, along with a CRIO Nations Cup competition,
Sooner Trailer/USET Futures Championship, and Reining Young Rider Medal
Final.
For more family fun and entertainment, there are equine demonstrations from
the sport’s leading professionals, falconry and blacksmithing
demonstrations, a Children’s Corral, a wide range of gourmet dining options
and an outstanding Country Fair with top-quality products for the home and
stable from more than 70 vendors.
Admission is $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for children who are 6 – 12 years of
age with children under 6 attending free of charge. Parking is $5.00.
If you want to see impressive equestrian competition in a beautiful country
atmosphere, coupled with a weekend of family fun, then the place to venture
to is Bayer/USET Festival of Champions in June. To learn more about this
spectacular event please call the Festival Hotline at (908) 234-0555 or
visit the USET on line 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