Annual Meeting Attendance Continues Growth

USA Equestrian, the National Equestrian Federation of the United States,
announced today that attendance at its Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North
Carolina, continued the growth of recent years. Total meeting attendance
was 460.

"We are particularly gratified that we achieved another increase in
attendance this year," said Lori Rawls, Executive Director, "since we had an
unfortunate date conflict with the United Professional Horsemen's
Association (UPHA) meeting this year. We don't anticipate another such
conflict in the future."

The Federation's president, Alan F. Balch, who has attended nearly every
annual meeting for well over 20 years, also expressed his appreciation. "I
was thinking at the Thursday board meetings that I had never seen so many
people in the room for such a meeting. It was absolutely packed, with
standing room only available, and people standing in the doorways. This was
despite our having more chairs in the room than ever before, and the public
broadcast of the meeting going out over the Internet. Also, I'm told that
both major social events, the Pegasus Dinner honoring Frank Chapot and Todd
Minikus, and the Horse of the Year Awards Dinner on Saturday night, were
near sell-outs."

Rawls added that this year's meeting attendance was achieved despite the
United States Equestrian Team's (USET) not having scheduled a joint meeting.
The first year the USET annual meeting was held separately was 1996. In
1997, the USET and then-AHSA held meetings together in San Diego, and in all
years since then separately. Attendance at the Federation's convention
dipped in 1998 at Hilton Head, and since then has grown steadily to surpass
all recent previous years.

"We know that the attendance and participation is still not what it should
be," said Rawls. "Having rule changes every year helps attendance, but we
need to make the convention schedule much more attractive to the broad
membership, with more events of general interest, entertainment, and
education, than just rule-making. With a greater consolidation of the sport
possibly on the horizon, I think we can make many improvements."

The 2003 Annual Meeting is scheduled for Lexington, KY, on January 15
through 19. In 2004, the meeting will be held in the Southwest or far West,
possibly Las Vegas, on January 14 through 18. In 2005, the site is Colorado
Springs, on January 12 through 16. In 2006, the site will be in the East
once again, in 2007, tentatively Lexington, in 2008, the West, and in 2009,
Colorado Springs.

USA Equestrian Inc., as the National Equestrian Federation of the U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship sports of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show jumping, and vaulting, as well as 19 other breeds and disciplines of equestrian competition. As the country's largest multi-breed organization, the Federation has over 77,000 members and recognizes more than 2,800 competitions nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including educating and licensing all judges, stewards, and technical delegates who officiate at these shows.