NATIONAL HORSE SHOW PRESENTED BY BUDWEISER TO HOST OLYMPIC RIDERS

NEW YORK, NY—October 17, 2001—A star-studded line-up of Olympic show jumping veterans will headline the 118th edition of the National Horse Show Presented by Budweiser, November 2-4 at Madison Square Garden.

This year’s show features the nation’s top professional, junior and amateur-owner competitors vying for their share of the $335,000 in prize money offered in hunter, jumper and equitation championship competitions.

The United States Equestrian Team’s (USET) 2000 Sydney Olympic team leads the field of NHS entrants. Laura Kraut of Oconomowoc, WI is expected to enter her Olympic mount, The Summit Group’s Liberty, while her Sydney teammate Margie Engle of Wellington, FL is also expected to vie for the NHS title aboard her Olympic mount, Hidden Creek’s Perin. Engle, who finished tied for tenth place individually at the Olympics, is coming off her recent win at the $200,000 Nevele Grande Resort Grand Prix in Ellenville, NY.

Lauren Hough of Ocala, FL is another 2000 U.S. Olympic team member expected to pose a challenge for the title. Hough will enter the lineup with Clasiko, the same mount she rode during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Nona Garson of Lebanon, NJ and her Olympic mount, Rythmical, owned by the Kamine Family, are also entered to compete.

Molly Ashe of Wellington, FL and Sandra O’Donnell’s Kroon Gravin will be a strong threat. In March Ashe piloted Kroon Gravin to win the 29th annual $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational in Tampa, FL, defeating a field of 30 of the nation’s best horses and riders, including all four riders from the 2000 U.S. Olympic team.

Another force to be reckoned with at the National Horse Show is McLain Ward of Brewster, NY who is expected to compete aboard Rio, co-owned by Ward and Harry R. Gill. Norman Dello Joio of Wellington, FL, the 1992 Olympic individual Bronze Medalist, is expected to enter aboard Glasgow. Leslie Howard of Westport, CT, a 1984 and 1996 Olympic Medalist, has entered aboard S’Blieft.

On Friday, November 2, spectators will get their first glance at these world-class grand prix riders as they compete in the NHS’s $50,000 Welcome Grand Prix.

The hunter competition kicks off on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. and continues through Saturday evening when it culminates with the $100,000 NHS Hunter Championship.

Saturday, November 3 features the opening rounds of the prestigious Maclay National Championship for the ASPCA Horsemanship classes. The Maclay Championship, which is open to riders under the age of 18, is a showcase of future show jumping champions. Each year more than 1,000 riders participate in local and regional events to earn the right to compete in the National Horse Show’s Finals which host fifty of the country’s top riders.

Past winners of the Maclay trophy include such top riders as Olympic veterans William Steinkraus, George Morris, Frank and Mary Chapot, and Leslie Burr Howard. The final rounds of the Maclay Championship take place on the morning and afternoon of Sunday, November 4.

The NHS Saddle Seat “Good Hands” Championship, held Saturday afternoon, is for saddle seat riders and their the beautiful high-stepping American Saddlebred horses. The National Horse Show has been hosting this championship final since 1931.

The $15,000 BET On Jazz Junior Jumper section includes the $5,000 BET On Jazz Junior Jumper class on Saturday evening and the $10,000 BET On Jazz Junior Jumper Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.

Following the BET On Jazz Junior Jumper series, the $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Grand Prix will be held culminating the year-long National Horse Sports Foundation Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series.

The culmination of the National Horse Show will be the $150,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of New York on Sunday, November 4. The Grand Prix is the final event of the $235,000 Jumper Division, which is open to riders by invitation only.

Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America’s oldest indoor horse show, and a traditional fixture on the national and international sports and social event calendars. The National is America’s most prestigious year-end championship show, offering the country's top horses and riders a chance to decide the ultimate champions.

To purchase tickets, please call 212-307-7171 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, please visit www.nhs.org.