Wellington, FL - March 26, 2015 - Top U.S. dressage riders and owners gathered with United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation trustees Wednesday evening at the Global Dressage Festival pavilion for a champagne toast to celebrate the establishment of "The Dressage Challenge" and to recognize Claudine and Fritz Kundrun for their generosity.

The Dressage Challenge is an exciting new fundraising effort launched by the USET Foundation specifically for U.S. High Performance Dressage Programs. The Kundruns, longtime horse owners and supporters of U.S. dressage, have made a significant contribution to initiate The Challenge: they will match $1 for every $2 in gift commitments made by Dec. 31, 2015, up to a total of $500,000.

The goal of The Dressage Challenge is to raise $1,500,000 over the next four years to support a world-class program that will put the U.S. on top of the podium at international championships. Gifts are all tax-deductible. Commitments of $25,000 or more made by Dec. 31 are eligible for The Challenge and may be paid over a multi-year period.

USET Foundation Executive Director Bonnie Jenkins announced that donors have already stepped up to join The Dressage Challenge. Patsy and Leet Denton and Rowan O'Riley have made gift commitments to support the new program.

"This is a very exciting opportunity that has the potential to take the United States High Performance Dressage Program to the next level," Jenkins said. "We are so grateful to the Kundruns for their vision and most generous commitment in helping achieve this goal."

The champagne toast was held at the conclusion of the first day of the Stillpoint Farm Nations Cup CDIO3*, and there was plenty to celebrate, as both U.S. teams performed well to sit first and third in the team competition going into the final day.

"I think proof of our interest in being financially supportive was this afternoon: when you see someone like Laura [Graves] come into the arena with her horse, it's all worth it," Fritz Kundrun said. "We wanted to give a chance to gifted people with a passion and help the United States get a little more recognition for the sport."

To learn more about getting involved in The Dressage Challenge, please contact Bonnie Jenkins at [email protected] or (908) 234-1251.