The Plains, Va. – The Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan is set to host elite eventing combinations this weekend in the final Preparation Event for the U.S. Pan American Eventing Team and Alternates. The U.S. combinations will be joined in the Preparation Event by five Mexican and one Brazilian athlete-and-horse combinations as they, too, will use the weekend to fine tune performances in the lead-up to the 2015 Pan American Games, taking place July 17-19 in Caledon, Ontario.  Running concurrently to the Preparation Event will be a CIC3*. Dressage will take place Friday evening, with all combinations coming back Saturday evening to jump a Richard Jeffery-designed show jumping track. On Sunday, the action will turn to the racecourse for cross-country, designed by Mike Etherington-Smith.

The competition will be broadcast live and will be available on-demand on the USEF Network.

The team of four athletes will bring a wealth of international experience to Great Meadow this weekend as they look to peak at the Pan American Games in four weeks.

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.), a veteran of U.S. eventing teams, brings two mounts to the Preparation Event with Thomas Tierney and Simon Roosevelt's Fernhill Cubalawn, a 2003 Holsteiner gelding, and Thomas Tierney and Ann Jones' Fernhill Fugitive, a 2005 Irish Sport Horse gelding. Both horses are hot off top placings in their first CCI4* at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover. With Fernhill Cubalawn Dutton secured his fourth Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship title as the highest-placed American in fifth place. Fernhill Fugitive finished not far behind his stablemate in ninth.

Lauren Kieffer (Ocala, Fla.) is poised to make her first U.S. team appearance with Marie Le Menestrel's Meadowbrook's Scarlett, a 2007 Thoroughbred Cross mare. Fresh off a seventh-place finish at the CCI3* Bramham in Great Britain with Veronica, Kieffer has been a rising force, taking top placings at multiple events this spring. With Meadowbrook's Scarlett, Kieffer was second in the CCI3* at Jersey Fresh International in May. Kieffer will also ride team alternate Vermiculus owned by Jacqueline Mars.

Marilyn Little (Frederick, Md.), who has represented the U.S. on jumping nations cups teams, will look to find further success as a member of her first eventing team. Little will ride Raylyn Farms’ and Phoebe and Michael Manders' RF Scandalous, a 2005 Oldenburg mare. The pair has been on quite the winning streak, taking top honors in their last five outings, including most recently, at the CCI2* Ocala in April. In early June, Little won both the CCI2* and CCI3* at Bromont with RF Overdressed and RF Demeter, respectively.

Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) will bring the talented 2003 Selle Francais gelding Pancho Villa, owned by the Pancho Villa Syndicate. Having represented the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games and 2014 and 2010 World Equestrian Games, this will be Martin’s first outing as a member of a U.S. Pan American Team. With Pancho Villa, Martin was second at the Fair Hill CIC3* in April and third in the Jersey Fresh International CCI3* in May.

Also competing in the Preparation Event will be team alternates Will Faudree (Southern Pines, N.C.) with Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables' Pfun and Matt Brown (Petaluma, Calif.) with Blossom Creek Foundation's BCF Belicoso. Competing as part of the CIC3* will be team alternates Jennie Brannigan (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Nina Gardner's Cambalda, Michael Pollard (Dalton, Ga.) and Carl, Nicolas, and Stanislas Bouckaert's Cyrano Z, and Tamra Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) and Alexandra Ahearn's Mai Baum. The alternates will be joined by 19 other entries in the CIC3* division.

Coverage of the event will begin today at 4:00 p.m. ET on the USEF Network where a complete broadcast schedule is also available.

Learn more about the Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan