The Canadian Team in the Opening Ceremony Led by a Member of the Casanova-Warrenton Pony Club (www.22gates.com)

The Plains, Va. - History was made on Friday as the Land Rover Great Meadow International, presented by Adequan® officially began with a poignant opening ceremony kick-starting the first-ever North American FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ . Athletes from five nations paraded in the Fleming Arena showcasing the teams and individual competitors who will participate in the historic weekend's event.

"We're excited to bring top international competition to the Piedmont Valley," said David O' Connor, Co-Chairman of Great Meadow International. "We have never seen the FEI Nations Cup of eventing in America, it is truly an honor to have it here at Great Meadow."

The opening ceremony began with LTC Art Perritt of the Blue Devils Horse Platoon International Riding Unit leading the Color Guard to present the United States Flag. Blythe Condon, daughter of Great Meadow Operations Director Teresa Condon, then sang the National Anthem. USEF President Chrystine Tauber addressed the crowd on the significance of the competition and Robert. L Banner Jr., President of the Great Meadow Foundation presented a plaque to major donors who made the acquisition of Fleming Farm and the construction of the new arena possible. The grand finale was the Parade of Nations. Riders belonging to the Casanova-Warrenton Pony Club had the honor of leading the teams from Canada, Great Britain and the United States as well as individual competitors from Australia, Puerto Rico and the United States.

The crowd-pleasing Bareback Puissance class, sponsored by Morningside Training Farm, followed the opening ceremony. Eleven riders took turns jumping a plank vertical that was raised each time the riders went clear.  A rail down meant elimination and after several rounds only Chris Talley negotiated the fence at an astounding 5'3" to take top honors on Wyeth, owned by Hannah Salazar, for the $2,000 grand prize.

Earlier in the afternoon all 40 horses were presented and accepted at the Horse Inspection for the FEI Nations Cup.

Competition begins on Saturday morning at 8:00 AM with dressage followed by the show jumping phase at 5:00 PM. The cross-country phase will take place at 9:00 AM on Sunday with the closing ceremony scheduled for mid-day. Tickets for the Land Rover Great Meadow International, Presented by Adequan® will be on sale at the gate. General admission on Saturday and Sunday is $30 per carload (up to 6 occupants). A weekend pass providing admission on both days is also available for $50 per carload (up to 6 occupants). Only cash or checks will be accepted, no credit cards. For more information, please visit www.greatmeadowinternational.com.

The Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan® will also be the final stateside preparation event for the U.S. Eventing Team before they go to the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

L to R: U.S. Eventing Team; Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer, Clark Montgomery and Boyd Martin, at the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International with the 2016 LR4 and 2016 Discovery Sport. (stockimageservices.com)

About The Great Meadow Foundation
The Great Meadow Foundation was founded through the vision of news executive and philanthropist Arthur W. (Nick) Arundel in 1982. Arundel purchased an abandoned farm slated to become a housing development with the intent of preserving the property as open space. The concept for Great Meadow grew out of several converging forces of the 1980s, primarily urban growth pressure on farmland near Washington, the opening of I-66 and the simultaneous loss of the former Virginia Gold Cup course in Warrenton to subdivision development. Since its inception, Great Meadow has been the permanent home for the Virginia Gold Cup and Family 4th of July celebrations. Over the years the Foundation has added several more community events, ranging from Twilight Polo to the Virginia State Cross Country Tournaments. For more information, please visit: www.greatmeadow.org.

About Land Rover                                      
Land Rover, the British maker of Land Rover and Range Rover sport utility vehicles, is renowned for providing its clientele with some of the most luxurious and capable vehicles in the world. Every Land Rover vehicle is equally at home both on and off road, and in any setting; be it in the heart of the city, or traversing the countryside. Today's Land Rover lineup includes the Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque and LR4 (Discovery 4). Land Rover designs, engineers, and manufactures their vehicles in the United Kingdom. Land Rover is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs. For more information visit the official Land Rover website at www.landroverusa.com

About Adequan® i.m. (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan)
Adequan® i.m., the only product approved by the FDA for the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal and hock joints in horses, has been a great help to the horse industry. For the past 25 years and counting, veterinarians have depended on Adequan® i.m. for the treatment of non-infectious degenerative joint disease in horses. For more information, please visit: www.adequan.com. For more information about Luitpold Animal Health, visit www.luitpoldanimalhealth.com