(Lexington, KY)—With a goal of creating complete “horsemasters” and a pipeline for future U.S teams, George Morris will conduct a Horsemanship Training Session at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club, Wellington, FL, on January 15-20, 2007.

Hosted by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and Stadium Jumping, Inc., and presented by Bates, the training session will include instruction each day by Morris. “This is not a clinic,” commented Morris. “This is a training session in all aspects of horse mastership—an important first step in becoming an international team rider.” Other experts in their respective fields will provide instruction in dressage for the show jumping rider; conformation; veterinary care; and stable management.

The training session is limited to six to eight riders, who will be chosen according to their ranking on the November 3, 2006, Bates USA Equitation Ranking List. Two of the six will be from Zones 6-12. The Individual Gold medal winners of the 2006 North American Young Rider Championships and the Prix des States will also be invited. The participants’ names will be announced during the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, November 1-5, 2006.

In place of a fee, riders and auditors are encouraged to donate to the USET Foundation, earmarking their contribution “Show Jumping High-Performance.”

So that better horsemanship is fostered, riders will take care of their own horses for the duration of the clinic, with no help from grooms, trainers or parents. Each rider will be assigned a “mentor groom” such as Beezie Madden and other top international riders, who will assist them only for the first full day.

“This training session will set the standard of where these young riders should be headed in their careers. As George and many in our discipline agree, a career means more than just being a good rider,” said Sally Ike, Managing Director of Show Jumping for the USEF. “If we are going to maintain a pipeline of thoroughly trained athletes for our future international teams, we need to create complete horsemen who have the talent, desire, skills and discipline to manage the demands at the top of the sport.”

For more information, contact Sally Ike, Managing Director of Show Jumping, at [email protected] or (908) 234-0848.

ENDS

~~~For more information, please contact Maria Partlow, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, at (859) 225-6941, or via e-mail at [email protected].