Lexington, KY – In continuation of their strong commitment to dressage, Collecting Gaits Farm has elevated their partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to become title sponsor of the 2007 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions which will be held in Gladstone, NJ on June 14-17.

“We are excited that USEF will be able to combine five national dressage championships at one venue this year,” said USEF Managing Director of Dressage Gil Merrick. “It marks another important milestone for the growth of dressage in the United States. With Collecting Gaits Farm’s dedication over the past years to the sport of dressage, their promotion of the Festival of Champions has contributed significantly to this achievement.”

For the last several years, Collecting Gaits Farm has supported the prominent Dressage Festival of Champions, which is held at the United States Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters located at the historic Gladstone, NJ facility. The 2007 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions features the best riders from across the country in multiple dressage divisions, including the National Grand Prix Championship, the Intermediaire-I Dressage Championship and Pan American Games Selection Trials.

In addition to their title sponsorship of the Dressage Festival of Champions, Collecting Gaits Farm also supports the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program. This program promotes the importance of selective breeding and correct training of horses in the United States and encourages participation of breeders, riders, and trainers of young horses in dressage competition. The purposes of this program are to encourage the properly structured development of young dressage prospects through the training scale; to identify and recognize outstanding talent and training of international-caliber horses; and to prepare these horses for future careers at the FEI level and participation on U.S. High Performance teams.

"My husband and I are dedicated to raising awareness of dressage in the United States by sponsoring local shows and by promoting national dressage championships at the high performance level for our most elite equestrians in preparation of international competitions,” said Shereen Fuqua, co-owner of Collecting Gaits Farm. “We are honored that USEF is allowing us to participate in Gladstone which should turn out to be one of the best shows this year, showcasing the juniors, young riders, young adults and the best professionals in our country. We continue to challenge everyone in the dressage community to support USEF and USET either financially or with their dedication and time by volunteering."

Located in Alpharetta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta, GA, Collecting Gaits Farm is owned by Jeff and Shereen Fuqua. The Fuqua’s enjoy giving back to the sport in order to encourage the growth of dressage in the United States.
~~~For more information, please contact Stacey Meier, Director of National Marketing, at (859) 225-6974, or via e-mail at [email protected].