Lexington, KY— In an effort to expand the base of young people contributing to the leadership and promotion of equestrian sports, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) recently developed a Youth Council to lead these efforts. Comprised of 18 talented youth representatives from the USEF’s affiliates, this council has committed to providing their equestrian leadership to support and develop programs within their breed affiliates and disciplines. As part of this overall effort, the council and USEF are pleased to announce an inaugural Youth Convention which will be held January 12, 2008 at the USEF Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY.

As part of the initiatives of the Youth Council, an annual Youth Convention will be held for the purpose of uniting youth from around the country and growing equine interest and participation. Plans for the convention are already underway and recently Jane Savoie has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the convention. Ms. Savoie has an impressive list of accomplishments—she is a former member of the United States Equestrian Team and she has won nine Horse of the Year awards and three National Freestyle Championships. Ms. Savoie is now a well-known coach, author and speaker and she will focus her discussions during the convention on competing, the fear factor, and how to overcome it.

This one-day Youth Convention will include break-out sessions on various topics focused on leadership, the pursuit of excellence in horsemanship, collegiate opportunities and careers within the equestrian community. In addition to Ms. Savoie, there will also be other star power equestrian athletes who will interface with the audience. Registrants will be able to choose which break-out sessions to attend, based on the topic of discussion. Also, there will be a question-and-answer session from the audience to high profile National and International athletes. At the end of the convention, a dinner and dance will be held. The convention will be limited to the first 100 attendees and registration forms will be available early summer on the USEF website so those interested are encouraged to get the forms in early to reserve a seat.

“This is a truly exciting venture and is the beginning of great youth events to come,” said Director, National Affiliates and Youth Council Program Manager Joyce Hamblin. “We will have some of the very top athletes and professionals representing many breeds and disciplines which will prove to be an extraordinary experience for equestrian youth.”

Since the convention will be limited to the first 100 registrants who submit their registration early this summer on the USEF website, those interested are encouraged to get the forms in early to reserve a seat. USEF members will be notified via email and it will be featured in the USEF Week in Review e-newsletter when the online registration is available.

For further information on the USEF Youth Council, contact Joyce Hamblin, Director of National Affiliates, via e-mail at [email protected] or call (859) 225-6939.
~~~For more information, please contact Stacey Meier, Director of National Marketing, at (859) 225-6974, or via e-mail at [email protected].