Lexington, KY) – The United States Equestrian Federation has chosen the four riders to participate in the Developing Young Rider Tour this summer and has named Melanie Smith Taylor as the chef d’equipe.

Smith Taylor, the first woman to garner the AGA Rider of the Year title prompting the association to eliminate a separate award for women in 1978, will continue her innovative contribution to the sport of show jumping in this new role.

Inducted into Show jumping’s Hall of Fame in 1998, Smith Taylor is best known for accolades achieved with her highly regarded mount Calypso. With Calypso she picked up a World Cup title in 1982 and a team gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Smith Taylor retired from her competitive career after her gold medal effort in Los Angeles but continues to have a lasting impact on the sport though her work as a trainer, television broadcaster, course designer and judge.

Four individuals have been selected to ride on the Developing Young Rider Tour under Smith Taylor’s guidance. Competitions on the tour include the CSI Pforzheim, Germany Jun 1-3 and CSIOs at Hanima, Finland June 15-17, and Drammen, Norway June 21-24.

Selection for the Developing Young Rider Tour is based on the rankings from the USEF Computer List as of April 27 and rider availability.

The 2007 Developing Young Rider Squad is as follows:

Rider/Age/Hometown/Horse/Sex/Breed/Age/Owner

-Georgina Bloomberg/24/North Salem, NY/Nadia/ M/Dutch Warmblood/12/Gotham Enterprizes
-Brianne Goutal/18/New York, NY/Onira/G/Dutch Warmblood/11/Cloverleaf Farm
-Eliza Shuford/28 /Hickory, NC/Larentino/S/Dutch Warmblood/12/ Larentino Group LLC
-Sarah Segal/22/New York, NY/True Love/G/Belgian Warmblood/11/Robert Segal

Alternates in this order:
-Katherine Miracle /26/Stoneville, NC/Couletto K. James/G/Hanoverian/11/Overlook Farm

~~~For more information, please contact Joanie Morris, High Performance Communications Manager, at (859) 225-2052, or via e-mail at [email protected].