West Coast riders aiming for this summer’s Pan Am Games will be in action during the Woodside Horse Trials at the Horse Park at Woodside, May 25-27. Capt. Mark Phillips, the U.S. eventing team’s chef d’equipe, along with other officials of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, will be there to assess the candidates’ performance.
Eventing is one of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines, along with dressage and show jumping, each of which will be contested at the Pan Am Games. Eventing, the triathlon of horse sports, consists of three phases—dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The phases will be held in that order on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
This event marks the first time since 1991 that a West Coast event has been part of the selection process for a U.S. championship eventing team. “It’s really tremendous to have this opportunity," said Robert Kellerhouse, the event’s organizer. "Creating a level playing field of chances and opportunities for our West Coast-based riders is a part of what I set out to achieve 10 years ago by running events at Galway and now at Woodside.” Kellerhouse also organizes the international events held at Galway Downs, in Temecula, each March and November.
“We’re honored by their recognition of the talented horses and riders located in our part of the world, and we’re looking forward to hosting this unique competition at Woodside," Kellerhouse added.
Woodside is one of two “mandatory outings,” from which the selectors will choose the eight horse-and-rider combinations they’ll send to Brazil. Once in Rio de Janeiro, four riders will compete on the U.S. team, three will compete as individual riders, and one will be the reserve rider, available in case one of the other selected horses becomes unable to compete at the last minute.
The second mandatory outing will be held in Allentown, NJ, on the weekend following Woodside, in conjunction with the Jersey Fresh CCI***. The two mandatory outings will be advanced horse trials, for horses and riders who have previously qualified for the Pan Am Games by placing in one of 15 designated three- or four-star three-day events (or CCIs) during the last year. Riders must contest one of the two mandatory outings to demonstrate their horses’ fitness and preparation. The USEF Eventing Selection Committee will announce its choices for the Pan Am Games squad by June 11.
In addition to hosting the Pan Am Games mandatory outing, the Woodside Horse Trials will also be hosting a selection trial for young riders hoping to represent USEA Area VI (California) at this July’s North American Young Riders Championships in Virginia.
And on Saturday night, Jef and Katie Graham, joint masters of the Las Altos Hounds, will host a fundraising party for the benefit of the Horse Park at Woodside at their home a few miles away in Portola Valley. Tax-deductible tickets for this gala event, at $150 per person, can be purchased from the event secretary, Christina Gray, by calling (805) 239-3930 or e-mailing [email protected].
There is an $8 admission charge per person to the Horse Park at Woodside each day. Tickets can be purchased at the gate on Sand Hill Road. Competition in the Pan Am Games division will begin at approximately noon each day.
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