The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation officially announced that it has retained GráficaGroup as its Public Relations Agency of Record. The USET Foundation, based in Gladstone, New Jersey, supports American equestrian athletes competing in national and international competitions, including the World Equestrian Games, the Pan American Games, and the Olympics. Gráfica (www.grafica.com) is a nationally ranked, full-service, fully integrated advertising and public relations agency based in Chester, NJ.

"We selected Gráfica, because they can develop creative, effective communications strategies that will help the Foundation increase the funding we receive from supporters, as well as gain interest and support for our athletes and sport," said Bonnie B. Jenkins, Executive Director, United States Equestrian Team Foundation. "Gráfica has the proven ability to provide public relations and marketing support in all disciplines, and they have a solid track record of success with FORTUNE 500 brands and nonprofit organizations."

Maintaining competitive equestrian teams on the international scene and identifying and training the next generation of competitors is becoming increasingly expensive. Unlike many of the national teams of other equestrian powers in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, U.S. success comes without government subsidy, and the grants received from the United States Olympic Committee, while generous, amount to less than 20 percent of the average, annual, high-performance budget. The USET Foundation is primarily funded by private donations from individuals, corporations, and organizations.

"Too few people realize the financial burdens that confront our top equestrian athletes, which is why strategic public relations is so important," said Debra Taeschler, President and CEO of GráficaGroup. "We are deeply honored to have the opportunity to assist the United States Equestrian Team Foundation in its mission, and we look forward to providing proactive public relations and results-oriented marketing tactics that will ultimately help our athletes achieve victory around the globe."

The USET Foundation finances athletes who compete in eight different equestrian disciplines: dressage, show jumping, eventing, combined driving, endurance riding, reining, vaulting and Paralympics. Prior to 1949, the U.S. Cavalry furnished and subsidized the equestrian teams that officially represented our country. With the mechanization of the Cavalry, the U.S. was left with no equestrian representation at international events or the Olympic Games. In 1950, the USET was organized by a group of interested sportsmen to fill this breach, and it continues today as the USET Foundation in its role as the fundraising organization for high-performance programs in partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation.