Lexington, KY - Twenty-year-old Chelsea Seburn of Greenleaf, ID, is about to take the trip of a lifetime.

Chelsea and her 12-year-old Rheinlander gelding Rolex have qualified as the U.S. representative for the FEI World Cup™ Dressage for Young Riders, to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, December 13-16, 2007. Freestyle scores earned at CDI-Y’s in Burbank and Rancho Murieta, CA, kept this talented pair atop the rankings for most of the year with an overall average of 71.45%.

“It feels both strange and exciting to be representing not just myself for the first time but also my country,” said Seburn. “I'm very proud and feel very lucky to be in this position.”

Chelsea and Rolex are no strangers to top competition. In 2004, they competed in the USEF Junior Dressage Team Championship at Pebble Beach, California, winning the team Gold Medal and individually placing third overall. For the last three years, this pair qualified for and competed at the North American Young Riders’ Championship (NAYRC). Also in 2007, they traveled all the way to Gladstone, New Jersey as one of the top combinations in the country to compete in the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Young Rider Dressage Championship. But the FEI World Cup™ for Young Riders was never far from her mind.

“It was definitely a goal that we had set for the year,” she said. “I can't believe it actually happened and I am very proud to achieve it.”

Chelsea’s trip will be made possible due to the generosity of the event organizer and sponsors, who provide her entry and travel expenses for Rolex. But Chelsea is quick to note that she also has to thank her father, her aunt, trainers Ernst and Jan Herrmann Herrmann, veterinarians Steve Hardy and Idaho Equine.

“Last but not least I would like to thank all of those people behind the scenes who have put so much effort and care into our success,” she said. “Without everyone’s support I could never hope to be where I am today."

by Jennifer Keeler

ENDS