Gail Abele of Highland Village, TX, has been named the 2004 USDF/Dover Adult Medal National Champion. Awarded for the first time in 2004, the year-end award is presented jointly by the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) and Dover Saddlery as part of the USDF/Dover Adult Medal program, which is designed to acknowledge and reward adult amateurs riding at Second Level. To be eligible for the year-end award, a rider must win at least three USDF/Dover Adult Medals, which were presented at over 325 dressage shows during the 2004 competition year. The USDF/Dover Adult Medal National Champion is the rider with the highest average of their top three winning rides in USDF/Dover Adult Medal classes. Abele posted an average 70.965% from her winning 2004 USDF/Dover Adult Medal rides.

A retired computer programmer, Abele has been riding for over 30 years and trains with Sue Casey at Saddlebrook in Argyle, TX. Abele rode her horse, Werner, a six-year-old Swedish Warmblood in all her USDF/Dover Adult Medal classes. As the 2004 USDF/Dover Adult Medal National Champion, Abele will receive a $1,000 Dover Saddlery gift certificate, which will be presented in December at the USDF Annual Convention in Lexington, KY.

Carol Anne Barone of Stanwood, WA, has been named the 2004 USDF/Dover Adult Medal National Reserve Champion with an average of 69.702%. Barone has been riding for most of her life and has experience in many equestrian disciplines, including reining and eventing. She trains with Jeremy Steinberg and Roxanne Christensen at White Birch Farm in Marysville, WA. Barone rode her registered Hanoverian, Haute Couture, in the USDF/Dover Medal classes. She is currently an Operations Manager with Amgen Corporation.

The twenty-three adult amateur riders who received USDF/Dover National Merit Awards in 2004 are:

Gail Abele, Highland Village, TX
2004 USDF/Dover Adult Medal National Champion

Carol Barone, Stanwood, WA
2004 USDF/Dover Adult Medal National Reserve Champion

Pamela Vendetti, Escondido, CA
Dr. Barbara Butman, Grass Lake, MI
Deborah Hirons, Creston, CA
Linda Emery, Ann Arbor, MI
Cynthia Collins, Victorville, CA
Sandy Johnson, Chesapeake, VA
Terri Tupman, Anna, TX
Michele Fragner, Lebanon, NJ
Gail Tasch, Eau Claire, WI
Jenny Breen, Rancho Cordova, CA
Katherine Podd, St. Charles, IL
Maggie Ball, Fairview Park, OH
Jessica Rachor, College Station, TX
Angela McDaniel, Molalla, OR
Sarah Duclos, New Freedom, PA
Trisha DeRosa, Frederick, MD
Birgitt Dagge, Bonita Springs, FL
Robin Tardy Ginn, Royston, GA
Traci Jackson, Olathe, KS
Birgit Macyowsky, Tucker, GA
Denise Potts, North East, PA

For more information on the USDF/Dover Adult Medal program, visit the USDF website at www.usdf.org.