Lexington, KY – The high-impact, high-energy discipline of driving doesn’t easily lend itself to videography. It all comes down to logistics—especially when it involves covering miles of varied terrain during the Marathon phase, filled with obstacles that not only prove challenging for horse and driver, but for camera crews seeking the best vantage point from which to capture the excitement.

It can, however, be done. Executive producer Bernard Uechtritz, producer Jon May and the crew at Horse TV proved that in 2009. Determined to bring the exciting sport to the masses, they invested a fully-vetted crew, nine video cameras and hours upon hours of pre- and post-production work, into what would become the “CAI Live Oak CDE 2009.”

Their efforts won them the 2009 USEF media award, the Daniel P. Lenehan Trophy for Overall Media Excellence, presented during the President’s luncheon of the 2010 USEF Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, January 16.

“This year’s recipient used a particularly successful and well-rounded approach to presenting the sport of driving to both a familiar audience and prospective fans,” said USEF President David O’Connor. “The producer incorporated comprehensive and professional commentary, making the production instructional as well as entertaining. The overall presentation was nothing short of spectacular.”

The four-hour television special was unprecedented in its visual scope, shooting from elevated hydraulic platforms to enable the viewer to see down into the hazards, all while capturing one hundred percent of the competitors’ performances.

“They really put a lot of heart and soul into it,” Bernard Uechtritz, President of Horse TV, said of his crew. “By far and away, one of the most fun things we did last year was Live Oak. That was really made possible by a team approach, and a good combination of the USEF, Chester Weber and Susan Gilliland, and of course, our great crew at Horse TV. The crew really put in an enormous amount of hours into this production.”

A clip from the awards presentation at the 2010 USEF Annual Meeting can be found at ClubEquestrian.com: http://www.clubequestrian.com/videos/watch/1554.aspx

The full four-hour show and other outtakes on DVD of this event can be found and ordered at www.JustHorseVideos.com

This photo is credit Geoff Oliver Bugbee/USEF Archives and should only be used in relation to this press release. For a hi-res version, please contact Helen Murray at [email protected].