Bridle Creek Equestrian Development and Phillip and Evie Dutton are pleased to announce the third annual Olympic Gala in Aiken, SC, Tuesday, March 9, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Supported most generously by Bruce Duchossois and Jack Wetzel, the Olympic Gala gives the Aiken community a chance to come together in support of the U.S. Eventing High Performance Programs as a portion of the proceeds will go to the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation.

"Partnering with Bridle Creek Equestrian Development," Evie Dutton explained, "we wanted to put together a fundraiser in Aiken to benefit the USET Foundation and the high-performance riders and drivers in their quest for the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games. This is our third year, and we've had a lot of fun doing it."

Duchossois added, "Gatherings like the Aiken Olympic Gala allow everyone to participate. The event is fun and affordable, and it gives young riders and drivers the chance to be exposed to world-class riders and drivers. The goal has been to get the community to participate and to support the USET Foundation. If each zone or area had events such as this (Olympic Gala) for every discipline, it would certainly aid the USET Foundation in achieving its goal of raising awareness for our high-performance equestrians."

Held at Philllip and Evie Dutton's Winter Training Facility, the event will include guest speakers Phillip Dutton, United States Leading Event Rider for the past 10 years as well as 2009 Rider of the Year Boyd Martin and chef d'equipe of the U.S. Eventing Team, Captain Mark Phillips. Starting at 7:30 p.m., guests can enjoy the open bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres as they partake in the raffle and silent auction.

A true community event, Evie Dutton explained, "Aiken is a wonderful equestrian community of every discipline; foxhunting, pleasure riding, polo, and eventing, especially during the winter, the eventing community is very large. There are so many people interested in horse sports, and we just wanted to bring the community together and incorporate all disciplines, because having all of the disciplines here is what makes Aiken a truly wonderful place."

This event has been made possible by HnD Stables; Security Federal Bank and Trust; Aiken County Farm Supply; Equine Divine; Johnson Construction and Absolute Green Insulation; Southern Equine Veterinary Clinic; Smith, Massey, Brodie, and Guynn; Phillip and Evie Dutton; Phoenix Printing; and Meybohm Realtors.

The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is the non-profit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel, and educational needs of America's elite and developing international, high-performance horses and athletes in partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation.

For more information on the USET Foundation, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET online at www.uset.org.