The Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials & CIC**, which takes place July 21-24, 2005, inVictor, NY, has a new organizer to replace Kyra Stuart King who has taken over the Presidency of the United States Eventing Association (USEA). Stuart was previously the organizer of the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials & CIC** since 1990. Her role as organizer has been taken over by Louisa (Wezo) Pierson who has been involved with the event for many years as a patron and fence sponsor.

Stuart is excited about the future of the event and looks forward to working with Pierson. “It has been a joy to watch our competition grow from two levels with 76 horses the first year, to hosting an FEI division and being selected as one of the nine USEA Gold Cup Series competitions with over 300 competitors. With Wezo taking over the reins of the competition, I would assure everyone that we will once again produce the type of competition that has been heralded as the benchmark for the sport. We have a fantastic volunteer force of over 450, many of whom have been with us for all 16 years! Our medical and safety network is second to none,” she said.

This popular event, which attracts some 15,000 spectators will feature an international division (CIC**), which is also part of the USEA Gold Cup Series and offers a total purse of $7,500. In addition, the event will host five other divisions--Novice, Training, Preliminary and Intermediate, for which in excess of $50,000 worth of prizes will be awarded. An extra day has been added to this year’s schedule to accommodate the increasing number of entries. Competitors travel from all over the country as well as Australia, Canada, Mexico, Finland, Hungary and India.

The Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials & CIC** was first held in 1989 as a local event at the novice and training levels. It remains the highlight of local competitors' event schedule. However, with the addition of preliminary and intermediate courses, the trials attract top international level riders and their horses. Over the past fifteen years Stuart Horse Trials has hosted championships for Area 1 (New England and New York) and the region (Eastern United States). In 2001, the event added two international divisions of Concours Internationale Combined (CIC)**-Intermediate level and CIC*-Preliminary level, which are qualifiers for Three-Day competitions and run under rules of the international governing body, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

Cosequin, which is now in its fourth year of sponsorship, is clearly delighted to be a part of the event. “As a corporate sponsor, we get really good exposure from such a highly organized event as Stuart Horse Trials,” said Jeannie Williams, Events Coordinator & Technical Support. “It’s something that’s important for us to be involved with and it also educates the public.”

For more information about the sport and directions to the event, please visit the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials & CIC** website at www.stuarthorsetrials.com.~~~