The FEI World Cup Dressage Final Presented by Offield Farms will be televised on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) on Monday, June 6 at 3 p.m. EST, an hour earlier than originally scheduled. The one-hour broadcast offers dressage fans and horse lovers across the United States the rare opportunity to view the world’s best riders, including American sweetheart Debbie McDonald.

With more than 11,000 spectators at the sold-out freestyle performance, which matches the beauty and precision of traditional dressage with the fan-thrilling appeal of choreographed horse/rider dance routines set to music, the event made history for the Olympic sport. Not only were the scores of the top riders the highest ever awarded, but also the American television broadcast, which was secured with the sponsorship from Offield Farms, will allow millions of horse lovers to take part in an event that was the sensation of the horse world.

“This was a key moment in the history of dressage,” said the show’s producer, Bob Hughes. His Carr Hughes Productions has also produced the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event broadcasts for NBC as well as dozens of other sporting events for the major networks, ESPN and OLN.

Hughes continued, “I think we will see a shift in the sport. I think people will look back in the years to come and see that this [broadcast] elevated things to a new level.”

This almost did not happen. Just weeks prior to the event, Las Vegas Events, the producer of the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals, did not have a primary sponsor. According to Pat Christenson, President of Las Vegas Events, “Offield Farms’ sponsorship of the FEI World Cup Dressage Final has enabled the televising of the event. Dressage fans in America owe Karin Reid Offield a tremendous debt of gratitude.”

Dressage has been an Olympic sport since 1912 and routinely sells out indoor stadiums in Europe, but has only recently begun to gain ground as a spectator sport in the United States. “It was extremely important for the future of the sport in the United States for the World Cup Final to be televised,” said Karin Reid Offield, President of Offield Farms.

“For a sport to reach critical mass in terms of sponsors and spectators, television coverage is critical. Our goal in sponsoring the event was to help this happen and to encourage other sponsors to get involved with this amazing sport.”

Offield Farms has established a place for dressage fans to share ideas to help the sport grow at their web site www.OffieldFarms.com. Offield Farms is a FEI-level breeding, showing and training facility catering to the needs of discerning horse owners and riders. The farm’s mission is to serve as a significant catalyst for the advancement and promotion of the sport of dressage.


~~~