Rebecca Walton (Todd Flettrich on Otto, Tina Konyot, Steffen Peters, Anne Gribbons and Katherine Bateson-Chandler on Nartan at the USET Foundation Gladstone Headquarters. )
All six riders are currently training under the watchful eye of Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons. "Anne has been supportive and very helpful," noted Flettrich. "I'm an independent person so the idea of the team is new for me, but everything has been going great, and we're working together while having a great time."
Bateson-Chandler added, "I have been looking forward to this part of the WEG journey since I made the team. I love all of my teammates; they have been good friends of mine for years so that's special for me. I am also really enjoying the training, and I am thrilled to be in Gladstone."
The team members are delighted to have the opportunity to train at the iconic Gladstone headquarters. Thanks to the capital improvements program made possible through "The Gladstone Fund," the facility has received state-of-the-art footing, a completely refurbished indoor ring and stabling and an impressive backdrop of plantings behind the main arena.
"Thanks to Jane Clark, the facility received a major facelift and everything is remodeled; it's a fantastic facility to be in," commented Peters. "We never had this situation where we could train for a major championship at a private facility. Any time we had training camp before in Europe there were always a lot of other horses and clients. This is a unique situation allowing us to train together and watch each other. There is much history at Gladstone, as well and that always makes it special."
Konyot continued, "Gladstone was amazing even before the upgrades, but now it is a world-class facility, and we are so lucky to be able to train here."
"Hosting the U.S. Dressage Team here continues the tradition and legacy of having this country's talented horses and riders training and preparing for World Championship competitions at Gladstone. It is a pleasure and a privilege to have them here," commented Bonnie Jenkins, Executive Director of the USET Foundation.
The riders on the U.S. Dressage Team will be training at the Gladstone headquarters until September 18, 2010, before heading to Lexington, KY, to compete at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
The United States Equestrian Team Foundation (www.uset.org) 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.
ENDS