Officials of the Las Vegas World Invitational (LVWI) announced the international field of 25 top-ranked riders who were invited to compete for $1-million in prize money, show jumping's richest purse, on October 14-15, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Seven riders were invited from the United States, seven from Germany, three from Great Britain, two from Switzerland and one each from Brazil, Ireland, Iran, Belgium, Canada and Mexico. Riders will go head-to-head in four events during the two days in the inaugural Las Vegas World Invitational, which has been rated a five-star event (CSI*****) by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the only show in the United States to be rated at that level.

When USEF members order tickets by phone or online, 5% of each ticket sale will help fund U.S. athletes. Simply use reference code USEF. To order tickets, call (866) 388-FANS, or click on the Las Vegas World Invitational banner on our website at www.usef.org.

LVWI officials also announced that the Las Vegas Hilton's race and sports SuperBook® will set odds and accept wagers on the competition, a first for an international show jumping event in the U.S. The odds will be posted in the near future. The Las Vegas Hilton is the host hotel and an official sponsor of the LVWI.

Heading the list of riders is Belgian-based Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa from Brussels, who is the current FEI number-one ranked show jumper in the world and the Athens Olympic gold medalist.

Markus Fuchs, from St. Josefen, St. Gallen, Switzerland, who is currently ranked number two in the world and is a five-time member of the Swiss Olympic show jumping team. Joining Fuchs from Switzerland is Steve Guerdat, a member of the Athens Olympic team and a sixth-place finisher at the 2005 World Cup in Las Vegas. He resides in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands.

The U.S. riders are:
--Elizabeth "Beezie" Madden, the top-ranked American internationally, according to the FEI Gandini Jumping Riders' World Ranking List, and a Team Silver medalist from the Athens Olympic Games, from Cazenovia, NY;
--Laura Kraut, a member of the U.S. Show Jumping Team from the Sydney Olympic Games and a competitor at the 2005 Budweiser FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final in Las Vegas, and the recent winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hickstead, England, from Oconomowoc, WI;
--Schuyler Riley, a member of the winning Samsung Super League Series U.S. Team in La Baule, France, and a competitor in the 2005 Budweiser FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final in Las Vegas, from Wellington, FL;
--McLain Ward, a member of the Silver medal-winning U.S. Show Jumping Team at the Athens Olympic Games, and a competitor in the 2005 Budweiser FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final in Las Vegas, from Brewster, NY;
--Anne Kursinski, two-time Olympic Silver medalist and a competitor in the 2005 Budweiser FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final in Las Vegas, from Frenchtown, NJ;
--Richard Spooner, a winner of seven grand prix events in 2005, and a competitor at the 2005 Budweiser FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final in Las Vegas, from Burbank, CA; and
--Georgina Bloomberg, named leading rider at La Baule, France, and a competitor at the 2005 Budweiser FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final in Las Vegas, from New York, New York.

The German riders include:
--Ludger Beerbaum, formerly the world's top-ranked show jumper, from Riesenbeck;
--U.S. born Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Ludger's sister-in-law, reigning World Cup champion in Las Vegas and the FEI 2004 Rider of the Year, from Thedinghausen;
--Marcus Ehning, a winner of 36 grand prix events and a 2000 Olympic Gold medalist, from Borken;
--Lars Nieberg, a finalist at the 2005 Las Vegas World Cup and a former