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Besides the four Americans who received Talent Tour Grants - grants given to riders qualified for a four star as of April 18th, 2005, and who have never represented the US at either an Olympic Games or at the World Equestrian Games - from the US Equestrian Federation five other Americans will compete at the Luhmuhlen CCI***, in Germany, this week.

The four Americans who received Talent Tour Grants are:

Becky Holder, the 2000 alternate for the U.S. Eventing Team in Sydney and a veteran of the Winter Training List, will ride her husband Tom's gray Thoroughbred gelding, Courageous Comet. This year she and Courageous Comet won the advanced horse trials at Poplar Place, Pine Top Spring Advanced Horse Trials, and Sporting Days in Aiken.

Becky trains out of Carriage House Farm in Hugo, Minnesota, owned by Ann Bower, DVM and her husband John Weber, where Becky coaches riders competing at all levels. Currently she also serves as the USEA 2005 Area IV Young Rider Coach and instructor for the Junior Developing Rider Program (JDRP) in Minnesota.

Bonnie Mosser, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania will ride her own Jenga, an 11-year-old bay English Thoroughbred gelding (Brigadier Linden x Gledes Scallywag). The winners of the 2002 Foxhall Cup CCI***, in 2004 Bonnie and Jenga won the World Cup Qualifier at Over the Walls Horse Trials, then went on to compete at the World Cup Championship in Pau, France. This year the pair placed third at the Foxhall Cup CCI***. with Jenga. (Bonnie and Jenga are pictured at the right jumping into the water at Foxhall this spring.) Bonnie is now based at her own Point Above Farm, in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, where she rides her own horses as well as has horses in training.

Nathalie Bouckaert Pollard rides West Farthing. Nathalie won the North American Young Riders' Championships in 1997 and 1998 and has had a series of strong performances in 2005, recently winning the Virginia CIC** riding West Farthing, an English Thoroughbred who belongs to her father, Belgian event rider Carl Bouckaert. Carl, who will ride Lamicill Chumbawumba, will compete against his daughter at Luhmuhlen for the first time at the advanced level.

Nathalie and her husband, Michael Pollard, are based at Bouckaert Farm, in Chatsworth, Georgia, where they run a training and teaching business.

Jan Byyny Thompson, who will ride Waterfront, competed at the 2004 Blenheim CCI*** and Burghley CCI**** in England, qualified two horses for the 2004 Olympics, and was on the gold medal winning Pan American Team at Fair Hill, in 2003, where she also earned the Individual Bronze Medalriding Shared Dreams. In 2005, Jan and Waterfront, a ten-year-old English thoroughbred gelding owned by her parents, placed fourth at Red Hills and second at the Foxhall Cup CCI***.

Jan operates Surefire Farm in Purcellville, Virginia where she produces international level event horses while running a successful training, lesson and sales business. She spent last winter in Aiken, South Carolina training with Phillip Dutton.

Others scheduled to run are: William Coleman III with Second Hope and Holly Hepp, who will ride Mrs. Roger Secrist's Damien. These two are the alternates for the four Talent Tour members named above.

Stuart Black will ride Fleeceworks Starlight, last year's Radnor CCI** winner (Stuart and Fleeceworks Starlight are pictured at the left above jumping the skinny after the water at the Southern Pines Horse Trials last March.); Cindy Rawson, who resides in England will ride her father's and Robert Futh's Ashdale David's Way; and Kim Severson will run Plain Dealing Farm's (Linda Wachtmeister) Royal Venture, who finished second at the Fair Hill International CCI***, without Steeplechase, last fall.
(Kim and Royal Venture are pictured at the right jumping a fence out of the first water at the Jersey Fresh CCI***, without Steeplechase this May.)

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The below news letters are from Bonnie Mosser, one of the members of the Talent Tour Team.

Friday, June 10, 2005, Written from the USET Headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey:

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick hello. Jenga jogged up well yesterday and this morning to keep us on the Talent Tour Team. Our equipment was shipped off this morning and we are now, at 1:20 PM, preparing the horses to load for the trip to JFK. Our flight leaves at 11:12 PM. It is a lot of hurry-wait. Not a bad thing for me right now.

My lesson yesterday with Mark was super. Jenga has improved so much since Fox Hall. The other news is I am the first American to go on Thursday. I am the 11th rider to go. I will let you all know how the flight thing goes.

The group of riders are great fun and good horsemen and women.

See you at the start box,

Bonnie

Saturday, June 11, 2005, written from Amsterdam, The Netherlands:

Hi All,

We arrived today in Amsterdam. Spend the night and travel over to Hamburg, Germany, on Sunday morning. We all are very tired now and a little testy. Its hard to get 12 people organized, you parents know the feeling with kids. The horses all traveled very well. They are heading over to the Horse Hotel as I am typing. The grooms all are staying at the Horse Hotel and we riders are at a hotel two minutes from the horses. We plan on going over to check on the horses after they have had time to settle in.It is amazing how much stuff you need for these four legged creatures. I cannot wait to see the site at Luhmuhlen.

Talk soon,

Bonnie

Sat, 11 Jun 2005 23:19:31 -0400

Hi, It is 5:00 am and I am waiting on coffee before we go to the barn and load the horses for Luhmuhlen. I cannot wait. Jenga and Comet are the travel buddies. This has been a great experience so far. My team mates have been such super supporters.

48 competitors have entered the CCI****, without Steeplechase after the First Veterinarian Inspection.
American riders have been assigned the following numbers and start times for Dressage:

10. Bonnie Mosser, Jenga - 14:51

12. Cindy Rawson, Ashdale David's Way - 15:55

14. Stuart Black, Fleeceworks Starlight - 16:12

The above three will do their Dressage on Thursday, June 16th.

The below five will ride their Dressage Tests on Friday, June 17th:

19. Nathalie Pollard, West Farthing - 10:34

20. William Coleman, Second Hope - 10:42

36. Jan Thompson, Waterfront - 14:34

39. Holly Hepp, Damien - 14:59

43. Kim Severson, Royal Venture - 16:02

Among the well know riders from other nations are: OUT! - Pippa Funnell (GBR), this spring's winner of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI**** who will ride Cornerman; Bettina Hoy (GER), the erstwhile Olympic Gold Medalist, with Ringwood Cockatoo; Andrew Hoy (AUS) and Moon Fleet, who fell at 5 from home at the Rolex Kentucky CCI***; OUT! - Andrew Nicholson (NZL) on Duddles; Piia Pantsu (FIN) with Ypaja Karuso; and Zara Phillips (GBR) on Toytown.

The first Veterinary Inspection was held at 17:30 on Wednesday, June 15th.