2005
USEA Annual Meeting and Convention More than
350 members of the United States Eventing Association made their way to Charlotte,
North Carolina, for the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention, sponsored by Nutrena,
and held December 1-4, 2005. Over the weekend the association proudly
honored the recipients of its 2005 Year-End awards at
the annual luncheon, sponsored by Maui Jim Sunglasses. The USEA
Horse of the Year honors went to The Foreman, the nine-year-old
Thoroughbred gelding owned by Mrs. Ann Jones of Coatesville, Pennsylvania,
and ridden by Phillip Dutton. (Phillip and The Foreman are pictured
at the right jumping a huge corner at the Rolex-Kentucky CCI****, last April.)Of
his eight starts in 2005, The Foreman placed first in two of them, and second
in four events, most notably the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** in April, and the Burghley
Three-Day Event CCI****. In addition to the title Horse of the Year, The Foreman's
owner received a $1,000 purse. The USEA Rider of the Year for the
sixth straight year was Phillip Dutton, who resides in West Grove, Pennsylvania
and rides internationally for Australia. Dutton outdid himself again this year
with admirable performances at both horse trials and three-day events, including
second, fourth and fifth place at both the Rolex Kentucky CCI****;(Jimmie
Woffard stated, in his  presentation
of the trophy to Phillip, that the feat of placing three horses in the top ten
at a major three day event had been accomplished only twice before,
by Australia's Bill Roycroft and by Great Britain's Lorna Clark.)
by second and tenth place at the Burghley CCI****, and first at the Jersey
Fresh CCI***. All of these accomplishments, plus countless others, gave this man
a record total of 1250 points, and earned him a $1,000 purse, sponsored by DryNest
Animal Bedding. Dutton also became the Keeper of the Cup, as the Adequan
USEA Gold Cup Series Advanced Champion. (Phillip is pictured at the left with
Hannigan, jumping onto the Island at North Georgia last spring.) Kim
Severson, of Keene, Virginia, is no stranger to the USEA Lady Rider of the
Year, having won it now a fourth time in five years. Her successes this year included
win at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** with longtime partner Winsome Adante,
and a fourth place finish at the Luhmuhlen CCI**** with Royal Venture. In addition
to the well-earned title of USEA Lady Rider of the  Year,
Kim also received a $1,000 purse from sponsor Auburn Labs. (Kim and
Winsome Adante are pictured at the right jumping into the Perrier Water at the
Millbrook Horse Trials, in August of this year.) Julia Steinberg,
of West Grove, Pennsylvania received this year’s USEA Adult Amateur of
the Year honors as well as a $1,000 purse. Steinberg had a stellar year with two
mounts, Mr. Big and Carlos B. Among their many starts, she and Mr.
Big finished the Fair Hill CCI*** in 14th place, and earlier this year they
placed 11th in the Jersey Fresh CCI***. With Carlos B she finished second
at the Fair Hill Horse Trials and third at the Plantation Field Horse Trials.
(Julia and Mr. Big are pictured at the left below jumping down the big drop
at the Jersey Fresh CCI***, last May.) The USEA Young Rider
of the Year trophy, along with a $1,000 purse sponsored by Maui Jim Sunglasses,
was presented to 17-year-old Tiana Coudray, of Ojai, California. Coudray
started the year with a win at the Galway Downs CIC** in April, followed by a
win at the Copper Meadows Horse Trials in June. She finished up the year with
second place finishes at the Twin Rivers CIC** in September and the Galway Downs
CIC** in November. Her strong  performances
at Galway Downs and Twin Rivers also earned her the reserve champion title in
the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series Intermediate Division. Jam,
owned and ridden by Bruce Davidson, of Unionville, Pennsylvania earned
USEA Mare of the Year honors, and a $1,000 purse. This nine-year-old Thoroughbred
mare, sired by Shar, earned wins at the Surefire Farm Horse Trials in July and
the Wit’s End Horse Trials in September. She finished the year with a 12th
place finish in the Fair Hill CCI***, all with owner Bruce Davidson in
the irons. (Bruce and Jam are pictured below at the right jumping the fence
before the Chesapeake Water at the Fair Hill International CCI***, last October.)
And, in a new Leaderboard division, it was announced the Giltedge
leads as the USEA’s Career High Point Horse, with a total of 1,114 points.
“Tex,” owned by Mrs. Jacqueline Mars and ridden during
his career by David O’Connor, helped the U.S. team win multiple medals:
Team Bronze 2000 Sydney Olympic Games; Team Gold at the 2002 World Equestrian
Games; and Team Gold at the 1999 Pan American Games. Giltedge also won the Rolex
Kentucky CCI**** in 2001. In addition to honoring horses, owners,
riders and organizers, the purpose of the Annual Meeting and Convention is to
give members the opportunity to sharpen their skills in order to meet the challenges
of the sport. This is done in part through seminars, which featured top professionals
covering topics including everything from building a water complex to training
solutions from top riders. In addition, the convention included an open forum,
as well as board meetings and  committee
meetings of every kind. There was also lots of fun to be had, with Thursday evening's
welcome reception sponsored by Area II, Pinehurst Horse Trials, Rubicon Farm Horse
Trials, and NCDTA; the Friday evening welcome party sponsored by the Florida Horse
Park and Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce; the Saturday evening soiree
at Bank of America’s Founders Hall sponsored by The Fork Stables; and the
USEA raffle sponsored by Bit of Britain. The USEA is delighted
to announce that the 2006 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention, presented by Nutrena,
will be held December 7-10, 2006 in the Hyatt at Union Station in St. Louis, Missouri.
For more information, visit the USEA website, www.useventing.com.
Contact: Amy J. Daum, (703) 779-0440 ext. 3017 |
