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Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention has been relocated from the Astor Crowne Plaza, New Orleans to the Charlotte Marriott City Center Hotel, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The dates of the Convention remain the same, December 1 - December 4, 2005. The USEA hopes to return to New Orleans in the coming years.

Due to these late changes, a brochure will not be mailed to the USEA membership. Instead, the brochure, including registration forms, schedule, and seminar information, can be found on the USEA website. Click on the yellow Convention tab located at the top of the USEA homepage at www.useventing.com. With only a few exceptions, the original Convention program and schedule has remained largely the same.

Situated in the heart of uptown Charlotte, the location of the Marriott City Center provides easy access to Charlotte's finest restaurants, shops, nightlife, and museums--from regional arts and entertainment to the nation's top hands-on science museums. The USEA Convention room rate will be $99/night.

The Event College format offers the following four options: Track 1-Organizers/Officials; Track 2-Riders/Trainers; Track 3-Instructors/Coaches; Track 4-Horse Management. Seminars with top names in the sport will cover topics ranging from cross-country water obstacle construction, equine joint disease, training solutions, insurance, choosing an instructor, show jumping course design, virtual critiques of dressage rides, and horse behavior—to name just a few.

In addition, a USEA Open Forum will be held Thursday afternoon. This is the opportunity for everyone involved in the sport—competitors, organizers, owners, sponsors, and volunteers—to discuss what they’d like to see at all the eventing competitions throughout the country. Worried about footing, entry fees, promotion, properly completed entry forms, refunds...? This is the place to put these issues into a public forum, and brainstorm for solutions. Don’t miss it!

Friday night’s Welcome Reception sponsored by the Florida Horse Park and City of Ocala will take place at the hotel from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

After Saturday afternoon’s USEA Awards Luncheon sponsored by Maui Jim Sunglasses, keynote speaker Dr. James Hamilton, a partner at Southern Pines Equine Associates, will offer his thoughts on emergency management as it relates to the pets and livestock affected by natural and manmade disasters.

Dr. Hamilton’s experience in this area includes treating animals during the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, as well as last month’s Hurricane Katrina. He will discuss his experiences at these sites and others, and ways that we can all support the groups that rescue and take care of animals hurt and displaced by disasters.

John Nunn and Bit of Britain are once again hosting the USEA Raffle and Auction Saturday evening, at the party hosted by The Fork Stables. Expect the usual impressive list of tack, equipment, jewelry, artwork, and unique items to be on the raffle list, as well as entries to some of the country’s most popular horse trials to be auctioned off. A Stackhouse saddle tops the list of raffle prizes.

The USEA Annual Meeting and Convention is made possible through the generosity of many sponsors, including: Nutrena, Bit of Britain, the Florida Horse Park, Maui Jim Sunglasses, The Fork Stables, Rebecca Farm, Adequan, Amerigo, Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, Charles Owen, Merial, Practical Horseman, Spalding Labs, Equine Quality Alliance, and USEA Area II.

The Charlotte Marriott City Center has confirmed a room rate of $99/night. Call (704) 333-9000 or (888) 236-2427 for reservations, or visit www.marriottcitycenter.com.

Visit the USEA website, www.useventing.com (click on the yellow USEA Convention tab across the top) for updates and information on the Convention. For more information on the hotel, visit www.marriottcitycenter.com.