MAUI
JIM HORSE TRIALS TO FEATURE MANY INTERNATIONAL RIDERS 
Many world class equestrian athletes will be trekking across the
country toward Wayne, Illinois to compete at the Maui Jim Horse Trials on July
12-15. For both horse enthusiasts, and for individuals just wanting a pleasant
day in the country, this competition offers a myriad of things to enjoy.
The competition has hosted many Olympic athletes during the past two decades,
and this year  is
no exception. Two time World Three Day Event Champion and twice Olympic Team Gold
Medalist, Bruce Davidson, has entered the competition for the first time.
(Bruce is pictured at the right on Jam jumping the Foundation Drop at the Fair
Hill CCI***, last fall.) This came about at the urging of his son Buck
who made his debut here in 2006, and who will return again this year.
Another rider familiar with gold medals is Stuart Black, from Virginia,
who until two years ago represented Canada in several Olympic and World Championship
competitions. Black also holds the record for Advanced level victories at Maui
Jim having won in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He will defend his record this year on
two young imported French horses. (Stuart is pictured at the left below on
Leader des Bieffes jumping the log in the water at Jersey Fresh earlier this month.)
A Midwestern favorite and also a past winner of Maui Jim’s Advanced
division is Becky Holder, from Minnesota, who scored her first victory
at this level in 1999 on the horse Highland Hogan with whom she served as alternate
at the Sydney, Australia Olympic Games,  and
whom she retired here last year in a touching ceremony. Her partner this year
will be the elegant Courageous Comet, who was a stakes winning Thoroughbred racehorse
in his former life. (Becky and the gray Courageous Comet are pictured at the
right below jumping into the water at the Southern Pines Horse Trials earlier
this spring.)
Mike Huber, from Texas rounds out the medalists,
and this year he will be competing a young horse as well as mentoring his many
students who make Maui Jim a part of their annual schedule. Hoping
not to be outshone by the veterans, 20 year old Lauren Kieffer will also
be competing at Maui Jim this year. Last month, she was named by the United States
Equestrian Team Foundation as “Best Young Rider” and awarded the coveted
Markham Trophy for this achievement. Lauren’s home is in Mt. Carmel, Illinois,
but she is currently based in Virginia with her trainers, Karen and David O’Connor.
(Lauren and Tigger Too are pictured at the left below jumping the skinny in
the water at Jersey Fresh earlier this month.) The competition
which runs over four days will kick off on Thursday morning, July 12 with the
Young Event Horse Tests for 4 and 5 year olds. This is a relatively new sort of
competition  that
has been gaining in popularity in the three years since its inception and is designed
to spotlight up and coming equine talent in the discipline of eventing. Regular
competition also commences on July 12 with two days of Dressage and continues
with the heart of the sport, Cross Country, on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July
14. The Advanced and International divisions will run on late Saturday morning.
The weekend finishes on Sunday with the Show Jumping phase. Saturday’s
Cross Country phase takes place on the rolling land of the Pratt Wayne Equestrian
Area which is owned by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, and which
lies directly across from the event’s host site, Lamplight Equestrian Center,
6N940 Dunham Road in Wayne, one mile north of Army Trail Road. This facility is
widely acknowledged to be one of the premier equestrian sites in the United States,
and once one sees the beautifully landscaped grounds and immaculate barns, it
is easy to see why it has earned this reputation. Lamplight has also been chosen
to host the American Eventing Championships on September 13-16, 2007. Sunday
also features the Illinois Special Olympics Equestrian Competition as well as
 demonstrations
by the major beneficiary of the event’s funds, the Illinois Wisconsin Search
and Rescue Dogs Organization. Additionally, a wide variety of shopping opportunities
will be on grounds in the form of an elite corps of vendors. Food is also available
in both competition locations. Admission and parking are free. For
further information, directions and specifics, log on to www.mauijimhorsetrials.org. Katherine
Lindsay flutie60184@sbcglobal.net
organizer@mauijimhorsetrials.org
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