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Index, 2007, Jan-Mar

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The Wellpride USEA American Eventing Championships are fast approaching and the staff here in the office is excitedly preparing to head to Illinois to help make this the best one yet!

For those members that are competing at this year’s event we once again have fabulous prizes to give away, including Amerigo saddles, $15,000 in gift certificates from Bit of Britain, Charles Owen helmets, Adequan, SSG Gloves, Nutrena feed, Ulcergard, Championship and Reserve sheets and gift certificates from Saratoga Horseworks, and of course Wellpride Omega-3 for horses. And, this isn’t even everything! Be sure to leave some extra room in your trailer to get it all home.

A new award this year will be the 4-Star Collection Cross-Country Pace Award given by English Riding Supply. This award will be given to the rider in the Training Amateur Level division who completes cross country without jumping penalties and that is galloping closest to the optimum speed at a point on course. To determine the winner, prior to the start of cross-country an individual with a radar gun will be placed along a point next to the galloping lane and will record the speed of all horse/rider combinations that gallop by. The location of the radar gun will be unknown to the riders prior to the start of cross-country. The combination that is clocked closest to the optimum speed set for the course wins an array of prizes, including an Ovation 4-Star Eventing saddle, an Ovation plain raised patted Eventing bridle, Microweave DX super stick breeches, a Dri-lex polo shirt, Macwet gloves, and a Mountain Horse jacket.

There will also be many things to do if you decide to come out and enjoy watching the competition and cheer on your favorite rider. Boyd Martin will be conducting Bit of Britain course walks throughout the event. (Boyd and his wife Silva are pictured at the right at Rolex Kentucky last spring,)The times will be posted outside the office, so stay tuned. The trade fair is once again full, SmartPak Canine dog show returns, and of course what is an event without a few parties.

Please plan in your schedules to join us for the Wine and Cheese Welcome Party on Thursday evening, sponsored by Lamplight and the USEA. There will be hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and sodas for everyone. It’s the perfect time to say hello to fellow competitors from all over the country.

The next party will be the Championship Celebration Dinner on Friday night, once again sponsored by Lamplight and the USEA. A scrumptious dinner will be served while our canine competitors entertain us at the SmartPak Canine Dog Show in the main ring. Following dinner the DJ will provide music for everyone and we hope to see a crowded dance floor. For those that dream of supporting their horse habit with a singing career we will also have karaoke to keep those vocal chords in shape. All competitors will receive one complimentary ticket to the Championship Celebration Dinner. Additional tickets may be purchased at the USEA booth through 9:00 AM on Friday and sign up for the dog show will be at the SmartPak booth.

For those competitors who will be bringing along friends and family to cheer them on we will also be offering a Patrons’ Tent this year. The tent will be located next to the Grand Prix ring to allow everyone a great view of the competition, with covered seating both under the pergolas and additional coverage under a tent. Delicious meals will be served every day including lunch on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, a continental breakfast on Saturday morning and a Sunday morning brunch. The cost for this year’s tent for all four days will be $125 per person and this also includes a (1) ticket to the Championship Celebration festivities on Saturday evening. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket for the Patron tent please visit the AEC Patron section or contact Torri Broadus at torri@useventing.com.

Golf carts will also be available for rental to help you and your friends and family get around. They may be pre-ordered by contacting Kodiak Equipment at 1-888-746-0800.

For those members not attending the Wellpride USEA American Eventing Championships, but still want to keep up with the action we will once again be providing live scoring and color commentary from cross-country on the website. There will also be video interviews with leading riders, photo galleries and daily press releases, so check in often at www.useventing.com for the latest on what’s happening.

The Ebay Auction, in support of the AECs, is also back this year. The second week has just begun and many great items are up for bid. These include 2 Patron passes to the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-day event, Dubarry boots, Horse Quencher, jackets from Mountain Horse, a bridle and blanket from Dover Saddlery, a beautiful handmade coral and pearl necklace, and many more exciting items. The auction ends on September 3 so check it out! Click here to bid!

To everyone who has entered or is planning on coming to cheer the riders on, we look forward to seeing you at Lamplight. And to those who will not be there, we hope you will keep up with the action on the website, and perhaps next year we will see you in person.

Editor's Note: eventingetc will be covering the AEC's daily from Thursday September 11th onwards.