ASHA Sponsors Reception to Honor Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup Participants at the American Saddl
Monday, October 4, 2004
The American Saddlebred Horse Association Foundation is sponsoring a reception to honor Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup participants and welcome the international Saddlebred community to the 2004 Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Wednesday through Saturday, October 6-9.
The American Saddlebred Museum, located at the horse park, will host a reception for all of the teams Friday, October 8. Tickets to the reception are $25 and should be purchased in advance by contacting Vicki Gillenwater by e-mail, [email protected] or Christy O'Donnell, [email protected]. Tickets may also be purchased at the World Cup booth at the Kentucky Fall Classic.
Ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet the coaches, managers and team members. Food and drinks will be served, and the museum's movie, "Saddlebred Stars," will be shown throughout the evening. The first showing of the Museum film will be at 6 p.m. Teams will arrive following their final practices.
The World Cup competitions are in conjunction with the Fall Classic Saddlebred Show going on at the Kentucky Horse Park October 6-9. The Saddlebred Show will feature a number of American Saddlebreds with a full schedule of performance, equitation and in-hand Futurity classes.
Over 40 coaches and team members will represent five counties from three continents for the competition. Countries represented are the United States, Canada, Namibia, Great Britain and South Africa. All countries will compete in the three-gaited events. Only the United States and South Africa will compete in five-gaited events.
Most of the horses used in the competitions are American Saddlebreds, however Morgan, National Show Horse, Friesians and Arabian breeds are all used as well. Horses are donated by the host country, and drawings are conducted to determine rider-horse pairings.
Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup Teams compete every other year. In 2002, the event took place in Robertson, South Africa with the United States taking the gold in the five-gaited division and silver in three-gaited. South Africa took the gold in the three-gaited division.
While the international teams are in the United States, team members will tour various attractions in and around Lexington such as horse farms, The Red Mile, Georgetown College's art collection and more.
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