California Equestrian and His Morgan to be Featured at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in September
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Photo - Debbie Uecker-Keough
AACHEN, GERMANY—The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) is pleased to announce that famed Morgan horse Santa Fe Renegade (Gradell’s Vigilante X Sable N’ Mink) and his trainer, equestrian Eitan Beth-Halachmy of Grass Valley, CA, will be the main attraction during the Closing Ceremonies of the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany on September 3. Santa Fe Renegade is owned by Bernice Ericksmoen of Granite Bay, CA.
“I feel very proud and honored to have been asked to participate in this landmark event,” said Eitan, stating he is not only ready but also very eager for the performance. “I have been preparing for this all my life.” Eitan and Renegade are in Germany right now preparing for this event.
The event-filled ceremony will take place before 50,000 spectators and be televised worldwide in more than 140 countries. The National Broadcast Company (NBC) will be televising the event in the United States. As the main attraction, the pair will present a ten-minute performance in Cowboy Dressage. Cowboy Dressage blends classical Dressage with the speed and excitement of Western reining, creating a new and exciting style of Dressage rarely seen by European horse enthusiasts.
“Cowboy Dressage is a strong example of the strengths that Dressage can bring to a western style of riding. It improves it, gives it additional strength and beauty,” said Eitan, noting that the European viewers will enjoy every moment of the performance. “Cowboy Dressage brings together not just the uniting of two disciplines but the combining of two continents, their equestrian styles and their principles.”
The Closing Ceremonies will also feature members of the USET Driving and Reining teams, Para-Equestrian Drivers from the Untied States, Belgian trick riders, and hundreds of German schoolchildren that will accompany Eitan and Renegade in a parade through the arena. The ceremony, which will introduce an international audience to the beauty and poise of the Morgan breed, is designed to promote the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Kentucky 2010 set to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Kentucky 2010 will mark the first time the event takes place outside of Europe. This international exposure will also help the American Morgan Horse Association kick off the nationwide Celebrate the Morgan Week, which runs from September 10-16. Morgan-related events are scheduled to be held in more than 30 states. Information on your local Celebrate the Morgan event can be found at www.morganhorse.com.
For more information on the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, log onto www.aachen2006.de/default_e.htm. And for a sneak peak at Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Kentucky 2010, visit http://www.feigames2010.org.
For more on America’s original horse breed, contact the American Morgan Horse Association, Inc., 122 Bostwick Road, Shelburne, Vermont 05482; (802) 985-4944; www.morganhorse.com
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