Annville, PA-January 30, 2006-Competition in the 2006 North American League (NAL) is heating up as temperatures drop and competition continues on the winter circuits. The NAL runs season-long series in six hunter-jumper divisions - Children's Hunter, Children's Jumper, Adult Hunter, Adult Jumper, Pony Jumper and Open Jumper Speed. Each series culminates with a championship final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA in October.

This year's North American League season has already generated excitement as thousands of horses and riders began their quest last September to qualify for the 2006 NAL finals. As of January, impressive horse-and-rider combinations were holding the lead in five of the six divisions, but each can expect serious challenges as Winter Circuit competition climaxes. No competition in the Open Jumper Speed division was held before the calendar turned to 2006. The 2006 Open Jumper Speed division started at the Nutrena/Western Hay Wellington Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, January 25-29.

The leader in the Children's Hunter division has already accumulated more than 1,000 points, while the leader in the Adult's Hunter division has surpassed 1,600 points. Adele Norton of Falls Church, VA, led the Children's Hunter division with 1050 points aboard Just One Look. Madeline Baker of Chagrin Falls, OH, and Stonewashed were in second place with 792 points. J. Tinsley Martin of Jackson, MS, riding Coconut Grove, and Mary Margaret Proctor of Raleigh, NC, riding Worth The Wait, were tied for the third position with 690 points.

In the Adult Hunter division, Elizabeth Sponseller of New Market, MD, and Play With Fire led with 1682 points. Following them was Parker Minchin of Vass, NC, who has accumulated 1630 points aboard Mandrake. Meghan A. Rehman was in third place with 968 points on Macallan.

The Jumper Divisions have also proven to be extremely competitive already this year, with the leaders setting high standards as the leaders of both the Children's and Adult divisions had earned more than 1,000 points. With 1278 points, Kelsey Miko of Macedonia, OH, and Cordelia led the Children's Jumper division. In second place with a total of 1215 points was Olivia Goossen of Howell, NJ, with Inca. Rounding out the top three was Wilhelmina Horzepa of Englishtown, NJ with 921 points riding Exhilaration.

In the Adult Jumper division, Mindy Blackford, of Mayfield, OH, was in first place with 1440 points on Gypsy Rose and in second place with 1429 points aboard Foul Play. Following Blackford in the third slot was Chris Richards of Arlington, TN, with 1250 points riding Foxtrot Echo.

It was a family affair in the Pony Jumper division. Wilhelmina Horzepa was in first place with 434 points and second with 429 points aboard Vertigo and Exhilaration, respectively. Her younger sister, Mary Elizabeth, was in third with 181.50 points riding Nobody's Fool.

The North American League qualifying period runs from September 1, 2005 through August 31, 2006. Riders need not be members of the NAL to compete in any qualifying classes, but only current members earn points toward year-end finals.

For more information on the North American League and a list of qualifying competitions for the 2005-2006 season, please visit the Ryegate Show Services website at www.Ryegate.com .

The 2006 North American League leader boards appear below:

Plc HORSE; Rider Points Rider - City, State

1 JUST ONE LOOK; Adele Norton 1050.00 Falls Church, VA

2 STONEWASHED: Madeline Baker 792.00 Chagrin Falls, OH

3 COCONUT GROVE; J. Tinsley Martin 690.00 Jackson, MS

3 WORTH THE WAIT; Mary Margaret Proctor 690.00 Raleigh, NC

5 HENNESSEY; Bristol Markward 682.00 White Hall, MD

6 JUNIOR MINT; Natalie Morris 670.00 Raleigh, NC

7 GIZMO; Hannah Gorman 622.00 N. Barrington, IL

8 DONNERKIND; Ryan Umberger 560.00 Court Leesburg, VA

8 ROXETTE; Mary Catherine Curran 560.00 Berwyn, PA

10 THE OTHER MAN; Gracie Silbaugh 556.00 Hunt Valley, MD

11 CHOLAC A BLUE; Amanda Kelbert 546.00 St. Augustine, FL

12 STUDIO 54; Victoria MacNaughton 518.00 Burnet, TX

ADULT HUNTER - As of January 13

Plc HORSE; Rider Points Rider - City, State

1 PLAY WITH FIRE; Elizabeth Sponseller 1682.00 New Market, MD

2 MANDRAKE; Parker Minchin 1630.00 Vass, NC

3 MACALLAN; Meghan A. Rehman 968.00 Mechanicsburg, PA

4 DUBYA; Elizabeth Sponseller 799.00 New Market, MD

5 NABIENNE; Sarah Grubner 728.00 Barrington Hills, IL

6 ALICO; Allison Hecht 646.00 Jacksonville, FL

7 ALISTAIR; Jane Easly 514.00 Gates Mills, OH

8 SALUUT THE CZAR; Stacy Wolf 513.00 Carlisle, VA

9 CONAN; Thom Mitchell 509.00 Franklin, TN

10 WITH HONORS; Kate Kearney 483.00 Avon Lake, OH

11 IN KOMMAND; Julie Harrington 481.00 Harrisonburg, VA

12 GRAZIE; Deborah Liff 433.00 Pepper Pike, OH

CHILDREN'S JUMPER - As of January 13

Plc HORSE; Rider Points Rider - City, State

1 CORDELIA; Kelsey Miko 1278.00 Macedonia, OH

2 INCA; Olivia Goossen 1215.00 Howell, NJ

3 EXHILIRATION; Wilhelmina Horzepa 921.00 Englishtown, NJ

4 CLEAR BLUE EYES; Douglas Masters 851.00 Sunbury, OH

5 GULIT; Channing Thomas 795.00 Bristol, VA

6 TOSCA; Flavia D'Urso 783.00 Chester, NJ

7 CLEOPATRA; Alexis Bodo 780.00 Lebanon, TN

8 FLASH; Jessica Brown 750.00 Marthasville, MO

9 VOTE FOR PEDRO; Alexandra Sonnenberg 705.00 Purcellville, VA

10 IN THE STARS; Elizabeth Hartnett 634.00 Summerfield, NC

11 CRUISING TYRELLA; Nicole Gard 568.00 Lititz, PA

12 SASSY'S SENSATION; Christina Johnson 566.00 Egg Harbor Twp, NJ

ADULT JUMPER - As of January 13

Plc HORSE; Rider Points Rider - City, State

1 GYPSY ROSE; Mindy Blackford 1065.00 Mayfield, OH

2 FOUL PLAY; Mindy Blackford 1429.00 Mayfield, OH

3 FOXTROT ECHO; Chris Richards 1250.00 Arlington, TN

4 GATOR B. CAREFUL; Kathleen Mitchell 1166.00 Lockport, NY

5 SHACKLEFORD; Booth Parker 1068.00 Raleigh, NC

6 SANTA'S ROCKET; Stephanie Dixon 912.00 New Egypt, NJ

7 CLOVER MARKET; Megan McGregor 910.00 Durham, NC

8 ADAGIO; Katie Rosinski 876.00 Pittsburgh, PA

9 NZ DIP; Megan McGregor 873.00 Durham, NC

10 GALIA ROUGE; Wendy Libert 765.00 Hughesville, MD

11 IMA GOOD 1-2 754.00 Mequon, WI

12 THURSDAY; Katie Smith 703.00 Bourbonnais, IL

PONY JUMPER - As of January 13

Plc HORSE; Rider Points Rider - City, State

1 VERTIGO; Wilhelmina Horzepa 434.00 Englishtown, NJ

2 EXHILIRATION; Wilhelmina Horzepa 429.00 Englishtown, NJ

3 NOBODY'S FOOL; Mary Elizabeth Horzepa 181.50 Englishtown, NJ

4 INDIGO; Paige Coles 110.00 Wellington, FL

5 TNT; Lillie Ross 90.00 Wheaton, IL

6 MAGIC BB; Kaitlin D. Campbell 80.00 Doylestown, PA

7 BAZOOKA JOE; Tyler Morris 70.00 Lafayette, NJ

7 PATRIOT'S NO BOUNDARIES; Abby Westmark 70.00 Royal Palm Beach, FL

9 MYSTIC RAINBOW; Kylie Anne Wright 62.00 Sparks, MD

10 SWEET CURIOSITY; Wilhelmina Horzepa 56.00 Englishtown, NJ

11 TOO MANY FAIRYTALES; Devon Raynor 51.50 Rydol, PA

12 QUIETLY DUN; Kimberly Saul 48.00 Brookville, MD

12 SPUD WEBB; Leigh Anne Hartrampf 48.00 Atlanta, GA

12 C'EST LA VIE; Kasey Cannon 48.00 North Wales, PA