Contact:
United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.
4047 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511-8483
Tel: (859) 258-2472
Fax (859) 231-6662
Web site: www.usef.org
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2007

Lexington, KY - The inaugural Lexington Combined Driving Classic, held October 47 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, was a resounding success. Fifty-nine competitors braved unseasonably warm temperatures and a bit of rain on the first day of dressage, to compete for top honors in 13 classes.

Three years from now, also at the Kentucky Horse Park, the world championships in four-in-hand driving and seven other horse sports will be contested at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010.

Each phase of combined driving offers something unique. On the first day, traditional carriages, top hats for the men and beautiful dressy hats for the ladies, and formally dressed grooms hold sway while the horses and ponies are put through their paces in the dressage test. The driving marathon on Saturday features thrilling speed and courage as the horses and drivers navigate the maze of each marathon obstacle. On the final day, precision matters most as each competitor must navigate an obstacle course with mere centimeters of clearance between each set of cones.

The following drivers won their respective classes at the 2007 Lexington Combined Driving Classic.

In the preliminary division:

Muffy Seaton (SC)......................... single pony

Deborah Roberts (NC)................... single horse

Leslie Bebensee (KY).................... pony pair

Misdee Miller (KY)........................ horse pair.

In the intermediate division:

Debbi Schuster (OH)...................... single pony

Bill Allen (SC)................................ single horse

Ray Mansur (SC)........................... pony pair

Gavin Robson (Australia and OH)... four-in-hand of horses.

In the advanced (FEI) division:

Kylie MacGillivray (Canada)........... single pony

Courtney MacGillivray (Canada)..... single horse

David Saunders (FL)...................... horse pair

Elizabeth Keathley (TN)................. four-in-hand of ponies

Chester Weber (FL)....................... four-in-hand of horses.

The international panel of officials includes Klaus Christ (president of the jury) of Germany, Diana Brownlie (judge) of Great Britain, Martha Nicoll (judge) of the U.S., Philip Bateman (TD) of Great Britain, and Richard Nicoll (course designer) of the U.S.

Susan Gilliland, who will be organizing the driving portion of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010, was the event organizer, and Leslie Hernandez was in charge of organizing the event's many volunteers.

Be sure to join us next year for the second annual Lexington Combined Driving Classic, October 25, 2008, at the Kentucky Horse Park.

ENDS

For more information, or to request high-resolution photos from this year's event, please send an e-mail message to caa_jennifer@windstream.net.

The vision of the United States Equestrian Federation(r) is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games. This is based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of horses. Embracing this vision, the USEF strives to be the best national equestrian federation in the world.