The American Horse Shows Association (AHSA) has approved the new U.S. Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/U.S. League Final criteria for the 2001-2002 season. In order to assure that the best U.S. riders are selected to represent the U.S. at the World Cup in 2002, the Ad Hoc CDI Committee, working with input from top riders, has revamped the selection procedures, thus creating one championship event, which will be the U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/U.S. League Final. This competition, a CDI-W, will be held on the west coast in February, 2002. Riders will be required to ride the Short Grand Prix, according to World Cup rules. Championship qualifying competitions will be CDI*** events held between November 1, 2000 and February 1, 2002.

Further information is available on the AHSA website at http://www.ahsa.org/aboutus/inter/usgrandprixfreestylechampionshipleaguefinal.htm

For more information, please contact Christine E. Stafford, Director of Communications on (859) 225 6923 or via email at cstafford@ahsa.org cstafford@ahsa.org. AHSA press releases are available on our web site - www.ahsa.org http://www.ahsa.org/ .

The American Horse Shows Association, as the National Equestrian Federation of the U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship sports of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show jumping, and vaulting, as well as 19 other breeds and disciplines of equestrian competition. As the country's largest multi-breed organization, the AHSA has over 70,000 members and recognizes more than 2,600 competitions nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including educating and licensing all judges, stewards, and technical delegates who officiate at these shows.