Fair Hill, MD—October 15, 2002—Olympic veterans and World Champion equestrians are expected to compete at the 14th annual Fair Hill International Festival in the Country, October 24-27, in Fair Hill, MD. The 2002 Fair Hill International will host the final legs of both the Triple Crown of Driving and the FEI North American Driving Challenge in addition to three other prestigious equestrian championships – the USET Three Star Fall Eventing Championship, the USA Equestrian Single Horse Driving Championship, and the United States Eventing Association (USEA) East Coast Championships.

Fair Hill International CCI*** Fresh from his Eventing team Gold Medal at the 2002 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Spain, David O’Connor is once again planning to compete in the Fair Hill International CCI***. The individual Gold Medalist at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, O’Connor is the defending champion in the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Three Star Eventing Fall Championship held at Fair Hill, having won the championship in 2001.

O’Connor’s WEG Gold Medal teammates John Williams and Kim Vinoski-Severson have also submitted their entries to compete at Fair Hill. Williams placed fourth individually at WEG and finished eighth in Fair Hill’s USET Eventing Championship last year. Vinoski-Severson finished in sixth place individually at WEG and posted a fourth place finish in the USET Eventing Championship in 2000.

Karen O’Connor, a two-time Olympic medalist (team Bronze in Sydney in 2000 and team Silver in Atlanta in 1996), is also planning to compete at the Fair Hill International. She has competed on two USET squads at the World Equestrian Games in 1994 and 1998, winning the team Bronze Medal in Rome in 1998. O’Connor took second place in the USET Three Star Eventing Fall Championship in 1999, finishing just behind her husband David.

Other 2002 WEG riders entered to compete at Fair Hill include Darren Chiacchia, who placed ninth in the Fair Hill International CCI*** in 2000, and Gina Miles, who finished in 17th place at Fair Hill in 2001. Australian Phillip Dutton has submitted his entry to compete at the Fair Hill International. In addition to having competed at both the 1998 and 2002 World Equestrian Games, Dutton is a two-time Olympic team Gold Medalist (1996 and 2000). He won Fair Hill’s USET Eventing Championship in 2000 and then took second place behind David O’Connor in last year’s Championship. Sydney Olympic team Bronze Medalist Linden Wiesman is also entered to compete as is 2001 North American Young Riders’ Championships (NAYRC) individual Gold Medalist William S. Coleman, III.

Bruce “Buck” Davidson, Jr., also a former NAYRC medalist (team Silver and individual Bronze in 1997 and team Silver Medal in 1994) and a member of the short list for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, is also planning to compete in this year’s Fair Hill International CCI***.

Combined Driving Competition Top drivers are also expected to compete at this year’s Fair Hill International. An individual Bronze Medalist at the 2002 World Singles Championship in France, the first individual medal ever won by an American in a World Driving Championship, Fred Merriam has submitted his entry to compete at Fair Hill.

Also planning to compete is Merriam’s World Singles Championship teammate Nancy Johnson, the 2001 Fair Hill Advanced Singles champion and last year’s winner of the Triple Crown of Driving, presented by Driving Essentials, Inc./Glinkowski Carriages, which culminates at Fair Hill.

Larry Poulin, the only U.S. driver to win the USET Pairs Championship five times, is planning to compete at Fair Hill. In addition, local favorite Kim Stover of Smyrna, DE, has submitted her entry to compete. In 1999, Stover won the Triple Crown after she took first place in Fair Hill’s Advanced Singles Championship.

Also set to compete at the Fair Hill International are Chester Weber, winner of a team Silver Medal at the 2002 World Equestrian Games, the first medal ever won by U.S. drivers in a World Four-In-Hand Championship, and Lisa Singer, last year’s Fair Hill Advanced Pairs champion and a two-time Triple Crown champion.

Endurance 100-Mile Championship

New for this year, the Fair Hill International has added Maryland’s first 100-mile endurance ride, the USET Endurance 100-mile Championship, to its roster of prestigious competitions. The race, to be held October 19, has attracted many high-caliber riders, including 1994 and 1998 World Endurance Champion Valerie Kanavy.

Fun for the Whole Family

In addition to exciting equestrian competition, spectators will also be able to enjoy a variety of shops and eateries and browse vendor booths selling tack, jewelry, artwork, pet supplies, apparel and fine gifts. Fine dining and casual snacks including Maryland crab cakes will be available.

The Fair Hill International will also include dog agility trials and miniature horse performances. A MASH unit provided by the New Bolton Center will “perform” surgery on injured stuffed animals—plus provide caps, masks and booties for kids! Friends from the Winterthur booth will offer quick crafts for children, and the Chesapeake Foundation booth will provide information on environmental concerns.

The Fair Hill International would not be such a magnificent event without the generous support and funding that it receives from numerous sponsors. Fair Hill would like to thank American Home & Hardware, Artesian Water Company, Bit of Britain, Cosequin / Nutramax Labs, County Banking & Trust Company, County Lines, Dansko, First Union National Bank, General Mills, Inc., Glenmede Trust, Intervet, Nowpac, Inc., Practical Horseman, Scudder Financial Services, Sentman Distributors, Southern States/Agway, The National Bank of Rising Sun, Thornhill Enterprises, Thoroughbred Charities of America, Ltd.

Rain or shine, gates are open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, October 24-27. Tickets for all four days are $35 or $10 per day on Thursday and Friday and $12 per day on Saturday and Sunday. Children under 12 are admitted free.

For more information on the Fair Hill International, please call (410) 398-2111 or visit www.fairhillinternational.com.