New York City, NY - October 13, 2003 - The National Horse Show Association of America (NHSAA) is pleased to include the elegant equestrian sport of dressage at the Metropolitan National Horse Show, October 29 to November 2, in New York City, NY. This exciting equestrian event will take place at Pier 94 and the Show Piers on the Hudson Complex in Manhattan.

Wednesday, October 29, is Dressage Night at The Metropolitan National Horse Show. Following the Opening Ceremony, The Continental Cup, a musical freestyle team competition, will showcase the art and refinement of dressage. The three teams will each include four riders, one at the Grand Prix, Intermediaire, Young Rider, and Pony level. Dressage.com is one of the sponsors of this new and unique dressage challenge.

The riders who have committed to ride include such esteemed equestrians as Anne Gribbons, Ashley Holzer, Susan Jaccoma, Silke Rembacz, Cesar Parra, Elisabeth Austin, Marissa Mastronardi, Michael Shondel, Julie McKean, Rachel Chowanec, and Isabelle Leibler. Judges include Margaret Freeman of Mt. Kisco, NY and Barbara Ebner of Howell, NJ.

On Saturday night, November 1, veteran dressage rider George Williams will give a special exhibition performance aboard his nine year-old Westphalian mare, Rocher. At this year's Dressage World Cup in Goteborg, Sweden, George and Rocher placed sixth in the Grand Prix Kur standings against the best riders in the world.

Young rider Elisabeth Austin is anxious to perform in New York City. "Although I have ridden in the North American Young Riders' Championships (NAYRC), a competition equivalent to the Junior Olympics of the equestrian world, there is just something about the prestige of riding at the Metropolitan National Horse Show that you can't help but get excited about," shared Austin of Williston, VT.

"There is such an enormous opportunity at a venue like this to get people interested in dressage, and I hope my musical freestyle will do just that!" Austin is widely considered one of the brightest young stars in the exacting discipline of dressage, and finished seventh internationally at the 2003 NAYRC.

The NHSAA is managing three shows this year. After the Metropolitan National Horse Show, the National Horse Show Indoor Championships will be held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV on November 19 to 23. The National Horse Show Indoor Championships will also include an official CDI*** Dressage Competition, along with Hunters, Jumpers, Arabians, Morgans, Western, and Gaited Horses.

The final show of the three events organized in 2003 by the National Horse Show Association of America is the National Horse Show Outdoor Championships in Wellington, FL from November 26 to 30. All three shows will be rated "AA" by the national federation. Started in 1883, this is the 120th year for the National Horse Show Association of America.

Tickets are now on sale for all three shows. Tickets for the Metropolitan National Horse Show may be purchased by calling toll-free (800) 919-6272 or going to www.tickets.com. To purchase tickets for the National Horse Show Indoor Championships at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV, please call (702) 284-7777 or go to www.orleansarena.com. Ticket order forms for the National Horse Show Outdoor Championships are available at www.nhs.org.

Further information may be obtained by contacting the National Horse Show Association of America, PO Box 386, Greenvale, NY 11548, telephone (516) 484-1865, e-mail NationalHS@aol.com, or by consulting the official website at www.nhs.org. Additional details may also be obtained by contacting show manager Bob Bell at bbell@classiccompany.com. Media inquiries can be directed to Hallie McEvoy at NationalHSNews@aol.com.