The FEI has announced that Laura Kraut currently heads the Leading Rider list for the Samsung Nations Cup series thanks to her double clear round in Lucerne, Switzerland on Sunday, June 2nd aboard Liberty (Libero - Bianca, by Nimmerdor), an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by the Summit Group. The 37- year-old Wisconsin-based rider was one of only three competitors to achieve double clear rounds in this hotly contested competition. Lucerne was the third European CSIO in which Kraut and other team members recently competed. Kraut also finished 2nd in the Grand Prix of Rome aboard the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Anthem (Dutchboy - Ecvalan, by Triton), owned by the Summit Syndicate, on May 26th just behind compatriot Clare Bronfman.

The Leading Horse is currently Carling King (Clover Hill - Gortnageer Star, by Chair Lift), owned by Kindle Hill Affiliates of Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania and ridden by Kevin Babington (IRL), who is based in the United States when not competing internationally.

For more information, please contact Sarah Holt, Public Relations on (859) 225 6974 or via email at sholt@equestrian.org. USA Equestrian press releases are available on our web site - http://www.equestrian.org/ .

USA Equestrian Inc., 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 Federation has over 80,000 members and recognizes more than 2,800 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.

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The vision of USA Equestrian is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America, promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grass roots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its horses, and embracing this vision, to be the best national equestrian federation in the world.