Robert C. Rost, DVM, 78, of Branchville, NJ, the 1996 recipient of the AHSA Lifetime Achievement Award and an all around jumping authority, passed away Thursday, November 28, after a long illness.

Known as a horse show fixture, having dedicated himself for nearly 40 years to innovative horse show management, as well as to maintaining an active show stable with his daughter, Robin, Rost ran the Washington International Horse Show during its infancy. He also managed the Sussex Farm & Horse Show and ran the Fairfield Horse Show for 40 years. He was one of the first professional course designers in the United States, designing courses at the National Horse Show and other large shows and was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1994. His innovations paved the way for the use of metal jump cups, wing standards, measured distances and electric timers. He was a fixture on many USA Equestrian Committees, ranging from Drugs and Medications to Licensed Officials and was the 1989 recipient of the AHSA Walter B. Devereaux Award for Sportsmanship.

The President of the National Federation, Alan F. Balch commented, "Doc Rost was a giant of the sport and his leadership and innovation will inspire us to follow his example for a long, long time to come."

He is survived by his daughter, show jumper Robin Fairclough of Newton, NJ, her husband, World Equestrian Games driving medalist Jimmy Fairclough, two grandsons, James II and Ryan, and a sister Marjorie Dehls of South Carolina.

Services will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3, at 11:30 AM, at the Smith McCracken Funeral Home in Newton, NJ and viewing from 2:00 - 4:00 PM and 7:00 - 9:00 PM today. Contributions in Rost's memory may be made to the N.J. Professional Horsemen's Association, Box 367, Whitehouse Station, NJ, 08889 or the Branchville Fire Department, Box 2425, Branchville, NJ, 07826.

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.

VISION STATEMENT
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.