GLADSTONE, NJ-September 19, 2000-Recent outbreaks of West Nile Virus affecting horses in the United States and France and resultant European Union restrictions have resulted in a decision by the Organizing Committee of the FEI World Singles Driving Championship to cancel the event which was scheduled to be held at Hamilton Farm, Gladstone, New Jersey, on October 18-22, 2000.

"This has been an agonizing decision, one we have been wrestling with since last week when word came from the United States Department of Agriculture that the European Union had outlined new, restrictive conditions on the return of horses to the European Union. Because so many of our entries come from European countries affected by these restrictions, there could have been a significant impact on their ability to return to their homes after the event. Throughout our deliberations, the welfare of all horses involved in the Championship has been our paramount concern", said Finn Caspersen, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and its parent, the Gladstone Equestrian Association (GEA).

These new restrictions include the requirement that a horse must either come from a site outside a 50-kilometer radius of any case of West Nile Virus reported within 15 days prior to return, or it must undergo pre-movement isolation for a period of at least 21 days and, during that period, undergo extensive testing and monitoring. Further, the Organizing Committee understands that the EU will reconsider these restrictions on October 4 and may revise these restrictions and that these revisions could be affected by events that have not yet occurred.

Since May of this year, the Organizing Committee has taken every precaution, in consultation with the New Jersey and United States Departments of Agriculture, to provide a safe environment (vector protected) at the competition site. It is impossible, however, to guarantee that there will be no positive cases within a 50-kilometer radius (the distance specified in the EU restriction) of Hamilton Farm, the competition venue. Nor is it possible to guarantee the health of each horse expected to be at the venue during the event, since there is no reliable method of pre-testing prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. Therefore, it was with great reluctance, and only after extensive consultations with the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the past few days, that the Committee decided cancellation of the event was the most responsible course of action. "In consideration of the best interests of the animals, we had no alternative. The risks were just too great," said event co-director Kate Jackson.

The World Championship, only the second ever in Singles Driving, has been in the planning stages for approximately two years and, indeed, a shipment of carriages for the competition was already enroute to the U.S. "It is impossible to convey the extent of our regret at having to take this action at this time, so close to the start of the event. We hope that the hundreds of volunteers and donors and the competitors from 22 nations who have worked so hard to get to this point will understand how difficult this decision has been," said Jack Weir, event co-director.

The Gladstone Equestrian Association (GEA), based in Gladstone, New Jersey, is an organization dedicated to promoting international equestrian combined driving. The GEA headquarters are located on the grounds of Hamilton Farm, home of the United States Equestrian Team training center.

For more information, contact the GEA at (908) 234-0151.