Fair Hill, MD-October 3, 2000-Top equestrian athletes in combined driving and eventing, including the Sydney Olympic Bronze medal-winning U.S. Equestrian Team, are planning to attend the 12th annual Fair Hill International, October 27 - 30, 2000, at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area, Fair Hill, MD. With past champions in eventing and combined driving vying for top honors, the Fair Hill International will be one of the most exciting events of the year.

Topping the list of eventing athletes planning to watch the action at Fair Hill will be individual Olympic Gold Medalist and 1999 Fair Hill champion David O'Connor.

O'Connor is the first U.S. equestrian to earn an Olympic Gold Medal since 1984. O'Connor, who also won a team Bronze in Sydney, will be joined by his Bronze Medal teammates--wife Karen O'Connor, Nina Fout and Linden Wiesman, as well as individual eventing riders Robert Costello and Julie Black, both of whom placed in the top 10 in Sydney. These Olympic stars will be honored during a ceremony in the Main Arena at the Fair Hill International on Sunday, October 29.

Cosequin/USET Three-Day Event Fall Championship
While some of the Olympians will attend Fair Hill as spectators, others plan to compete in the CCI*** Cosequin/USET Three-Day Event Fall Championship. Fout, who rode her Olympic mount to 14th place at the 1998 Fair Hill International, will ride Frosted Crystal this year. Riding Bartolomeo, Black hopes to improve on her 1998 Fair Hill fifth-place finish. Becky Douglas, who was the alternate for the Sydney Olympic team, will ride Rainman as she strives to improve on her sixth-place finish at last year's Fair Hill International.

Also planning to compete in the Cosequin/USET Three-Day Event Fall Championship is Bruce Davidson, a two-time World Three Day Event Champion who was also a member of two Gold Medal-winning Olympic squads (Montreal 1976 and Los Angeles 1984) as well as Olympic Silver Medal-winning teams (Munich 1972 and Atlanta 1996).

Combined Driving Competitions
A number of world-class equestrians as well as up-and-coming stars of the driving world will be competing in the USET Four-In-Hand Driving Championship, the USET Pairs Driving Championship, and the final leg of the Jaguar Triple Crown of Combined Driving at the Fair Hill International.

Elizabeth Chesson,1998's Jaguar Triple Crown Champion, plans to return to Fair Hill to defend her title from last year's Advanced Pair Horse Classic. Sem Groenewoud, who has been selected to nine World Driving Championship teams (five for the U.S. Equestrian Team and four for his native Netherlands), including the 1982 Gold Medal Team from The Netherlands, plans to compete in the Four-In-Hand Championship in which he took third-place last year.

Competing in both the USET Pairs Driving Championship and the USET Four-In-Hand Championship will be James Fairclough, a member of the Gold Medal team at the 1991 World Pairs Championship and a member of the Four-In-Hand World Championship teams in 1980, 1982, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000.

S. Tucker S. Johnson, nicknamed "King of Cones" for his expertise in the final phase of driving competitions, plans to defend his back-to-back titles from the 1999 and 1998 USET Four-In-Hand Championships at the Fair Hill International. Johnson, named USET's July Athlete of the Month in recognition of his victory at the CAI Riesenbeck in Germany, was ranked third in the world in 1999 on the FEI Four-In-Hand list.

Lisa Singer, who won the Jaguar Triple Crown of Driving in 1996 and 1997 and was a member of the USET Pairs Driving World Championship teams in 1999, 1997 and 1995, took the second-place ribbon at the Advanced Pair competition at Fair Hill last year, which she won in 1997.

With these outstanding athletes and many more competing, the Fair Hill International will offer four days of some of the most intense equestrian competition in the United States. Its mix of thrilling action, family entertainment, unique shopping and fun for all draws thousands of spectators each year. The Fair Hill International recently won recognition with the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce "2000 Tourism Award."

In addition to the world-class equestrian competition, a Classic Car Exhibition, Breyer Model Horse Show, Country Shoppes and specialty foods will be featured. Spectators also will enjoy watching the exciting United States Dog Agility Association Dog Agility Trials and Masters National Team Championship.

Make plans now to attend the Fair Hill International. Tickets are $8 per adult per day or $20 for a four-day pass. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. All events and activities will take place rain or shine.

For further information, please contact the Fair Hill International office at (410) 755-6065 or visit the website at www.fairhillinternational.com.