NEW YORK, NY-September 13, 2001-Tara Brothers of Bend, OR won the ASPCA Maclay Northwest Regional Final at the Northwest Autumn Finals in Monroe, WA on September 8.

Brothers qualified for the Maclay National Championships for the ASPCA Horsemanship classes at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, November 2-4, by defeating a field of 12 competitors in the Northwest (Region 7) Maclay Final. Also qualifying were Tommy Brawley of Jefferson, OR (2nd) and Celine Swolensky of Bellevue, WA, (3rd).

Fifty finalists from eight Maclay Regional Championships will qualify to compete for the Maclay National Championships for the ASPCA Horsemanship classes. The other qualifying events are:
East (Region 2), held at the Autumn Classic in Port Jervis, NY on September 8 included competitors from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Central (Region 5), held at the St. Louis National Charity in St. Louis, MO on September 15 includes competitors from Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Mountain (Region 6), held at the High Prairie Fall Classic in Parker, CO on September 15 includes competitors from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

West (Region 8), held at The Oaks Fall Classic in San Juan, Capistrano, CA on September 15 includes competitors from California, Hawaii and Nevada. Southeast (Region 3), held in Alpharetta, GA on September 16 includes competitors from Alabama, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Midwest (Region 4), held at the Kentucky National in Lexington, KY on September 22 includes competitors from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio.

Northeast (Region 1), held at the Grand Fall Classic in Westbrook, CT on September 23 includes competitors from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The Maclay National Championships for the ASPCA Horsemanship classes, which is open to riders under the age of 18, is a showcase of future show jumping champions. Each year more than 1,000 riders participate in local and regional events to earn the right to compete in the National Horse Show's Finals. Fifty of the country's top riders demonstrate their talents to a panel of three judges for the most prestigious title for young hunt seat riders.

The opening rounds of the prestigious Maclay National Championship for the ASPCA Horsemanship classes will be held at Madison Square Garden during the National Horse Show on Saturday, November 3 while the final rounds of the Maclay Championship will take place on Sunday, November 4. Past winners of the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Trophy include such top riders as Olympic veterans William Steinkraus, George Morris, Frank and Mary Chapot, and Leslie Burr. For more information, please visit www.nhs.org.