Gladstone, NJ—September 30, 2002—Shawn Flarida of Springfield, OH, was named United States Equestrian Team (USET) Athlete of the Month for September after winning two Gold Medals at the first-ever Reining World Championship held at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, September 11-22.

Flarida and his mount, San Jo Freckles, owned by Michael Harper, led the U.S to the team Gold Medal and also took individual first place honors with a score of 221.5 points. Flarida stood in second place individually after the qualifying round but proved his skill in the final round and emerged as the individual World Champion edging out teammate Tom McCutcheon of Pilot Point, TX, riding Conquistador Whiz, owned by George Shifrin. Flarida’s win makes him the first-ever reining World Champion. Flarida was thrilled with his own performance as well as his horse’s performance in Spain.

“It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Flarida. “I was really pleased with my horse. It was a lot of fun out there. I have been riding since I was a little boy, so something like this is really special.”

The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest possible standard to represent our country in major international competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships. To accomplish this the USET seeks out and nurtures the development of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org.