Gladstone, NJ-December 17 , 2002-The United States Equestrian Team (USET) will host two dressage training sessions this winter with Klaus Balkenhol, coach of the U.S. Silver Medal winning dressage team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain.

The first of the two sessions will be held for East coast riders in Wellington, FL, January 24-26, 2003, while the second session will be held for West coast riders in Indio, CA, February 4-6, 2003. The training sessions will provide participants with an invaluable training experience.

Along with his role as coach for the U.S. dressage team, a job he has held for nearly two years, Balkenhol also serves as Technical Advisor to the USET. Balkenhol has won two team Gold Medals and an individual Bronze as a competitor in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. At the World Equestrian Games in 1994, Balkenhol won the team Gold and individual Silver Medals. He has also won Gold and Silver Medals in the 1991, 1993, and 1995 European Championships.

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.