Claremont, Ontario – April 4, 2003 - Canadian Show Jumping Team member Melissa Brown of Claremont, ON, has withdrawn her horse, Karolus K, from the 2003 Budweiser World Cup Final to be held April 16-20 in Las Vegas, NV.

Brown, who has been preparing for the World Cup Final by competing with Karolus K, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, at indoor competitions in Tampa, FL, made the difficult decision when it was discovered that the horse had sustained a slight injury to his front leg.

“The injury itself is not that serious, we could go to Las Vegas and jump, but we would be risking further harm to Karolus K,” explains Brown, 24. “This horse is so special and so talented that my coach, Mark Hayes, and I decided we don’t want to take any risks. These horses are athletes and even the slightest injury cannot be ignored.”

The pair made their World Cup Final debut last spring in Leipzig, Germany, where they were Canada’s top performers at the 2002 World Cup Final. The were also the second-highest placed horse-rider combination for Canada at the 2002 World Equestrian Games held in Jerez, Spain, in September. By finishing runner-up to Karen Cudmore in the Canadian League World Cup standings, Brown earned her ticket to Las Vegas to contest her second consecutive World Cup Final.

“I have been preparing for this for the past six months so it is especially hard when you have been looking forward to it for such a long time,” says Brown. “I also know that it is the right decision, both for us and for the Canadian Team, to forego the World Cup Final and instead concentrate on making sure Karolus K is fit, healthy and prepared for the Pan American Games Selection Trails, which are next month.”

Whether Canada is represented in show jumping at the 2004 Athens Olympics hinges on a strong medal performance at the 2003 Pan American Games. The Canadian Show Jumping Team Selection Trials for the Pan American Games will be held May 28 to June 1 at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC.

Brown first made her mark on the international show jumping scene by winning a team bronze medal at the 2000 North American Young Riders’ Championship, where she also finished sixth individually. The same year, she upset the country’s top veteran riders to earn the Chrysler Leading Canadian Award at the prestigious CSIO Spruce Meadows Masters tournament. In 2001, victory in the $60,000 National Bank World Cup Qualifier in Bromont, Quebec, followed by a major win in the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier in Palgrave, ON, in 2002 have secured her place on the Canadian Show Jumping Team short list.