U.S. Dressage Team Takes Silver at WEG

Jerez de la Frontera, Spain - September 12, 2002 - The United States Dressage Team won the Silver Medal in Team Dressage Competition at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, on Thursday, ending with a combined score of 5527. Germany won the Gold Medal with a score of 5642 and Spain took the Bronze Medal with a score of 5403.

The U.S. Team consisted of Sue Blinks riding Flim Flam (Hanoverian: Wilhelm Tell x Cilia), owned by Fritz Kundrun and Dressage Sponsor Corporation, Debbie McDonald riding Brentina (Hanoverian: Brentano II x Lieselotte), owned by Perry and Peggy Thomas, Guenter Seidel riding Nikolaus 7 (Westphalian: Weinberg x Elise), owned by Dick and Jane Brown, and Lisa Wilcox riding Relevant (Oldenburg: Rubinstein I x Havanna), owned by Gundula Vorwerk and Dr. Claus Crone-Munzebrock. All four riders finished in the top 25 and will move on to Friday's Grand Prix Special, the next round of the individual competition.

Alan F. Balch, president of USA Equestrian, the National Federation for the United States, commented, "I know I speak for all our 80,000 members, and for lovers of equestrian sport throughout the country, in congratulating those wonderful riders and horses who represented the whole country so well in Spain. We are all particularly appreciative of the horse owners also, for their commitment. Everyone in the sport's framework contributes to making this kind of success possible, from the grass roots to all those volunteers and donors who contributed time or money to the effort, to the United States Olympic Committee for financial support, to the breeders, coaches, riding clubs, affiliates, organizations, and competitions which encourage Dressage, and to the team coach, Klaus Balkenhol, and the United States Equestrian Team staff and administration as well."

For complete results of all the events taking place at the World Equestrian Games, visit USA Equestrian's web site at www.equestrian.org.