For Immediate Release
MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer M. Keeler, Yellow Horse Marketing, jennifer@yellowhorsemarketing.com
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Wednesday, June 21, 2017 |
New Travel Grant Program and Increase in Prize Money Announced for 2017 US Dressage Finals Presented By Adequan® - Prize List Now Available!
Source: Yellow Horse Marketing for US Dressage Finals
"I dream, quite literally, of going back to the Finals again, and to this day
I compete with that mindset."
For Jennifer “Joey” Evans of San Francisco, Calif., last fall's journey
across the country to compete in the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®
with her Dutch Warmblood gelding Bombay Sapphire in the First Level Adult
Amateur Championship division was the trip of a lifetime. Now the United States
Dressage Federation (USDF) announces a new travel grant program for qualified
competitors representing certain states in the Western United States, which may
help riders like Evans realize their dream of competing in Kentucky again in
the future.
To alleviate some of the financial burden for those traveling the greatest
distance to the 2017 Finals, the USDF is making up to $50,000 in travel grant
funds available to eligible competitors who apply and fall into one of two
groups based on the rider's address of record as associated with their USDF
membership. Competitors from Group 1 (which includes Washington, Oregon,
California, Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada and Utah) are
eligible to apply for grants of up to $1,200 per horse/rider combination, while
competitors from Group 2 (Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado) are eligible to
apply for grants of up to $900.
“I think this is great news for West Coast riders – my trainer and I are
always telling fellow riders what an incredible experience the Finals was last
year,” said Evans. “I would love to go back every time if I were to qualify
again, but the reality is that it was such an expensive trip out that I cannot
justify the cost year after year. We have some very talented riders out here
who would love to go to Kentucky, but I know first-hand that the logistics and
expense of making the trip can be discouraging.
“Conversely, possibly the top reason we found the Finals to be such an
extraordinary experience was because we were at the Kentucky Horse Park,” Evans
continued. “We were showing in the ‘big leagues' at one of the nation's most
famous and historical horse parks. So with the Finals continuing to be held in
Kentucky for the time being, I am thrilled to hear there will now be funds
available to riders in my area and neighboring regions. I think it may help
make the dream a little more accessible for more competitors.”
This new travel grant program announcement comes on the heels of an increase
in USDF's overall support of the US Dressage Finals, which will be held
November 9-12, 2017 in Lexington: prize money for the main event will see an
exciting increase to $75,000 this year, as well as a total of over $180,000 in
prize money now being offered for the 2017 Great American Insurance Group/USDF
Regional Championships, which serve as qualifying competitions for the Finals.
“The USDF is proud of what has been created with the US Dressage Finals and
is committed to keeping it one of the premier dressage competitions in the
U.S.,” said USDF President George Williams. “Making it easier for those
competitors who have to travel great distances to attend has been one of the
goals from the start for this showcase event, so we're excited to be able to
make travel grants a reality for this year as well as continue to offer
generous prize money incentives for both the Finals and the Regional Championships.”
Excitement for this year's event is now
officially underway as USDF has also released the official prize list
for the 2017 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. To learn more
about the Finals, download the 2017 prize list, and sign up to receive news and
updates, visit the official event website at www.usdressagefinals.com.