Misdee Wrigley-Miller at the 2012 Live Oak International (Picsofyou.com)
Ocala, FL – A small but mighty field lines up to contest the 2013 USEF National Pairs Championship at the Live Oak International March 21-24. Competition gets underway Thursday with the driven dressage and continues Saturday as competitors navigate the exciting marathon. On Sunday, drivers return to the John Deere Arena for the final cones phase.
Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, FL) will be eyeing her first USEF National Pairs Championship, having claimed Reserve Championship honors in 2012. Wrigley-Miller is no stranger to top driving competition after representing the United States at the 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Conty, France. Also an active Saddlebred competitor, Wrigley-Miller has already enjoyed success in the 2013 season with wins at the Sunshine State and Little Everglades CDEs.
Lisa Singer (Chadds Ford, PA) is among the most experienced pairs drivers in the United States and will be looking to display her expertise at Live Oak. An eight-time National Champion in this division, Singer was the first female driver to win the Pairs National Title in 1994. She also represented the U.S. seven times in World Championship competition.
Rounding out the pairs field are Scott Dancer and Steve Wilson. Dancer (Woodside, CA) is very familiar with international competition having served as navigator for his wife, Kathi, at numerous competitions including the 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championships. Most recently, he picked up a third-place finish at Little Everglades. Wilson (Louisville, KY) is an active competitor as well as being an organizer of the Hermitage Classic CDE. In January he was fifth at Sunshine State.
In addition to National Championship competition, Live Oak International will also host Four-in-Hand, Pairs, Singles, and Pony driving competition at both the FEI and Intermediate levels. For a second year, it will host world class jumping competition in conjunction with the driving. The USEFNetwork.com presented by Smartpak will host wall-to-wall coverage of the marathon on Saturday and Sunday’s cones, in addition to Saturday’s $50,000 Live Oak International CSI 2* Grand Prix and the $33,000 CSI 2* Hollow Creek Farm Winning Round on Sunday. The live stream, video-on-demand, photos and news can be found here.
Visit the Live Oak International website here.
Follow the 2013 U.S. Driving Team here.
By Helen Murray