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Top Young Horses on Display at Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Eastern Selection Trial

Lexington, KY – The top young dressage horses on the east coast will demonstrate their talents this weekend at the VADA/NOVA Summer June Dressage Show which hosts the 2013 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Eastern Selection Trial. These five- and six-year-old horses will be vying for a spot to represent the U.S. at the FEI World Breeding Championships for Dressage Young Horses in Verden, Germany in August, as well as a spot on the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Short List. Combinations will need to score 8.2 or higher this weekend in Leesburg, Virginia to be eligible to represent the U.S. in Verden, while a score of 7.8 or higher earns a place on the Short List.

The Selection Trial begins Saturday, June 8, as both five- and six-year-olds will perform their respective FEI Preliminary Tests which account for 40% of the overall score. The remaining 60% of scores will be earned Sunday, June 9, in their respective FEI Final Tests.

In the five-year-old division, seven entries will be competing for top honors. Heather Blitz (Wellington, FL) will ride Oak Hill Ranch’s Danish Warmblood Ripline (Blue Hors Hotline x Riviera/Blue Hors Cavan), the top ranked horse on the five-year-old 2013 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com. The pair has been posting impressive scores and is eying a win in a competitive division. Silva Martin (Unionville, PA) will ride the second horse on the ranking list, Melinda Walton’s Hanoverian gelding Benefactor RRS (Bonheur x Heidekleid/Rubinstein I), as well as two other mounts: Camilla Van Liew’s Hanoverian Stallion Fortissimo B (ES Fabuleux x EM Romai/Rubinstein I) and Anne Laver and Windurra USA, LLC’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Di Solitaire (unknown breeding).

Two entries will go head-to-head in the six-year-old division. Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, NJ) will ride the top ranked horse on the six-year-old 2013 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com, her own Oldenburg mare Elfenfeuer (Florencio x Unknown/Sion). The Danish Warmblood gelding Leonardo (Solos Landtinus x Rambala/Rambo) will be ridden by owner Kim Gentry (Germantown, TN). The pair has had respectable performances and hopes to shine in Leesburg.

To learn more about VADA/NOVA Summer June Dressage Show, visit http://www.vadanova.org/.

To learn more about the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program, visit: http://usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alldressage/NatlYHProgram.aspx.

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