USDF Announces 2005 Young Rider Graduate Program Weekend Seminar

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Made Possible with Financial Support from The Dressage Foundation

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF), in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), will host a weekend educational seminar for recent graduates of the USDF Advanced Young Rider Program. The seminar will be held October 14-16, at the USET Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey. Seminar participants, ranging in age from 21 to 25, will be amateurs, professionals, and future high-performance riders in the sport of dressage. The purpose of the program is to provide graduates of the USDF Advanced Young Rider Program with information and support for an easier transition into the adult equestrian world.

To help bridge the gap between young rider status and the adult world of teaching, training, and international competition, the Advanced Young Rider Graduate Program weekend educational seminar will focus on crucial topics that young adults need to understand, such as goal setting, fundraising, and equine business management, as well as the roles that USDF and USEF will play in their lives. Discussion on these topics will be led by some of the top dressage professionals in the country.

The Dressage Foundation is generous in its financial support of this program. The Dressage Foundation's mission is to cultivate and provide financial support for the advancement of dressage. "We are glad to be able to provide financial support for this program, as these young adults will become the dressage instructors, competitors, and judges of the future," said John Boomer, president and CEO of The Dressage Foundation.

If you would like to apply for this program or if you have any questions, please contact Sheila Forbes, USDF Director of Programs, at sforbes@usdf.org or (859) 271-7879. Additional information and participant applications are also available at http://www.usdf.org/Programs/AdvancedYoungRider/Graduate.asp.  The deadline to apply for the weekend educational seminar is August 15.  

Founded in 1973, the United States Dressage Federation is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of dressage. For more information about USDF membership or programs, visit www.usdf.org, email usdressage@usdf.org, or call (859) 971-2277.