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US Equestrian Announces Participants for U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials

by US Equestrian Communications Department | Sep 26, 2017, 12:34 PM

Lexington, KY. - The nation’s top saddle seat riders will compete at William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., on December 2, 2017, in hopes of earning a spot on the 2018 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. The Saddle Seat World Cup consists of a three-gaited and a five-gaited competition, with six team members selected for each section. Selected athletes will represent the United States in July 2018 during the International Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup competition.

The Saddle Seat World Cup is a biannual international competition that began in the early 1980s as an informal exchange of saddle seat riders between the United States and South Africa. Teams from as many as five nations now compete for the coveted World Cup titles.

Nearly 70 applications were received from 23 states, all vying for a chance to compete in the Trials. These riders represent some of the United States’ most experienced and talented saddle seat riders. Similar to what they will experience in competition, the finalists will compete riding two unfamiliar horses. The Trials are held in two phases, each consisting of one rail ride and one pattern. Participants will ride horses donated to William Woods University that may be any breed or crossbreed suited for and trained in the saddle seat discipline.

The following riders were selected for the 2017 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials:

Three-Gaited   

Five-Gaited

Kerrianne Adamek (Murrysville, Pa.)

Joan Benjamin (New Orleans, La.)

Savannah Adams (San Diego, Calif.)

Haley Berget (Oconomowoc, Wisc.)

Lauren Arquilla (Woodridge, Ill.)

Cecelia Bolka (Dayton, Ohio)

Michael Arquilla (Woodridge, Ill.)

Ainsley Budzinski (Mukwonago, Wisc.)

Kaeley Arterburn (La Grange, Ky.)

Matt Huke (Westfield, Ind.)

Kaylee Atkinson (Oro Valley, Ariz.)

Makayla James (Smithfield, Ky.)

Lauren Beck (Lake Forest, Ill.)

Anne Pateman (New Orleans, La.)

Lora Becker (Sac City, Iowa)

Téa Snider (Carmel, Ind.)

Emma Bohaboy (Centerville, Ohio)

Micki Thelen (North Prairie, Wisc.)

Frannie Gefke (Oregon, Wisc.)

Reagan Upton (Birmingham, Ala.)

Ellie Grosspietsch (Cross Plains, Wisc.)            

Madeleine Wood (Edmond, Okla.)

Ella Hampton (Sheridan, Ind.)

Taylor Woods (Jones, Okla.)

Nicole Leone (Kingston, N.H.)

 

Emma Ouellette (Springvale, Maine)

 

Ashley Perry (Londonderry, N.H.)

 

Hallie Ricci (Allentown, N.J.)

 

Nicole Rodriguez (Grand Blanc, Mich.)

 

Gabriella Snyder (St. Louis, Mo.)

 

Lana Trautman (Minneapolis, Minn.)

 

Victoria Walz (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)

 

Spectators are welcome to attend the Trials. The Three-Gaited Trials are held 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CST, and the Five-Gaited Trials are held 1:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. CST. For a complete schedule and information regarding hotels and directions, go to www.usasaddleseatworldcup.org.

The U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team is supported by grants from the USA Equestrian Trust and the United Professional Horsemen's Association. US Equestrian is pleased to partner with ModJods to provide practice jods to members of the 2018 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. Additional contribution opportunities are available at www.usef.org/donate.

For additional information or questions regarding the Saddle Seat World Cup, please contact Lori Nelson, Senior Director of National Affiliate, Competition, and Alliance Partner Relationships, by phone at (859) 225-6957 or via email at [email protected].

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