Tuesday August 5, 2003

United States Equestrian Team Ready for Gold at Pan American Games

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) is ready for what it expects to be Gold Medal performances at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, August 7 – 16 with powerful squads competing in both Dressage and Show Jumping. The Dressage competition will be held on August 7, 8, and 10 and Show Jumping competition will be held on August 13, 14, and 16.

The Dressage squad of four riders plus one alternate that emerged from the Cosequin USET Selection Trials at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions Presented by State Line Tack at the U.S Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, NJ, includes: Kristina Harrison-Naness of Burbank, CA; 1992 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist Carol Lavell of Loxahatchee, FL; Jan Ebeling of Moorpark, CA; and Pierre St. Jacques of Boscawen, NH. Susan Dutta of Wellington, FL is team alternate.

The United States comes into the Pan Am Games as the defending champs in Dressage and this year’s team includes some new names with impressive credentials.

Kristina Harrison-Naness had the biggest win of her career at the 2003 Bayer/USET Festival of Champions Presented by State Line Tack. With a score of 69.950% Harrison-Naness and Kantor topped the field to win the Championship, which also served as the Cosequin/USET Selection Trials for the Pan American Games. She and her husband, Howard, have a six-year-old daughter, Rison.

After some time out of the spotlight, 1992 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist, Carol Lavell has come back into the limelight with a new horse, Much Ado. Lavell piloted Much Ado to a second place finish in the 2003 USET Intermediaire I Championship. Earlier in her illustrious career, Lavell and her horse Gifted were the most recognized United States dressage pair both at home and abroad. Along with her Olympic medal in 1992, Lavell is also a Pan American Games Silver Medalist. In 1992, she was also named the U.S Olympic Committee Female Equestrian Athlete of the Year.

Jan Ebeling has been a major U.S. force since the USET Intermediaire I Championship in 1998, when he began riding as a United States citizen. Ebeling achieved success again in 2003 at the Festival where he posted third aboard Feleciano, which earned him the right to represent the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games. Today, Ebeling and his wife, Amy, own and operate their own training and sales facility, The Acres, in Moorpark, CA.

Montreal, Canada native, Pierre St Jacques finished fifth aboard Lucky Tiger in the USET Intermediaire I Championship and Pan American Games Selection trial. Originally placing 14th on the qualifying list, St. Jacques was pulled up from the reserve list when one of the top 12 horse-and-rider combinations could not compete. After becoming a citizen of the United States in 1999, St. Jacques seized the opportunity to ride at the Championships and earned the right to ride as a member of the United States Equestrian Team for the first time.

Qualifying for the Pan American Games team is an even more impressive feat since this year marks Lucky Tiger’s first year competing at the Prix St. Georges level. St. Jacques will have the opportunity to ride on a team with his first dressage instructor and long-time friend, Carol Lavell. Lavell has become St. Jacques’ trainer, “second mom” and has played matchmaker, as she introduced him to his wife, USET dressage rider Pam Goodrich. Today, St. Jacques and Goodrich own and operate their farm, Foster Meadow, in Boscawen, NH. In his time away from horses, St. Jacques also enjoys skiing.

Susan Dutta had the distinct privilege of qualifying three horses for the USET Championship, two horses for the Grand Prix tour and West Side Lady DC for the small tour.

The Pan Am Dressage events take place August 7-10. Held at the Intermediaire level, results from the Prix St. Georges will determine the team medalists while the Intermediaire I and Intermediaire Musical Freestyle will decide the individual winners.

Image copyrighted: Terri Miller

Related Links
Horsesdaily Coverage of the 2003 Pan American Games
Meet the 2003 USET Pan American Dressage Squad