DressageDaily: Great Learning Experience for Austin and Malone at CDI-YR Hagen, Germany: Austin nd Malone "Earned" Their Trip to Europe

Monday July 5, 2004

Great Learning Experience for Austin and Malone at CDI-YR Hagen, Germany

Austin and Malone "Earned" Their Trip to Europe

Mary Alice Malone on Cascade Elizabeth Austin and Mary Alice Malone Jr. were the only two American riders selected to compete in Hagen. "We cannot thank Linda Zang and Scott Hassler enough for this opportunity. They both supported us very much and made this trip a unique experience," said Malone and Austin.

They followed in the footsteps of the 2003 North American Young Riders Champion Mary Haskins Grey who showed her own horse Fregat in the Euro Future Cup Finals in Frankfurt in December 2003. Grey placed third in a field of competitors that included the 2003 European Young Riders Champion and 2003 German Young Riders Champion.

Chef d'Equipe Dennis Callin was very skeptic about the criticism Malone and Austin had to face, when they got selected for Hagen. "Both riders have been selected by the USDF based on their merit and nothing else. Elizabeth has had a super year in 2003 and continued her successes this year. Malone has been competing at the North American Young Riders Championships since 1999 and this with three different horses. And, she has been a team silver medallist," Callin stated. "Why can't people just be positive about this?" he added.

Text and photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage.com