The following USDF members have been selected to participate in the 2005 USDF/USEF Young Rider Graduate Program scheduled for October 14-16, 2005, at USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey.  Financial support for this program is provided by The Dressage Foundation.  These participants have been selected based on their former and current accomplishments both as young riders and young dressage professionals.  The program is open to young adults, recently graduated from the young rider ranks, who are looking for support, guidance and structure as young dressage professionals.

Ampara Visser, Fort Collins, CO
Elizabeth Braverman, Washington, CT
Lindsay Rouse Krattenmaker, Stamford, CT
Cassie Cherry, Anaheim, CA
Christina Beal, Fallbrook, CA
Kelly Petsana, Livermore, CA
Aaron Coen, Newark, DE
Lindsay Koffler, Lexington, KY
Jessie Myers, Ann Arbor, MI
Eliza Sydnor, Snow Camp, NC
Janessa Trafford, Oxford, NJ
Elisabeth Austin, Beford, NY
Jessica Rizzi, Bedford, NY
Kira Novakofski, Groton, NY
Kathryn Walsh, Lebanon, OH
Jennifer Hankins-Brown, Edmond, OK
Jessica Rattner, West Linn, OR
Catherine Malone, Coatesville, PA
Catherine Hill, Charlotte, VT
Jennifer Schrader, Spanaway, WA
Megan Kersten, Oregon, WI

To help bridge the gap between young rider status and the adult world of teaching, training, and international competition, the 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.

For more information on the USDF/USEF Young Rider Graduate Program, please contact Sheila Forbes, USDF Director of Programs at (859) 271-7879 or sforbes@usdf.org.

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.