U.S. Open $50,000 Arena Eventing Team Competition Jumps Into New York City at The 2017 Rolex Central Park Horse Show Featuring Eight Olympians and Top Riders Phillip Dutton, William Fox-Pitt, Boyd Martin, and Oliver Townend!
Tickets for the 2017 U.S. Open Arena Eventing Competition Now Available for Purchase Online!
For the first time in history, the Rolex Central Park Horse Show (RCPHS) will welcome a fast-paced,action-packed $50,000 Arena Eventing competition to the official show schedule on Saturday, September 23, at 8:00 p.m. The 2017 Rolex Central Park Horse Show is set to commence Wednesday, September 20, and continue through Sunday, September 24, in the heart of New York City’s Central Park in Wollman Rink. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for the $50,000 Arena Eventing competition, which will take place on Saturday, September 23, at 8:00 p.m.
The evening will feature an elite class of twenty-four Three-Day Event riders, eight of which are ranked within the top ten by the United States Eventing Association (USEA), and eight Olympians. Oliver Townend, currently ranked sixth in the world, who most recently won the iconic 2017 Burghley Horse Trials CCI 4*, will make an appearance for the first time in Central Park for Great Britain, alongside the legendary William Fox-Pitt, who remains one of the most decorated event riders in history.
The U.S. Open $50,000 Arena Eventing Team Competition will take place in Wollman Rink during the 2017 Rolex Central Park Horse Show on Saturday, September 23, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
“As an organization, we always try to inspire new and creative ideas to engage and introduce equestrian sport to a broader audience. The competition, which we have termed Arena Eventing Pairs, is a derivative of Arena Eventing and will be new to both equestrian sport and the Rolex Central Park Horse Show,” said Mark Bellissimo, CEO of International Equestrian Group (IEG). “Eventers bring a new dimension to the show and it is a great opportunity for the riders to shine against the incredible New York City skyline. We anticipate a fun-filled, action-packed evening for both our competitors and spectators.”
Arena Eventing has become a popular exhibition platform to showcase the sport of Eventing, one of the three traditional equestrian disciplines featured in the Summer Olympic Games four-year cycle. The two-round competition will incorporate both show jumping and cross-country elements of the sport, as riders paired into teams of two, will contest a track set by renowned British course designer Captain Mark Phillips.
The competition will have 24 top riders organized into twelve teams. The teams will be named after significant New York City locales and compete against each other in a speed competition against the clock. Each team will position themselves in the ring at the same time and participate in a relay-based speed competition, where riders will move through a course themed after iconic New York City fixtures, and what will include a soon-to-be iconic “Big Apple” jump.
The top six teams, based on cumulative time from round one, will then compete in the final “money” round for the overall $50,000 in prize money, which they will split based on final rankings in the second round speed competition. The competition will run with a faults-converted format, adding two-seconds to a team’s overall score per jumping fault. The winners of the competition will earn the title of U.S. Open Arena Eventing Champions.
The following rider teams are scheduled to compete in the 2017 Rolex Central Park Horse Show $50,000 Arena Eventing Team Competition:
Australia
Dominic Schramm (AUS)/ Clayton Fredericks (AUS)
Ryan Wood (AUS)/ Kate Chadderton (AUS)
Canada
Selena O’Hanlon (CAN)/Jessica Phoenix (CAN)
Great Britain
William Fox-Pitt (GBR)/Oliver Townend (GBR)
USA
Phillip Dutton (USA)/Julie Richards (USA)
Hannah Sue Burnett (USA)/Holly Payne-Caravella (USA)
Boyd Martin (USA)/ Sharon White (USA)
Marilyn Little (USA)/ Sara Kozumplik-Murphy (USA)
Jennie Brannigan (USA)/Caroline Martin (USA)
Will Coleman (USA)/Matt Brown (USA)
Buck Davidson (USA)/Lynn Symansky (USA)
Doug Payne (USA)/Erin Sylvester (USA)
The Rolex Central Park Horse Show is in its fourth year of operation at the iconic Wollman Rink in the heart of New York City’s Central Park, and will take place from Wednesday, September 20, through Sunday, September 24.
A portion of ticket sales will benefit a lengthy list of New York, as well as equestrian based, charities.
For more information, please visit www.centralparkhorseshow.com.
Photo Credit©MegBanks/RCPHS.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.
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