2009 PVDA Ride for Life and Dancing Horse Challenge

2009 PVDA Ride for Life and Dancing Horse Challenge Brings In Record
Donations, Support

Belinda Nairn-Wertman and Jennifer Sirrine Named Challenge Winners

Upper Marlboro, MD--The Potomac Valley Dressage Association (PVDA)
announced that their sixth annual Ride for Life dressage show and Jill
Hassler-Scoop Memorial Dancing Horse Challenge charity performance
brought in record donations and attendance this past weekend, June
27-28, 2009. The benefit for the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast
Center, took place at the Prince George?s Equestrian Center in Upper
Marlboro, Maryland.

At the Challenge, international-level equestrians rode their horses to
music for a chance to win the Dover/Nutrena People?s Choice Award
(awarded to Jennifer Sirrine) and Rosenthal Land Rover $5,000 Trophy
(First Place and $3,000 were awarded to Belinda Nairn-Wertman by
Olympic judge, Linda Zang).

Also competing in the Challenge were: 2009 Olympian, Courtney
King-Dye; Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel; 2009 Brentina Cup rider, Lauren
Sprieser; and Jules Anderson. Barbara Strawson performed a tribute
ride accompanied by the Bowen McCauley Dancers, Hope Garden dance
studio and the music of Eva Cassidy. Unable to ride, but in attendance
was Betsy Steiner. Dr. Cesar Parra, Cathy Morelli and Michael
Barisone, were also unable to perform at the last minute.

?Saturday evening?s Dancing Horse Challenge filled brought
approximately 2,250 spectators into the Showplace Arena, almost
doubling last year?s attendance. This is a notably high turnout for a
dressage event of this kind. By Sunday morning, people on multiple
online forums were comparing the event to the World Cup,? says Chair
of Ticket Sales, Hilary Moore.

Donations are still being counted and the total raised is pending, but
the pre-event auctioning of a dressage clinic with Olympian Debbie
McDonald brought in $8,500, the Saturday evening silent auction raised
over $10,000, and one group of North Carolina riders raised more than
$20,200 in donations themselves.

The PVDA Ride for Life brought in over $161,000 in rider donations and
sponsor contributions before this year?s event and plans on holding
their seventh annual show on June 26-27, 2010.

Saturday evening?s Dancing Horse Challenge has become one of the
largest equestrian freestyle performances in the Mid-Atlantic Region
and is popular with both the sport horse and non-equestrian
communities in the area.

Dover Saddlery, DressageClinic.com, El Paso Corporation, Nutrena,
Patuxent Nursery and Rosenthal Land Rover were key sponsors of this
year?s event.

For more information about the PVDA Ride for Life, visit
www.pvdarideforlife.org or contact Hilary Moore at (703) 400-9108 or
marketing@pvdarideforlife.org or www.pvda.org to learn about the PVDA.