2007 WELLPRIDE AMERICAN EVENTING CHAMPIONSHIPS at
LAMPLIGHT EQUESTRIAN CENTER


Photo by xpressfoto

There were many smiles at the 2007 Wellpride AEC's!

Maui Jim, Inc. of Peoria, Illinois will return as name sponsor of the Show Jumping phase of the Wellpride American Eventing Championships, September 10-14, 2008. This is a repeat sponsorship from the 2007 AEC’s which marked the first year that this National Championship of Eventing was hosted at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. The 2007 competition attracted a record 563 entries from 42 States, three Canadian provinces and Great Britain and Australia and also featured the USEA/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Championships.

Maui Jim, manufacturer of the wildly popular Maui Jim sunglasses, is a generous backer of the sport of eventing and is an established presence in many competitions throughout the United States, Canada and Great Britain. The company is the title sponsor of the Maui Jim Horse Trials, also held in Wayne, which feature One, Two and Three Star International CIC’s as well as National divisions at the Advanced, Intermediate, Preliminary and Training levels. This event runs July 10-13.

“We are thrilled to welcome Maui Jim back as a sponsor,” said Lamplight’s co-owner Stephen Cooper. “I received my first pair of Maui Jims last summer, and I can give a hearty personal endorsement both of their great product and their generous support of our efforts.” Plans are already afoot to make this year’s AEC’s an even more exciting experience for the competitors who will venture to middle America to vie for National honors as well as sumptuous prizes. For up to the minute information as it happens, visit this site and www.useventing.com.

Riding For A Cure was founded in 2002, and since its inception, it has raised over $350,000 toward finding a cure for cancer. The organization’s major fundraising activity is a 20 mile trail ride, silent auction and dinner/dance that will take place at Lamplight on Monday, July 14. Tom Moxley, who co-owns Lamplight, is also the named organizer of the 2008 Wellpride American Eventing Championships, and he called the partnership between the competition and the fundraising organization a “natural fit that will be beneficial to both parties.” Lamplight is a multi-discipline equestrian show facility that hosts approximately 25 competitions each season and is perhaps best known for its lavishly landscaped grounds and convenient competitor amenities.

The Wellpride American Eventing Championships, which took placed at Lamplight for the first of three years in 2007, attracted over 500 horses competing in all six recognized levels of the three phase sport of eventing. It has been referred to as a national Olympics of eventing and is fast becoming one of the country’s premier destination competitions.

When one is involved with the production and the management of a competition, especially one as large, complex, and multi-faceted as the AEC’s, one is apt to become obsessed with the minutiae of the day to day operation and consequently may overlook the big picture. Whatever minor glitches occurred are all imminently fixable, and we look forward to making the event even bigger and better next year! I saw a ton of smiling faces throughout the week – and not just belonging to the winners. I truly believe that the majority of the riders –especially those who competed at Training, Novice and Beginner Novice – were happy just being there. It was indeed a culmination of past efforts. They competed. They qualified. They made the trip. They participated. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Instead of resting on our laurels, the AEC management team is already at work formulating plans for 2008 and beyond. We are all tremendously grateful to those who supported us and to those who worked to make our dream come true – and we look forward to seeing you next year.

Katie Lindsay, Competition Director