United States Eventing Association

Popular Preliminary Challenge To Highlight The Event At Woodside

Woodside, CA, May 15, 2015 - The seventh annual Woodside Preliminary Challenge will be the highlight of the Event At Woodside on May 22-24. The popular competition, which climaxes with show jumping in the Grand Prix Arena on Saturday evening, will offer $15,000 in prize money and additional $15,000 in prizes for the two divisions.

The Woodside Preliminary Challenge - presented by CWD, Devoucoux, Equine Insurance of California and Professional's Choice will get underway on Friday morning with dressage evaluated by a panel of two judges. The horses and riders will then attack the challenges of the cross-country course early on Saturday morning. The newly refurbished course has been designed for first time by Olympian Ian Stark of Great Britain.

The Preliminary Challenge will culminate on Saturday evening, when the leaders will tackle a special show jumping course set by Sara Dubost in the Horse Park's expansive Grand Prix Arena.

The top 10 horses in each of the two Preliminary Challenge divisions will begin show jumping at 6:20 p.m., with awards to follow immediately afterward.

Fans, other Woodside competitors, friends and family can cheer for the final phase of the Woodside Preliminary Challenge from a heated ringside tent while enjoying a Gala Dinner once again served by the popular Paso Robles-based Cahoots Catering. Local wines, beer and soft drinks will be served while the horses are jumping, with dinner following the awards ceremony.

For the last six years, the Gala Dinner has been a sold-out affair. In 2014 more than 350 people enjoyed the show jumping along with the catered dinner, while another 500-plus cheered from their own seats all around the ring.

Reserved seating and dinner is available for $60 per person or $550 for a table of 10. Spectators can also bring their own chairs to watch from ringside. To reserve tickets, go to http://www.woodsideeventing.com.

The winner of each Woodside Preliminary Challenge division will earn a custom-made saddle: The Horse division winner will be awarded a CWD saddle, and the Rider division winner will take home a JRD saddle.

Saturday afternoon will feature the Advanced and Intermediate divisions taking their turns over the panoramic cross-country course. Spectators can enjoy the day watching cross-country action for $10 per person, which includes parking and a program.

"I think the format we've created for the Woodside Preliminary Challenge - the evening show jumping competition with the awards right afterward and the catered dinner - has become something truly special over the last six years, " said event organizer Robert Kellerhouse. "The Preliminary Challenge has become a competition that the riders aim for every year, and it's become an event that people in the Woodside area and people riding in the other divisions at Woodside look forward to watching every year."

Proceeds from the Preliminary Challenge Gala Dinner benefit construction of the cross-country course at the Horse Park at Woodside.

The Woodside Preliminary Challenge offers two divisions: the Horse division is open to riders of any level of experience on horses that have not competed at the Intermediate level or above from 2008 to 2015; the Rider division is open to all horses with riders who have not competed at the Intermediate level or above from 2008 to 2015. Horses and riders must achieve two qualifying results at the Preliminary level as a pair in order to compete.

CWD, Devoucoux, Equine Insurance of California and Professional's Choice are the Presenting Sponsors of the 2015 Event At Woodside.

Sunsprite Warmbloods is the Gold Medal Sponsor.

The Silver Medal Sponsors are: JRD Saddles, SmartPak and Voltaire Design.

The Bronze Medal Sponsors are: Auburn Laboratories Inc., Elk Grove Milling, Finish Line Horse Products, Geranium Street Floral, Ice Horse, the Professional Riders Organization, Ride On Video, and Shires Equestrian Products.

Friend Sponsors are: American Medical Response, California Retirement Management Account - funding aftercare for OTTBs, Eventing Training Online, RevitaVet Therapeutic Systems, Steinbeck Country Equine Clinic and Triple Crown Nutrition.

For tickets, go to http://www.woodsideeventing.com.

To learn more about the Event At Woodside, go to http://www.woodsideeventing.com. To learn more about eventing, visit the U.S. Eventing Association's website (http://www.useventing.com). For Press Credentials, please contact the press officers.