United States Eventing Association

Vero Beach, FL - November 30, 2011: The Professional Riders Organization is very pleased to announce that Jacqueline B. Mars, who has owned horses for Karen and David O'Connor, Lauren Kieffer and Pan American Games Team Gold Medalist Hannah Sue Burnett, has been selected as the recipient of the PRO As You Like It Owner's Award.

Ms. Mars will be honored December 9, 2011 at 6:00 PM at the PRO Awards Reception at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, site of the 2011 USEA Convention.

Ms. Mars has been involved in the sport of eventing for over thirty years as an owner and breeder. She is also the benefactor of the USET Foundation's Jacqueline B. Mars International Competition and Training Grant, which was awarded in 2011 to Sinead Halpin and helped fund her trip to Burghley. In addition, Ms. Mars generously opened her Meredyth Farm South to hold training sessions for both the United States Team and the Canadian Teams as they prepared for both the Pan Am Games and the World Equestrian Games and the USEF has held training sessions at her Virginia Farm since 1995.

Sara Kozumplik started the PRO As You Like It Owner's Award in honor of her horse As You Like It. The award is offered annually to an outstanding owner who has made a large impact on a rider's career and made exceptional contributions to the sport of eventing. Ms. Mars was nominated for the award by Karen O'Connor who pointed out that she has made so many contributions to the sport of eventing that it was difficult to catalog them all. Ms. Mars will receive a Waterford Crystal Trophy and $5,000 in prize money that shall be donated in her name to any PRO Tour event of her choice.

Six nominees were put forward by riders for consideration this year; they include: Nina Gardiner, nominated by Phillip Dutton; Sharon Will, nominated by Missy Miller and Cynthia Wiseman; Jennifer Mosing, nominated by Will Faudree; Alyssa and Nancy Klavens nominated by Molly Rosin. Sara Kozumplik, who is a member of the PRO Awards Committee, summed up the difficulty of narrowing down the field to a single winner: "Deciding each year which of the incredible owners to honor is an almost impossible task, and this year was certainly no different. Each of the candidates deserves our appreciation and thanks, but I think everyone can agree that it would be hard to have such an award without Jacquie's name on it! The sport of eventing in this country owes her a huge amount, and I am glad we are adding her to the already impressive list of past winners."

Mark Hart, Chair of PRO's Award Committee and member of PRO's Executive Board, was pleased with the nominations that were put forward from many different riders. "Perhaps like no other sport, owners make such a great impact on both an individual and the sport as a whole. PRO actively works with the USEF's Event Owners Task Force to ensure that owners are consistently honored and recognized for their support. I am really encouraged to see that riders have nominated owners who have helped people on every level from young riders to team riders."

The PRO Awards Reception is open to the public, which is invited to join PRO members in honoring all the award recipients on the evening of December 9th.

For more information on the Professional Riders Organization, please visit www.professionalriders.org