Wednesday August 14, 2002

FEI Dressage Championhsip of the Americas
Blainville Equestrian Park, Quebec, Canada

Heavy Medal Weekend for Susan Dutta

It was a 'heavy medal' weekend for Susan Dutta of Wellington, Florida. She made a clean sweep of the Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire and Intermediaire Freestyle classes, winning individual gold with the stunning ten year old mare Westside Lady-DC. She and team-mate Nancy Later of Brewster, New York and the Swedish gelding Manster (who finished with individual silver), took team gold for the US in the Small Tour.

Canada's best small tour team finish of Silver was won by Tom Dvorak on Lenz, who also took individual bronze, and Gary Vander Ploeg on Ivanicevic.

Team Bronze went to the Dominican Republic's team of Yvonne Losos de Muñiz on Inatana Las Marismas and George Fernández on Lando Lee Las Marismas. The Dominicans found the competition at Blainville to be a valuable experience at an important time for them.

Based primarily in the Dominican Republic, Losos de Muñiz says that opportunities to gain international competition experience are extremely rare. "We do very well at home competing against each other, but we need this kind of atmosphere to learn how to compete."

The Dominican Republic will host the 2003 Pan Am Games, and she has high hopes that there will be a full team of four representing the host country in dressage.