Gladstone, New Jersey—May 1, 2002— Susan Flynn and Matthew Palmer won United States Equestrian Team (USET) Reining championship qualifiers at the Carolina Classic, held April 27 in Raleigh, NC.

In the USET Futures Reining Championship Qualifier, Susan Flynn of Croydon, NH, took the top prize with a score of 216.5 points aboard her own Berrys Boy Jr. Kyle Johnson of Portland, CT, the 2001 USET Young Rider Reining Medal Champion, took second place on his Boomer Fritz with 214 points, stepping up to the next level of competition in grand style. The top four riders in the USET Futures Reining Championship Qualifier earned an invitation to compete in the USET Futures Reining Championship Final at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, Presented by State Line Tack, June 20-23 at the USET Olympic Training Center, Gladstone, NJ.

Matthew Palmer of Elverson, PA, won the USET Young Rider Reining Medal Qualifier at the Carolina Classic aboard Catalynx Chic, owned by Joan and Guy Palmer, with a score of 214.5. Palmer bested the 2001 Young Rider Bronze Medalist, Jessicah Keller, of Fayetteville, TN, who rode Charlie Hutton’s Tejons Texie Lena, to a score of 212 points for second place. Competitors in this class earned points toward the USET Young Rider Reining Medal Finals, also to be held at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions.

The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest possible standard to represent our country in major international competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships. To accomplish this, the USET seeks out and nurtures the development of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org