EQUESTRIAN : Potential ’96 Olympic Riders in World Cup Dressage Final

The Volvo World Cup Dressage Final, a competition featuring 15 riders, many of whom will represent their countries at the 1996 Olympics, will be held this weekend at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.

The dressage competition highlights the overall event, the Festival of the Horse, which begins today and runs through Sunday. In addition to dressage, there will be show jumping and Western riding competition, young rider classes, pony rides and a country fair.

Dressage often is called ballet on horseback because the horse performs various intricate “dance” routines. The Volvo event showcases the best riders from Germany, Russia, Australia, the Netherlands, Hungary, France, Italy, Canada and the United States.

The Grand Prix dressage competition will be held Friday evening; the freestyle Saturday night. The freestyle is of special interest because it will be performed to music, a relatively new concept to dressage events in the United States.

Included among the world-class dressage riders is the current world champion, Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands, aboard Olympic Bonfire; 1993-94 World Cup winner Monica Theodorescu of Germany on Ganimedes Tecrent and Reiner Klimke of Germany riding Biotop.

Klimke, who won the dressage gold medal at the 1984 Olympics here, is the only rider in any equestrian discipline to win six Olympic gold medals.

Representing the United States are Robert Dover of Lebanon, N.J., a three-time Olympian, and Kathleen Raine of Rolling Hills, who placed fifth in last year’s World Cup final, and with Dover, helped the U.S. dressage team win a bronze medal at the 1994 world championships.

For ticket information, call (818) 556-5156.