Culver Academies Student Riders Participating Sept. 25 in Opening Ceremonies of World Equestrian Games

CULVER, Ind., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Culver Academies, a college prep school known for its horsemanship program, will be saddling up 40 riders for the opening ceremonies of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Lexington, Ky., on Sept. 25.

The Academies mounted unit will be comprised of 20 troopers from the Culver Military Academy Lancer Platoon and 20 members of the Equestriennes from Culver Girls Academy. The Lancer Platoon and Equestriennes are the honor units for each of the respective equestrian groups. The WEG opening ceremonies before 25,000 spectators will mark the first time the two Academies mounted units have performed as one.

In addition, the Academies will provide a five-member dismounted Color Guard for the opening ceremonies. The school will be taking about 65 students to the WEG, including the 19-piece Lancer Band, which will provide musical accompaniment for performances by each group on Sunday (Sept. 26) at Kentucky Horse Park just outside of Lexington.

Culver's participants represent three countries (China, Mexico, South Korea) and 20 states at the international equestrian event, which is being held in the United States for the first time.

The Academies' horses will be transported in three Sallee Vans horse trailers, with loading to begin at 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 21. Students will depart at noon on Sept. 21, returning to campus late Sunday night (Sept. 26). Members of the Academies admissions and summer camps staffs will be present throughout the duration of the event, manning a booth in the Equine Village.

The opening ceremonies are scheduled to be broadcast live by Lexington-area TV and NBC will air segments of the 16-day competition. (Check local listings for the air time. Some events will be on a tape-delay basis.)

The World Equestrian Games showcase world-class equestrian athletes competing for championships in eight equestrian sports: dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, jumping, para-equestrian, reining, and vaulting.

World Equestrian Games 2010 will involve more than 800 athletes and 900 horses from more than 60 countries. For further information on WEG visit www.alltechfeigames.com .

About Culver Academies

Located on Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, Ind., Culver Academies is a boarding school offering a college-preparatory curriculum for boys and girls in grades nine through 12.  

Annually, Culver has an enrollment of 800 students representing more than 40 states and 25 countries. Approximately 21 percent of the students are international, coming from such countries as Canada, China, Ecuador, Germany, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, and Taiwan.

Culver's mission is to educate its students for leadership and responsible citizenship by developing and nurturing the whole individual through integrated programs that emphasize the cultivation of character.  

Founded in 1894, the boys' school, Culver Military Academy, is based upon a military-type system used to teach self-discipline, responsibility, and leadership. Culver Girls Academy, founded in 1971, and is based upon the prefect system, with girls practicing democratic, self-rule to achieve similar values.

The Academies and the six-week Culver Summer Schools & Camps, with an enrollment of 1,400 for boys and girls ages 9-17, operate on the same 1,800-acre campus in Marshall County in north-central Indiana.

For more information, visit culver.org. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE The Culver Academies