Jackson's Murphy Tabbed to Compete for Team USA

Nick Murphy of Jackson, Mo., has been selected to compete for the United States at the 2010 American Quarter Horse Youth World Cup on July 3-11, 2010, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The U.S. will compete against Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom at the World Cup in July.

"Showing horses is a huge part of my life," Murphy says. "I really enjoy every part of it -- from the long trips to the shows, to extremely hard work getting horses ready, the long days, the competition, and the friendships with people from across the country. Getting chosen as a member of Team USA is a great honor. I am proud to represent our country in the World Cup."

More than 30,000 American Quarter Horse Youth members across the country were eligible for selection to the U.S. team. Riders were judged on their horsemanship skills, leadership, equine involvement and personal recommendations.

The 2010 American Quarter Horse Youth World Cup is sponsored and hosted by the American Quarter Horse Association in cooperation with its affiliate organizations in each of the other 16 countries. The event was created in 1986 and has been hosted by several countries all over the world since. The last World Cup was held in London, Ontario, Canada in 2008.

The five riders for Team USA are Peyton Bivins of Texas, Alison Ceresani of New Jersey, Katy Krshka of Oklahoma, Austin Kyle of Texas and Nick Murphy of Missouri. Five leadership team members were also selected: Taylor Duncanson of Maine, Lauren Halvorson of Oklahoma, Jocelyn Tanner of New Hampshire, Leah Thomas of Vermont, and Kaitlyne Wadman of Massachusetts.

For more information regarding this event and this rider, please contact:

-Dawn Forest, Team USA Manager, 281-705-8033; dives88934@aol.com

-Kay Preston, American Quarter Horse Association, 806-378-4344

-Nick Murphy, 573-339-7656; murph.durf@gmail.com