March 16, 2013 – Wellington, Florida – Conor Swail, Kalvin Dobbs and Annie Cook were all winners in the SSG Riding Gloves ‘Go Clean for the Green’ promotion during Week 10 of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL.

Ireland’s Conor Swail was the first winner of the week, topping a 64-horse starting field in the $33,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 riding Martha Louise on Thursday, March 14.  For wearing SSG ‘Digitals’ on his way to victory, the Irishman picked up a $3,000 bonus from SSG Riding Gloves.

“I think it’s very good, it certainly gets people wearing them,” said Swail of the SSG Riding Gloves ‘Go Clean for the Green’ promotion.  “It gets good coverage and gets a lot of mentions as well, so it’s a very good idea.  All of the SSG gloves are very good; I also like the ‘All Weather’ style.  The gloves are great quality, and I’ll definitely stay wearing them.”

On Saturday morning, 17-year-old Kalvin Dobbs picked up $2,000 in bonus money after winning the $10,000 High Junior Jumper Classic.  All three riders that advanced to the jump-off round were wearing SSG ‘Digitals’, ensuring that the bonus money would be awarded.  Dobbs of Carmel, Indiana, guided Winde to the only double clear effort to take the win, the overall High Junior Jumper Championship title, and the $2,000 bonus which had doubled, having not been awarded during week nine.

“I love it, it’s really nice,” said Dobbs of the SSG promotion.  “It gives us something to aim towards, it’s really fun, and it jazzes up these classes for us.  It’s awesome!”

Dobbs, who also competes in the equitation divisions, was already a fan of SSG Riding Gloves, noting, “I also love the SSG ‘Technical’ gloves and I ride in those at home.  I like to wear the ‘Digitals’ for the jumpers; they have really good grip.”

Annie Cook was the third winner of the week, also picking up a $2,000 bonus after winning the $15,000 High Amateur-Owner Classic.  Hailing from Woodside, California, Cook posted the winning jump-off time of 37.36 seconds riding her partner of three years, the grey mare Banba.  Like Dobbs, Cook was already wearing SSG Gloves before she learned of the promotion.

“I think the promotion is awesome, and it’s a great way to get people to buy the gloves,” said Cook, a student at Yale who is showing at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival for the first time.  “I love my gloves.  They breathe and keep your hands cool, and have nice grip.”

SSG Riding Gloves offers a $3,000 bonus in each of the weekly WEF Challenge Cup Series events, as well as a $1,000 bonus in the Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic and the Junior Jumper High Classic competitions.  If the winning rider in any of these three competitions is wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style gloves with the SSG horse head logo clearly visible, they will be presented with a cash bonus during the awards presentation.  If not awarded, the bonus money carries forward to the next event in the series.  A total of $60,000 in bonus money is on offer from SSG Riding Gloves at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival.

SSG ‘Digital’ Riding Gloves are available for purchase at numerous Wellington locations, including Tackeria, as well as on-site at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival show grounds at various retailers including Beval Saddlery, Hadfield’s Saddlery, Jods and Running Fox.

Please refer to the 2013 WEF Prize List for complete details.  For further information, contact Jennifer Ward, Starting Gate Communications, at cell: 613 292-5439 or jward@startinggate.ca.