World Sidesaddle Federation, Inc. (WSFI) and International Sidesaddle Organization (ISSO) Announce Merger

By Dr. Jennifer Williams

At RideAside!2004, the World Sidesaddle Federation, Inc. (WSFI) and the International Sidesaddle Organization (ISSO) announced that the two organizations will now operate under the name International Sidesaddle Organization.

Formalization of the merger will occur at the combined awards banquet being held in Vineland, NJ on March 5, 2005. Linda Bowlby, President of the WSFI, and Antonia Rotelle, President of the ISSO, said that they began discussing a merger in 2002 after successfully working together in sponsoring RideAside!2002.

RideAside!2002 was the first ever cosponsored event for the two organizations and the largest sidesaddle event in this country bringing participants from over 30 states, and as far away as Australia, England, Canada and Bermuda.

The group will keep the name of the International Side Saddle Organization but will now publish Aside World, the magazine formerly published by the WSFI.

The Regional Representative and Affiliate Organization programs established by WSFI will be expanded to include members from ISSO. The yearly awards program has taken the best features of both organizations' point and awards systems to create an improve system to reward members for using their sidesaddles at equestrian events.

By joining the two organizations, which have worked together in the past several years to put on events like RideAside! (a weekend long sidesaddle clinic and horse show), Sidesaddle Instructor Certification, and publishing information and resources for aside riders, the two presidents hope that they can use their pooled resources to better promote the graceful art of riding aside. The future is looking bright for sidesaddle riding with the merger of the two largest sidesaddle organizations.

For more information, visit the International Side Saddle Organization at http://www.sidesaddle.com/.

(Please note that references to invalide email addresses and phone numbers were removed from this press release to avoid confusion.)

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