Horseplay for the Haughty - Internet/Web/Online Service Information - Brief Article

Industry Standard, The, August 14, 2000 by Mairi Hennessy

When Marc Karzan and Joe Gillet aren't chatting up Camilla Parker Bowles on a hunt or jetting back East to steeplechase every weekend, they're hard at work on Saddletude.com, a site that takes its inspiration from the X-Games, as well as the social register.

Call Saddletude an extremely elite sports site. It uses an in-your-face Web presence to bring equestrian sports such as fox hunting, polo, show-jumping, dressage and eventing to the mainstream. "Few sports are as dangerous or as beautiful," says Gillet, a top amateur U.S. steeplechaser. "Unfortunately, so many stories are lost in the myth that it's an elitist sport."

The launch is timed to focus on perhaps the greatest equestrian showcase, the Olympic Games. Deals with TV networks and cable outlets will bring footage from events such as the Argentine Open polo tournament. Keeping up with the demand for "reality" programming, the site will go behind the scenes, including to the jockeys' room at the Kentucky Derby.