The heat was unrelenting and the humidity mercilessly high, but the wrath of Mother Nature was no match for the determination and spiritedness of riders competing at the Fourth Annual NEJ/YRDC. Nearly 240 competitors, citizens of 10 states and 4 nations on 3 continents, pitched camp at the Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien, Connecticut, on August 17 and 18, 2002, to compete in an inarguably unique equestrian event.

Open to junior and young riders under 21, the championships draw competitors not only from dressage, but also from the ranks of Pony Club, trail riding, hunter, jumper and event riders. This is a three-phase event with each phase counting equally toward a possible total score of 300, so that no single phase influences the outcome.

A written test assesses knowledge of such areas as equine anatomy, horse care, nutrition and safety rules. The equitation phase is a group class in which riders are judged on their position, seat and the correct and effective use of the aids at all three gaits. The dressage phase assesses the impulsion and obedience of the horse, the freedom and regularity of its gaits, and the rider’s position and seat and correct and effective use of the aids.

Also offered are Prix Caprilli tests, which are training and first level dressage rides incorporating jumps. The youngest riders (8 years old and under) participate in a Leadline class.

The NEJ/YR Dressage Championships are the brainchild of two-time Olympic rider and world-renown trainer, Lendon Gray. “I wanted to create a year-round program that emphasizes the teaching of correct basics, provides opportunities for riders to acquire knowledge in all aspects of riding and horse care, and allows them to hone their competitive skills,” explained Ms. Gray. With the help of USDF Region 8 Director Fern Feldman and a handful of like-minded horsewomen, Ms. Gray instituted the NEJ/YRDC in 1999.

Lendon noted that the overall high score winner of the championships generally did not place first in any phase of the competition, but had a consistently high performance throughout, demonstrating overall competence. “However,” she remarked at the awards ceremony, “one rider changed all that this year. She placed first in the written, first in dressage and first in equitation for her division, earning her the championship of The Paddock Training Level B Division for 14 and 15 year olds and the Overall High Score Champion of 2002!”

Caroline McCarthy of Geneva, New York, with a total of 252.900 out of a possible 300 points, was also the Overall Dressage High Score Champion with a score of 70.400. In addition, the Pegasus Dressage Team, of which Caroline was a member, placed first out of 50 teams that competed for the USDF Region 8 Junior/Young Rider Team Championships. These achievements are made even more remarkable by the fact that Caroline’s horse, Dante, a 7-year-old Swedish warmblood, was started under saddle only last summer by trainer Debbie Lockemeyer, and this is Dante’s first year showing!

A difference of one-half point separated Caroline from the Reserve Overall High Score winner. Gina De Santis of Chester, New York, in her last year eligible to compete in the championships, turned in an equally impressive performance. With first place finishes in both the dressage and equitation sections, and a third place in the written test, Gina handily won the Bettina Drummond Training Level B Division Championship with a total score of 252.400. An equitation score of 90 clinched for Gina top honors as the Overall Equitation Champion. Team Outfoxed also benefited from Gina’s successes by placing second overall behind the Pegasus Dressage Team in the USDF team championships. Gina and her partner, an 11-year-old Trakehner mare, At Ease, end their Young Rider career on top!

The Overall Written Test Champion was 17-year-old Nora Harris of Bridgewater, Connecticut, who placed second in the Bettina Drummond Training Level B Division behind Gina. In addition to her “book” knowledge of all aspects of riding, Nora’s equitation skills awarded her a second place finish in the equitation section of her division. Off to college in September, Nora is sad to have to sell her partner, Madeline, a 4-year-old Thoroughbred placed under saddle only this January and trained by Nora “from scratch.”

The awarding of the high scoring Prix Caprilli prize was a poignant moment in an otherwise festive atmosphere. Last year Frances Clow, puzzled by an unexpectedly low score in her Prix Caprilli test, approached judge Victor Hugo-Vidal for an explanation. Impressed with the detail of Victor’s response and the time and care he took in his explanation, Frances went home and took Victor’s recommendations to heart. It seemed fitting then that Frances, with the high score of 69.375, won the Victor Hugo-Vidal Memoral Trophy, awarded in honor of the well-known and highly respected judge who died two weeks before he was scheduled to return for a third year of officiating at the Championships.

But the weekend was not just about competition. Fun, learning and good sportsmanship abounded. Bettina Drummond, trained in the art of Classical dressage, rode one of her French-bred Lusitanos in an 18th Century formation. This elegant pair executed “haute ecole” movements that combined grace and athleticism with technical precision, captivating the audience with seemingly perfect piaffe. Demonstrating the centuries-long evolution of the discipline to the present day, Young Rider Jessica Rizzi and her mount executed movements more familiar to the audience, such as canter pirouettes and medium canter across the diagonal, in effortless, ground-swallowing strides.

Alexandra Kurland explained the principles of clicker training and demonstrated its application in her training of a miniature horse to serve as a guide for the sight-impaired. The young paint pony impressed viewers with his “sit-stay” position, halts and leg yields and elicited chuckles with some charming antics that stole both the show and the hearts of viewers.

In a much treasured tradition of the NEJ/YRDC, a roving judge slinks around the show grounds, undetected by most and observes and rewards incidences of good sportsmanship, helpfulness, humor, beauty or fancy. Alexandra Diczok was declared the “Most Gracious Rider” for forfeiting her ride on a borrowed horse because he was tired. Willian Chowanac was the “Best Groom Under 4 Feet Tall.” Kylee Snow’s horse Foster was deemed the “Most Talkative Horse.” Whitney Domenech’s Fozzy Bear was proclaimed to have the “Best Tail.” Riders from Frazier Farm won an award for the “wildest tee-shirts.”

International friendships were forged or renewed as first-time competitors from Brazil and the Czech Republic were warmly greeted and returning riders from Argentina were welcomed back. All eight competitors competed on borrowed horses; some had only ridden their mounts a handful of times before the show. Most foreign riders finished in the top ten of their respective divisions, with Czech Republic rider Ema Jancar winning the Bronze medal in the Custom Saddlery Second Level Division aboard a horse trained by and borrowed from Beth Baumert. The riders also amassed impressive scores on the written test, which was not administered in their native languages!

On the lighter side of competition, a majority of barns and riders participated, respectively, in tack room and turn-out inspections. The winner of the turnout inspection was seven-year old Isabelle Leibler of Greenwich, Connecticut, the youngest division competitor, with a perfect score of 30. In appropriate attire, the diminutive youngster presented her impeccably cleaned strawberry roan pony in well-fitting and properly conditioned tack, outshining 84 contestants.

A competition of this magnitude requires many helping hands throughout the year. In tribute to Lendon Gray’s leadership in the world of dressage, numerous individual and business members of the equestrian community have stepped forward with unbelievably generous donations of funds and products. As a result, winners have gone home with prizes such as a full scholarship to the two-week summer program of the International Academy of Equestrian Studies in Warenburg, Germany, a magnificent Lalique horse statue, a trip to the Aachen show, dozens of saddles from leading saddle makers, and every conceivable item of apparel for horse and rider.

Leadership in the dressage world is recognized at each show. Priscilla Endicott, founding member of the New England Dressage Association, today the second largest in the nation, was honored for her efforts to bring top-flight international trainers to her Massachusetts farm to train developing riders. During the Saturday evening festivities, Lendon called up for recognition members of the organizing committee, all volunteers, all clad in red shirts who, she reported, spent countless hours to perform myriad duties, all essential, some unglamorous, to make the show happen for the competitors.

Four years ago, Lendon Gray and a handful of like-minded horsewomen set out on a mission to create an event that would encourage riders under 21 to become true horsemen with correct position, competitive skills and knowledge of all aspects of riding and horse care. They envisioned an event that would combine fun, learning and good sportsmanship. And they hoped that proceeds from the event and sponsorship would fund scholarships to enable competitors to further their education. Mission impossible? No, mission accomplished!

For complete show results, visit www.dressage4kids.com.