Results of the
2003 Northeast Junior/Young Rider Dressage Championships
By: Theresa Davidson

A sizeable section of the Northeast was plunged into darkness when power lines running from Canada to the Long Island Sound shut down suddenly on the eve of the Northeast Junior/Young Rider Dressage Championships. Unfazed, organizers and volunteers of the fifth annual event, armed in equal measure with flashlights and determination, continued preparations at the Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien, Connecticut. Over 250 riders, some from as far away as California, were scheduled to compete from August 15 to 17, 2003.

The NEJ/YR Dressage Championships are the brainchild of two-time Olympic rider and world-renowned trainer, Lendon Gray, who launched the inaugural event in 1999 because, “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.”

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. Originally targeted to Northeast equestrians, the championships have attracted riders from all across the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe and South Africa!

This is a three-phase event with each phase counting equally 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 aids at the walk, trot and canter. The dressage phase assesses the impulsion and obedience of the horse, the freedom and regularity of its gaits, and the rider’s position, seat and correct and effective use of the aids while guiding the horse through a specific pattern of movements and figures at all three gaits.

Groups of three or four riders can assemble teams to compete for the USDF Region 8 Team Championships. 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.

When Laura Noyes competed at the NEJ/YR Dressage Championships for the first time in 2002 aboard a Morgan-cross horse, she won her division championship. This year, Laura returned home to Falmouth, Maine, as the event’s Overall Grand Champion with the highest overall average score of 82.059. Aboard her new mount Syncro, Laura’s equitation skills earned her a score of 90%, and the Swedish Exclusive, Inc. Overall Equitation Champion. A written test score of 85% and a dressage test score of 71.176% contributed to Laura’s overall high average, placing Laura first in the Fox Ledge First Level Division Championship for 16 and 17 year olds. Laura also tested her mettle at Second Level and turned in a score of 80.045%, clinching the Beval Saddlery Second Level Division Championship. Laura’s team, V.F. Pink Ladies, assisted by her score, also won the USDF Region 8 Team Championship with an average score of 76.232%, besting 53 other teams.

Five-time NEJ/YR Dressage Championship competitor Katherine Norkus was the champion of the Training Level division for 13 and 14 year olds in 2000, also riding a non-traditional breed, a Quarter Horse. Paired this year with her elegant American Warmblood mare Buona Sera, Katherine was the event’s Overall Reserve Champion. Katherine, of Pleasantville, New York, scored a 95% on the written test, the second highest score overall, a 77% in the Equitation phase and a 70.588% on her Dressage test, earning her also the Reserve Champion of the Fox Ledge First Level Division Championship for 16 and 17 year olds. Competing as well in Second Level, Katherine placed second in the Beval Saddlery Second Level Division Championship. Katherine’s team, Gleneden on the Bit, thanks to Katherine’s high standing, was the second highest placing of 54 teams, earning the USDF Region 8 Team Championship Silver Medal with an average score of 76.100%.

Overall Dressage Champion, sponsored by Swedish Exclusive, Inc. was Taylor Noonan of Portland, Maine. Aboard Star Struck, Taylor turned in the highest dressage score of 76.923%, which helped earn her the silver medal in the Rio Vista Training Level A Division Championship for 11 year olds and under.

Overall Written Test Champions, also sponsored by Swedish Exclusive, Inc., were Kerri George of Raynham, Massachusetts and Czech Republic rider Ema Jancar who tied with the high score of 96. Kerri’s written test score contributed to her second place finish in the Trafalgar Square Publishing Training Level B Division Championship for 18 to 21 year olds. Ema, who has been hosted these past two years by trainer Beth Baumert, also finished second in the Equine Journal Second Level Division Championship for 17 to 21 year olds.

Jeannette Gonzalez, who last year placed third in the Prix Caprilli competition and in 2001 won her First Level Division championship, was the highest scoring rider in the Prix Caprilli classes aboard her long-time partner Ben Jammin’ with a score of 70.323%. That score, the highest since this competition was inaugurated in 2001, earned Jeannette the Victor Hugo-Vidal Memorial Trophy, awarded for the first time in 2002 in honor of the well-known and much beloved USAE dressage and hunter/jumper judge who was always thrilled to officiate at this event.

In her welcome letter to competitors, Lendon Gray wrote, “For the past 20 years I have been working to get riders to take correct seat, position and use of aids more seriously and I tried to get the USET, USDF and USAE to offer some sort of equitation program.” And now, “we are honored this year that our event, the NEJ/YR Dressage Championships, has been chosen to host the inaugural USA Equestrian Junior Dressage Seat Equitation Medal Finals!”

From around the nation 16 riders converged to compete in this important competition. Since they were traveling from as far away as the West Coast, nearly one-third of the competitors opted to make use of borrowed horses even though they would have at most a week to work with their competition partners. Kelsey Laity-D’Agostino, riding Joli Coeur, won the Championship for riders ages 13 and under; and Jennifer Dainer, aboard Brasil, clinched the Championship for riders ages 14 to 18. Both juniors competed on borrowed horses, rendering their victories not only thrilling for them but also gratifying for the horses’ owners.

But the weekend was not just about serious competition: fun, learning and sportsmanship abounded. Classical Dressage rider Bettina Drummond, who last year dazzled audiences with a demonstration of an 18th Century formation, captivated everyone with a presentation of Horsemanship Through the Ages, complete with replica warrior uniforms and weapons as well as ancient saddles and bridles. In anticipation of competition at the upper levels, riders competing at Second Level and above were required to do a practice vet jog, and the results of their efforts ran the gamut from impressive to humorous.

Continuing a time-honored tradition, a secret “Roving Judge” spent the weekend observing and rewarding incidences of good sportsmanship and helpfulness. Ariel Tedesco was awarded the Ultimate Volunteer award because although she’d broken her arm before the competition, she came anyway to help. Ashley Peterson was deemed the Most Versatile Rider for riding a different horse for each test in two levels of competition when her own horse turned up lame and unable to compete. Ana Di Gironimo was granted the USDF Shining Star Sportsmanship Award for generously loaning her horse Cadanz to Ashley.

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. Although too numerous to be named here, sponsors are listed in the event Program and on the website www.dressage4kids.com.

Leadership in the dressage world is recognized at each championship. Lowell Boomer, a founder of the USDF, the Nebraska Dressage Association and The Dressage Foundation was honored with the S. Braley Gray Award for leadership that spanned four decades and brought training and competition opportunities to countless riders across the nation. Martha Servey, long-time horse show volunteer, co-sponsor of the Crown Juel award and instructor of beginner riders received the Corinne F. Gray Award for her role in helping children and adults alike enjoy all aspects of horse care, competition and companionship.

For the fifth year in a row, Lendon Gray and her loyal organizing committee have promised young riders an opportunity to hone their competitive skills and acquire knowledge about all aspects of riding and horse care. They promised to simulate the experience of international competition for all levels of riders and do so in an atmosphere of fun and good sportsmanship. And, although the utilities in the Northeast may have failed to deliver the power necessary to keep homes and businesses running, the organizers of the Northeast Junior/Young Rider Dressage Championships have once again proven that they have the power to deliver on their promise of a unique equestrian event!
For complete results, visit www.dressage4kids.com.