Traverse City, Mich. – Competition in the Discover Dressage/FEI North American Youth Dressage Championship at the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) kicked off today with the Junior and U25 athletes completing their first tests for team and individual scores.
FEI NAYC Junior Dressage Team Test
The team from Region 3 moved into a narrow lead after the first day, turning in four solid tests. Justine Boyer (Ocala, Fla.) and Campanero HGF, Alice Burley (Atlanta, Ga.) and S. Classic Conversion Cav-I, Alexis Troutman (Atlanta, Ga.) and Happy Feet, and Virginia Woodcock (Atlanta, Ga.) and Mollegardens Sans-Souci, finished the day with a collective score of 198.455, just a fraction of a point ahead of the combined team from Region 4, 5, and 7, which stands in second with a 198.060. Region 9 is also close behind in third position with a 197.302.
Woodcock is competing at NAYC for the second time with her own Mollegardens Sans-Souci (Sir Donnerhall x Sascha), a 2014 Danish Warmblood mare. The pair had the team’s top score in the first test with a 66.970%.
“It was just an incredible feeling,” she said. “I think everyone knows that horses are different every time you take them out and put their bridle on, and I just rode the horse I had today. She felt great and stayed with me as best she could.”
Fellow second-timer Boyer with Campanero HGF (Camaron IX x Quintera XII), a 2013 PRE stallion owned by Hampton Green Farm, was the final test of Wednesday’s junior section.
“I didn’t really mind going last today. I think it added a little pressure, and I like to compete under pressure,” she said. “I would always like to do well for the team, keeping in mind not to change anything and making sure that he’s with me all the time. I’ve been riding him since he was 7; he’s 11 now, and he’s super sweet.”
Troutman with Happy Feet (Totilas x De Lady K), a 2012 Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Alexis, Kevin, and Nina Troutman, and Burley with Classic Conversion Cav-I (Converter x Sweet Song), Grace Burley’s 2009 North American Warmblood mare, are both making their NAYC debut this year and contributed solid scores to the team effort.
“Happy Feet is 12 years old. I’ve had her about four years and we have a really good bond,” said Troutman. “Today, my test was the best test I could put out with what she gave me.”
Hailing from Region 6, Olivia Martz (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and Rihanna Ymas, a 2008 Brandenburger mare owned by Dressage4Kids, Inc., had the day's top individual score after a spectacular test that earned a 69.727% from the judges.
The juniors will return to the dressage arena on Friday, Aug. 2, beginning at 8:30 a.m. for their individual tests.
Team Standings | Individual Standings
FEI NAYC CDIU25
The U25 section took center stage on Wednesday afternoon for their Intermediate II tests. Christian Simonson (Ventura, Calif.) and Son of a Lady (Soreldo x Western Lady), a 2011 Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Christina Morgan and Clifton Simonson, impressed the judges to post a score of 71.412% and move to the top of the standings.
“It’s been an amazing team effort,” Simonson said, thanking his parents, his trainers Adrienne Lyle and Katie Duerrhammer, and “Sonny’s” groom, Nicole Baergen. “I think a couple of the high points for me were the piaffe-passage transitions. That’s something we’ve been working on up until maybe a week ago, and then we finally got it dialed in. It’s like a whole new level of training and experience that I think we’re going to be able to show in the ring. I was very happy with it. And the canter tour always feels like you’re floating on clouds. It’s a really nice feeling with him.”
“He is the absolute wonder horse that could,” Simonson said of Sonny. “I feel incredibly grateful to have him and the people that have helped us as a combination throughout our career so far. He’s just been amazing. Win or loss, when I have that feeling of him trusting me and being with me every step, I feel like I’ve won already.”
Simonson has been an NAYC competitor multiple times over the years, dating back to his time in the junior ranks. More recently, he and Sonny have represented the U.S. on senior teams, including at the 2023 Pan American Games, and he credits NAYC with preparing him for the world stage.
“NAYC has been one of the most important things for my career so far to get experience. At my very first senior Nations Cup, I told George [Williams, USEF Dressage High Performance Pathway Development Advisor & Youth Coach], ‘This is just like NAYC except my teammates are twice my age, but that’s cool!’ It felt like I had so much experience already because of NAYC. I think it’s so important for the U.S. to have this championship, as well as the pipeline as a whole that Discover Dressage and USEF are working to develop.”
Schedule and Results | Livestream
2024 FEI North American Youth Championships Livestream
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