Traverse City, Mich. – Dressage competition continued Thursday at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF, with the Junior Teams taking center stage and the U.S. Regions sweeping the podium.
Thirty-six horse-and-rider combinations went head-to-head across nine teams, with the team of combined USDF Regions 4 and 6 coming out on top of the podium with a total score of 204.575. USDF Region 3 earned the silver medal on a score of 204.364, and USDF Region 8 earned the bronze with 203.787.
Fifteen-year-old Norah Wright and her own Baccos Do Retiro, an 18-year-old Andalusian gelding, scored the highest for the winning Region 6/4 team, riding to a 68.939%. Teammate Lexi Kment rode Laureen Van Norman’s 19-year-old warmblood Montagny von der Heide to 68.727%. The pair were the anchors for their region, and Kment, a gold medal veteran of NAYC, just wanted to go in and have a fun ride with “Monty.” She explained, “It means a lot [to be back on a winning NAYC team]; it is super special because coming into this competition this year, I came in wanting to have fun. I went into the ring today with a big smile on my face, I was so proud of these girls and how well they did, and I just knew that whatever was going to happen was going to happen.”
Daphne Glenn and her 11-year-old Westphalian mare Romanesque achieved a 66.909% for Region 6/4, and Olivia Martz rode her mom’s 19-year-old Oldenburg gelding Ronvair to a 63.909%. “Retro [Ronvair] is my mom’s horse,” Martz explained.
“It feels really special to be taking him at 19 years old and competing with him because he is a horse that my mom bred and trained, and right now she is battling cancer, and it feels really special to be able to be here to experience it all on her horse that she did everything with.”
The silver medal team of Region 3 was comprised of Justine Boyer and Campanero HGF, Tessa Geven and Sir Frederico, Madison Sumner and Briar, and Virginia Woodcock and her own Mollegardens Sans-Souci. Woodcock, who was the anchor rider for the team, achieved a score of 69.303% with the 9-year-old Danish Warmblood mare. “It means so much to be here with these girls,” Woodcock said. “It’s been really fun to be a part of this team, the support between us has been amazing, and I wasn’t expecting to be here, and this is a pleasant result; it’s very exciting.”
The bronze-medal winning Region 8 Team included Lucy Sheldon and Porsche’s Florencia, Sophia Forsyth and Dimagico, and Leah Drew and Damon’s Davian.
2023 NAYC Junior Dressage Team Results
Gold: Region 6/4
Olivia Martz and Ronvair
Daphne Glenn and Romanesque
Norah Wright and Baccos Do Retiro
Lexie Kment and Montagny von der Heide
Silver: Region 3
Justine Boyer and Campanero HGF
Tessa Geven and Sir Frederico
Madison Sumner and Briar
Virginia Woodcock and Mollegardens Sans-Souci
Bronze: Region 8
Lucy Sheldon and Porsche’s Florencia
Sophia Forsyth and Dimagico
Leah Drew and Damon’s Davian