Youth riders from across the country look forward to this week all year! The FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships (NAYC) presented by USDF is the premier equestrian competition in North America for junior and young riders (ages 14-21) and U25 (ages 16-25). Young equestrians vie for team and individual FEI medals in the Olympic equestrian disciplines of dressage and show jumping. The competition is run under FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale), the international governing body of equestrian sport, and is the only FEI championship held annually on this continent.
Here, go behind the scenes at the 2023 NAYC with USDF’s Senior Education Coordinator Sarah Delahanty for an amazing week at Traverse City, Michigan.
U25 competitor Cameron Wyman and Thys prepare for the pre-event inspectionRegion 5’s Junior competitor, Kali Riddel, at the jogRegion 3’s Mary Piller and Caterina prepare for the pre-event inspectionOlivia Martz jogs for the Region 6 Junior teamSophia Forsyth jogs for the Region 8 Junior teamElla Fruchtermann and Hannah Montana W are accepted to proceed to the competition!Madison Manis jogs for the combination Region 9/1/2 teamGabriel Epstein and Bandito await their turn to jog for the judges, prior to competing for Region 8’s Young Rider teamIsabella Thorpe and Bella Ymas have their game faces on as they wait to jog prior to competing for region 8’s Young Rider teamNash Gagnon and Eros SSF are ready to jog prior to competing for the Region 8 Young Rider teamJosephine Hinnemann, of the combination Region 4/7 Young Rider team, receives a shield from US Equestrian’s Laura RobertsRegion 5 Young Rider competitor, Elizabeth Petersen, is all smiles during the jogQuinn Ridgway (left) and Alicia Berger with their mounts Dramatika V and Floriano HB, competed for the combination Young Rider team from Regions 1/2/9The Riders Lounge provided a respite from the sun, where competitors could sit, have a snack, watch the competition, or relax between classes or while awaiting results.Superman earned his treats under the guidance of Region 4 Young Rider, Averi AllenEmily Bansky and Vincento represented Region 1 as part of the Junior teamTrivia Night is a popular event with competitors Young rider freestyle, Gold Mary Piller, Silver Kat Fuqua, and Bronze Celsiana WillamsYoung Rider Individual top three press conference – Mary Piller (Gold), Celsiana Williams (Silver), and Kat Fuqua (Bronze)Region 7’s Young Rider team celebrates their Silver Medal finish
[…] honor of the 2023 edition of the North American Youth Dressage Championships, held in Traverse City, MI last week, we dug through the USDF Connection archives to find this gem […]
[…] honor of the 2023 edition of the North American Youth Dressage Championships, held in Traverse City, MI last week, we dug through the USDF Connection archives to find this gem […]