By Mackenzie Brown
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to see such a large number of dressage enthusiasts in clothing other than boots, breeches, and a helmet, the 2023 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention was the place to do so. My name is Mackenzie Brown, and I’m a junior rider from Region 6 who was one of the selected recipients of the USDF Youth Convention Scholarship.
Just a few years ago, I got into the sport of dressage. My mom is a dressage instructor, so I’ve always been around the sport, but it took some time for me to become interested, myself. Once I found out that dressage was sort of the perfectionist’s playground, I was hooked! Of course, this is just a small part of my story. I’ve now ridden a number of different horses, competed at both regional and national championships, and learned many, many lessons in between – both in and out of the saddle.
I am beyond lucky to have been selected as one of the recipients of the Youth Convention Scholarship. Attending the convention was such an insightful event, and the lessons and knowledge that I came away with are invaluable. For those who have yet to attend Convention, it has a number of education sessions and governance meetings throughout each day, catering to a number of different groups. In addition to those opportunities, you can spend time with other horse-loving people, both from your region and a number of other regions. I particularly enjoyed the education sessions and the Board of Governors meetings.
The education sessions were absolutely packed with helpful and interesting information. Northern Idaho tends to have cold, snowy winters, so the session on conditioning during the winter, presented by Jec Ballou, was really helpful. Oftentimes as riders, it is so easy to get sucked into our usual routine, so when winter comes, we do not really know what to do with ourselves! This session provided a variety of unique and beneficial exercises, some of which I have started to implement into the training routine of the horses I ride. I also really enjoyed the two sessions that were presented by Kristi Wysocki – Conformation and its Relationship to Training and Incorporating Video into Your Lesson/Training Program. I have a number of clinicians that I enjoy riding with, but I am not able to get frequent instruction from them due to being located far away, and Kristi’s simple and straightforward approach to using video really clarified how to use it effectively.
In addition to the education sessions that I was able to take part in, attending the Board of Governors (BOG) meetings was an insightful experience that showed me what the governing part of our sport looks like. I do not have much experience with the governing side of things, so by sitting in on these meetings I gained a better understanding as to what the elected officials do to help maintain and improve the sport every day. In addition to seeing what the governance of the sport does, it was fascinating and empowering to see members stand up and voice their thoughts on issues being presented. I feel that without feedback and input from individuals, the sport cannot grow in a manner that is successful.
Supporting and encouraging the youth of our sport is really important; we are the next generation of dressage riders, which is why I am incredibly grateful to the United States Dressage Federation for providing this experience to me. I would encourage any and all junior/young riders to apply for the scholarship! Attending the 2023 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention showed me another invaluable part of the sport, and I hope to attend again soon! Thank you, USDF!
