By Sierra Smoot
In September, my horse Mega and I made the trip to the Murieta Equestrian Center in Rancho Murieta for the 2026 Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Dressage Championships, held together with the California Dressage Society (CDS) State Championship. It was the biggest horse show I had ever been to, and what an amazing weekend it turned out to be!
Over four days of competition, we came home with three titles: USDF Region 7 Junior/Young Rider (Jr/YR) Training Level Champion, CDS Training Level Jr/YR Champion, and the very first USDF/Dressage4Kids U-13 Regional Merit Award, given to the highest-scoring rider aged 13 and under in the Training Level Jr/YR Championship. This is the first year USDF and Dressage4Kids have offered this award, which makes it even more special to me. Our regionals results also earned Mega and me the opportunity to compete at the US Dressage Finals!
Mega is my family’s horse. We imported him from Germany almost two years ago, originally to be a vaulting horse, but he has turned out to be so much more. He’s a gentle giant who loves attention and always wants someone scratching him or just touching him. He can be a little nervous when other horses come running toward him, and he has the loudest, most unmistakable whinny whenever his hauling buddy leaves him alone! But when I’m riding him, he always takes care of me and tries his hardest to do everything I ask. We competed in our very first dressage show in June, and since then I have completely fallen in love with the sport. I couldn’t ask for a better partner, and I’m so proud of how far we have come in such a short time.
Saturday night at the riders’ celebration dinner, I also got to participate in a vaulting demonstration with my club, Pacific Coast Vaulting, fresh from a sixth-place finish at the World Championships in Aachen. It felt like all my horse worlds showed up in one weekend!
Another thing that made this championship different from my other shows this summer was the people. At most of my other competitions, almost all the riders were adults, and I was usually one of the only kids. The funny thing is, I kept running into the same adults at each show, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. They love that I’m the young girl on the giant horse, and honestly, Mega is pretty hard to miss!
At the regional championships, there were youth riders from all over the region, and I got to know so many of them. Between our rides, we watched each other’s tests, cheered each other on, and traded stories about our horses. It was so nice to meet people my own age who love the same thing I love. By the end of the weekend, I felt like I had friends of every age cheering for me, and that I really belonged. I hope I get to see all of them at shows again next year.
Of course, none of this happens alone. A huge thank you to my coach, Carolyn Bland, who has always been there for me and is the reason I love dressage so much. I am so lucky to have her as my trainer! Thank you also to Terri Miller of Terri Miller Photos, who captured so many special moments from the championships, and to USDF and Dressage4Kids for creating an award that celebrates the youngest riders. I am so proud to be its first recipient in Region 7.
As for what’s next, Mega and I are moving up to First Level! The tests are longer, and the movements are harder, so we have a lot to practice this winter. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together.
More than anything, I’m proud of Mega. Less than four months ago, neither of us had ever competed in a dressage show, and now we’re regional champions! I never imagined that the horse we brought home from Germany for vaulting would take me on this amazing dressage adventure. I can’t wait to see where we go next!
