Equestrians Take the Lead Dressage at DEVON
A Youthful Future For instance, the USEF National Young Adult “Brentina
Cup” dressage program, named after the
striking Hanovarian mare who, with rider Debbie
McDonald, won many international honors at the
Olympics, World Equestrian Games and more, was
designed to help young riders become successful
Grand Prix competitors. The National Young Adult
‘Brentina Cup’ Dressage Championships bridges
an important gap between the young rider ranks
and the Grand Prix level, according to the USEF.
People like Lendon Gray have devoted their time,
skill and energy to helping young riders excel. To
encourage young riders, Lendon established the
Youth Dressage Festival (formerly known as the
Northeast Junior/Young Rider Championships) in
1999. Then, with the formation of the Youth Dressage
Festival (YDF) came the creation of the organization
Dressage4Kids. Originally just the name of
a website, D4K has blossomed into a full-fledged
non-profit. (www.dressageforkids.com)
Today D4k offers a number of programs including
their flagship event, the Youth Dressage Festival for
riders from ages 4 through 21. https://youthdressagefestival.
David Ziegler is making history.
42 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
presencehost.net
The United States Dressage Foundations offers
many educational opportunities for young riders.
These include:
• USDF/USEF Young Rider Graduate Program
(Ages 20-28)
• USDF Sport Horse Youth Handler/Judge Seminar
(Ages 14-27)
• USDF Dressage Sport Horse Youth Breeders
Seminar (Ages 14-27)
• USDF Jr/YR Clinic Series (Ages 14-21, and 12-14
FEI Pony riders)
• USDF Youth Outreach Clinic Program
(Ages 10-21)
• Discover Dressage USEF/USDF Emerging Athlete
Program (Ages 25 and Under)
SHOW Feature
It’s not unusual to see
children racing Shetland
Ponies, dressed
up for a costume
class or hugging their
stuffed horses. These
sights are common – at
hunter/jumper shows.
Dressage is a bit different.
The atmosphere is
quieter, more subdued
so as not to distract
the horses.
Young children are a
rare sight at a dressage
show. But, like
any other sport, the
future of dressage lies
in the young people
and people in the
world of dressage have
taken important steps
to include children in
the sport.
Competitions open to youth are offered and the USDF also
recognizes youth success with many awards and recognitions
as well as scholarships and grants.
https://www.usdf.org/education/youth.asp
In 2016, the team at Dressage at Devon (www.dressageatdevon.
org) decided that it was time to create a great
experience for children, to allow them to view world-class
horses and their riders, learn something about these magnificent
animals, and have fun. Dressage Explorers was
born.
“We wanted to create an environment in which kids could
participate, learn and have fun,” said Sally Hibbert, DAD
Secretary and creator of the Dressage Explorers program.
This year, Dressage Explorers will take place Sunday, September
30, and will feature:
• Make and Take Stick Horse: We supply the “horse” and
all the trimmings to deck-out your mount for a ride in the
famed Dixon Oval – with professional announcers and
judges.
• Selfie Scavenger Hunt – Play detective and find the five
yellow signs posted throughout the show grounds and take
a selfie with each sign. Then head over to the Souvenir
Shop to receive an exclusive DAD prize.
• For kids who want to learn what really goes into a great
performance, special pricing for headset rental ($10) is
available to all participants. And over-ear style personal
receive allows you to follow all the commentary of some of
the foremost experts in the world of dressage.
• Plus, the day’s performances feature the sport’s rising
stars, young riders from 16-25. These include the FEI Pony
Freestyle Test, the FEI Young Rider Freestyle and much
more.
Youth Takes Center Stage at
Dressage at Devon Sunday, September 30
/(www.dressageforkids.com)
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
/presencehost.net
/youth.asp