Traverse City, Mich. – The 2026 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships, presented by USDF, concluded competition Sunday, August 2, at Flintfields Horse Park with the FEI Junior Individual and FEI Young Rider Individual Freestyles.
This year's championship marked a historic first for NAYC dressage. Four nations competed in multiple categories throughout the week, with the U.S., Canada, and Mexico joined for the first time ever by the Cayman Islands.
Junior Individual Freestyle
Bennett McWhorter (Wellington, Fla.) and Dalia, a 2015 Hanoverian mare (Harmony’s Don Nobelesse x Contendro I), co-owned by McWhorter and Stephanie Mills, claimed gold in the Junior Individual Freestyle with a personal-best score of 74.355%, earning the top score of the class from four of the five judges, and earning his third gold medal of the week.
"It really feels great," McWhorter said. "It's wonderful to see all of our hard work come together, and I couldn't have done it without my incredible support, especially my coach, Ali Brock." McWhorter's freestyle, set to music from Wicked, was created with his mother. "We wanted to have a little fun with the music and had a lovely time helping match the story to Dalia to make it a beautiful, harmonious test," he said. Of his mare, McWhorter added, "Even though it's at the end of a long week, she still was just so determined and so incredibly supportive of me, so that we could both achieve our goals together."
Adélia Gauthier (CAN) and Fayette DDS, her own 2010 KWPN mare (Don Shufro x Unknown), earned silver with a personal-best score of 73.460%. "This whole week was just such a surprise for me. I never really thought I could get on that podium, and to be on it twice this week means so much," Gauthier said. "Throughout the entire week we've gained so much confidence in the ring and we're going to come home with a lot we didn't have at the start of this championship."
Miriam Bacon (Columbus, N.C.) and Drambuie, a 2012 Hanoverian mare (Damsey FRH x Lauries Crusador), owned by Natalie Bacon, rounded out the podium with a score of 70.895% for bronze. "It feels really, really awesome and it was a little unexpected after my past two rides," Bacon said. Bacon has partnered with Drambuie, trained by Julio Mendoza, for four years. "He's a very reactive horse, a bit hard to manage sometimes, but I'm really proud of him and how far he's come."
Young Rider Individual Freestyle
Eila Fisk (Aiken, S.C.) and Quaresma, a 2016 Oldenburg gelding (Quantensprung 3 x Feurstenball OLD), owned by Gina Fisk, topped the Young Rider Individual Freestyle with a score of 72.600%, earning their third gold medal of the week. "It just really speaks to Quaresma's heart," Fisk said. "As a horse, he is so consistent and always tries his hardest. He'll always put forward as clean of a test as he can. I'm especially proud because it's our first year at this level and the idea that he can pull that off — it's a wild feeling." Fisk credited her family's business, Zia Equestrian, for providing both her trainer and her horse over the past several years, along with additional riding opportunities that rounded out her preparation. "It really all comes together, from Quaresma to my other horses, to my trainer, Laura Abner, and the barn," she said. "I would have never thought at the beginning of the week that we’d take home three gold medals."
Fisk's freestyle, choreographed to '80s-inspired music, was built to showcase Quaresma's half-passes and pirouettes. "Last minute, we decided to add some degree of difficulty with our tempis on a circle, and to see that come out successful today was crazy. A couple of months ago we were just trying to get four changes on a line straight," she said. "I'm so happy with how it turned out."
Eliza Marshall (CAN) and Ramazzotti Langholt, her own 2017 Danish Warmblood (Revolution x Unknown), earned silver with a personal-best score of 72.125%. "I think it was about trusting the horse," Marshall said. "I've been a little conservative these past two days, and coming fourth yesterday made me want this. To have that focus and be able to ask of him. That's a very cool feeling, and he's only nine." Marshall, in her first year at the Young Rider level, thanked her longtime trainer, as well as her family. "It's my first year at Young Riders, and his first year at this level too, so it's really exciting to be here with something I've had the chance to develop."
Alison Campbell-Wright (CAN) and Vintage, a 2016 Oldenburg gelding (Exquis Vivaldi x Belissimo NRW), owned by Bonnie Campbell, rounded out the podium with a score of 72.015% for bronze, Campbell-Wright's second medal of the week. "Honestly, it feels crazy surreal," she said. "We just got Vintage in December, so I was happy to be here and experience a bigger atmosphere with him. Coming out with two medals is insane. I don't think it's fully registered yet." Campbell-Wright said the week taught her to trust the process. "I've been so focused on everything that needs to be perfect and detailed. Coming into the weekend, I really trusted him more each day, and it was fun to just play around and see what he can do."
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