Traverse City, Mich. – The 2023 edition of the FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships Presented by USDF came to a spectacular conclusion on Sunday, August 13, as the Juniors and Young Riders performed their freestyle tests. ©KTB Creative Group Junior Freestyle Championship After winning two silver medals in team and individual competition, Madison Sumner (Wellington, Fla.) and Briar, the 2007 KWPN gelding she co-owns with Wayne Sumner, struck gold in the freestyle. The pair...

Traverse City, Mich. – Competition continued today at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF and welcomed Individual winners in the Junior and U25 Freestyle divisions. Sienna Rowe and Lightfire Just Do It. ©KTB Creative Group Junior Individual Championship Sienna Rowe (Urbanna, Va.) and Jason Rowe's 13-year-old Westphalian gelding Lightfire Just Do It landed atop the podium in the Junior Individual Championship with the only 70% of the class,...

Traverse City, Mich. – Two gold medalists emerged today at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF as the Young Rider and U25 divisions completed their individual championships. Mary Claire Piller (Oakdale, Tenn.) and Caterina, Emily Brollier’s 2011 Hanoverian mare, won the gold in the Young Rider division. Emily Hewitt (Atlanta, Ga.) was the U25 champion with Fidens, a 2010 KWPN gelding owned by Tammy Pearson. Mary Claire Piller and Caterina....

Traverse City, Mich. – Dressage competition continued Thursday at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF, with the Junior Teams taking center stage and the U.S. Regions sweeping the podium. Norah Wright and Baccos Do Retiro. ©KTB Creative Group Thirty-six horse-and-rider combinations went head-to-head across nine teams, with the team of combined USDF Regions 4 and 6 coming out on top of the podium with a total score of 204.575. USDF Region 3 earned...

Traverse City, Mich. – Dressage competition started with a bang at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF, with the Young Riders and U25 divisions completing their team tests. Marie Claire Piller and Caterina. ©KTB Creative Group In the Young Rider division, a total of 22 combinations representing six teams entered the arena for their first tests of this year’s NAYC. The Region 3 team proved dominant, earning a team total of 212.353 to take...

Traverse City, Mich. – Competition at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) will kick off on Wednesday, August 9, with five days of world-class equestrian sport on the schedule. NAYC is comprised of the Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships presented by USHJA and the FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF and is being hosted for the third consecutive year by Traverse City Horse Shows at Flintfields Horse Park. ©Andrew...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athletes who will represent the Land Rover U.S. Driving Team for the FEI Driving World Championship for Combined Ponies. This championship will take place August 30-September 3, 2023, in Oirschot, Netherlands. Single: Amy Cross (Chestertown, Md.) and Eulenhof Spencer , a 2010 Welsh Pony gelding owned by Wendy O’Brien Hilary Mroz-Blythe (Leverett, Mass.) and Bijou , her own 2006 pony cross mare Alternate: Anna Koopman...

Strzegom, Poland – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team had a successful outing over the weekend at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ Poland, holding a wire-to-wire second-place standing in the competition at LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials. The team finished on a 142.8, with The Netherlands taking first on a 133.8. “The point [of the tour] was to give a younger group team experience,” said USEF Eventing Emerging and Development Coach Leslie Law, who led the team in Strzegom....

Stadl-Paura, Austria – The Perrigo U.S. Para Dressage Team had a successful outing this past weekend at the CPEDI3* Stadl-Paura, Austria. The team of Rebecca Hart and Floratina, Fiona Howard and Jagger, and Kate Shoemaker and Colijn turned in excellent performances to finish in a close third place behind the teams from Italy and Austria. Even with the disadvantage of having only three team members and therefore no drop score, the U.S. team earned a final team score of 431.014%, just over...

Megan “Meg” Kepferle of Long Valley, N.J., was a longtime groom for Sinead Maynard (née Halpin) before starting her own business and pursuing her own riding goals. Kepferle groomed multiple times for Maynard at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™, and she made her riding debut at the 2023 event in the CCI4*-S with Anakin, Rogue Won Syndicate LLC’s 2009 Thoroughbred gelding. When asked about her favorite memory grooming at the...