HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, N.Y., will hold the dressage, show jumping and para-dressage disciplines for the 2017 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships July 18-23.
The eventing portion of the championships is set for Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana, July 20-23.
Although all the disciplines traditionally have been held together in one place (this year they were staged at the Colorado Horse Park), that didn’t work out for 2017. As a result, the endurance competition will not be offered as part of NAJYRC. “Alternative possibilities,” are being looked considered.
Mark Coley, the USEF’s director of membership and events, explained the situation this way: “Over the course of the past several years, due to the changes in the competition and developing environments within each of the disciplines that compete at NAJYRC, the relevance and viability of the event to the goals of each discipline, competitors and coaches has changed.
“Additionally, it has become increasingly difficult to find a location and date that fits the calendar of all the disciplines and a venue and organizer that can take on the event in its entirety. The opportunity for individual disciplines to embed their portion of the event into an existing competition creates an alternative approach that could very well increase participation and support the varied goals of each discipline.
“At this point, the decision as to how and where the event will run in the future has not been completed. We will be having discussions with those directly involved in the event, focusing on NAJYRC in the current competition landscape and the role it serves within each of the disciplines. Once we all have a clear understanding of what is best for each discipline individually we can determine what the guidelines will be for organizers so that maximum opportunity to the sport can be provided.”