Helix, who has been Adrienne Lyle’s partner for little more than a year, worked with her in impressive harmony to earn a personal best during Friday night’s 5-star Grand Prix Freestyle to turn in a score of 80.6 percent at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla. The 13-year-old KWPN gelding also won the Grand Prix on Thursday.
One of Adrienne’s musical selections was “Freedom–you gotta give for what you take,” and that seemed to fit perfectly as the rider skillfully asked and received in sync with her mount owned by Zen Elite Equestrian. Her test’s degree of difficulty received marks of 9 plus from all five judges.
She closed her performance dramatically on the son of Apache with a piaffe pirouette on centerline, one of the key elements in a test that flowed.
Another double winner was Adrienne’s 2024 Paris Games teammate, Marcus Orlob, victorious in both the 3-star Grand Prix Special Saturday and the Grand Prix for Special Thursday. In the Special itself, Marcus was marked at 72.043 percent on Alice Tarjan’s Jane, as the only rider to break 70 percent in the class. The USA’s Anna Marek and Fire Fly were second with 68.085 percent while Jemma Heran of Australia finished third with 67.957 percent on Total Recall.
As Adrienne reflected on her ride, she said, “It felt easy, which is exactly what I was hoping for.”
She used the class as a prep for next month’s FEI World Cup Final in Switzerland.
“Not only is this a five-star and a fabulous competition, but I wanted one more chance to get in an environment like this before we head to the World Cup,” she explained.
“My main goal was to have a quiet, harmonious ride, and he felt like he did the whole thing effortlessly — didn’t even break a sweat — and walked calmly back to his stall.”
While her mentor, Debbie McDonald, stays home in Idaho, Adrienne works with her remotely but also gets help from several trainers in Florida, including Katie Duerrhammer, Ali Brock, and Christine Traurig, the U.S. chef d’equipe.
William Warren, one of the judges, was impressed by the quiet riding he witnessed.
“Sitting at C for the only 5-star competition in the Western Hemisphere was exciting, but also nerve-wracking,” he said.
“Adrienne achieved harmony and I appreciated that. I don’t like a lot of visible acrobatics, and all the riders did such a fantastic job. The rapport with each of these riders and their horses was outstanding.”
Second place went to Ecuador’s Julio Mendoz Loor on Jewel’s Goldstrike. The Pan American Games gold medalist had a costly mistake in the left canter pirouette that kept him from hitting 80 percent, finishing on 78.520 percent.
“If I have to lose against somebody, I’m happy to lose to Adrienne,” said Julio, who was masterful riding a mount that cost him $20 as a fiery eight-year-old. The key to success with the horse involves letting him enjoy life in a field around the clock
“This was our second show after the Olympics and it was very exciting,” the North Carolina-based rider continued.
“I’m so grateful to be competing in the 5-star with mega riders and horses.”
Anna Marek of the U.S.was right behind in third on 77.135 percent aboard Fayvel. She leads the standings for the new U.S. Open of Dressage, which will have a finals in California this December. Global is hosting seven of the 23 qualifiers. Anna has 88 points, with Germans Evelyn Eger on 76 points and Felicitas Hendricks (64 points) in second and third.
The 5-star offers $150,000 in prize money, more than any other show in America.
In the 3-star, Marcus’ only problem involved a less-than-perfect transition into canter from passage, but the rest of the test fulfilled his ambition of putting relaxation and flow as the focus of his test with the high-strung mare.
“Today she felt a touch more relaxed than in the Grand Prix and I was really happy because she was breathing, so I could soften my hands,” said Marcus.
“This was a good confidence-building round for her. I didn’t put any pressure on her; I just let her do the job and tried to keep the relaxation as the priority,” he said.
Now all he needs is more time for her to settle in and be more comfortable when there is atmosphere in an arena.
Toward that end, he will expose her to different venues in coming weeks, including the hunter/jumper atmosphere at the busy Winter Equestrian Festival’s Wellington International showgrounds down the road from Global. He also plans to ride at the White Fences dressage enclave in nearby Loxahatchee.
A native of Germany, Marcus is a naturalized American citizen who is based both in Florida and New Jersey.
The younger set took over in the $500,000 Bainbridge Grand Prix Saturday night at the Winter Equestrian Festival, with 24-year-old Emilie Conter of Belgium earning her first 5-star victory. Great Britain’s 25-year-old Olympic team gold medalist Harry Charles was the runner-up, edging Swedish world champion and world number one Henrik von Eckermann.
Her 5-star victory brought instant fame to Emilie Conter, and had spectators clamoring for her autograph.
“I’m super surprised I won,” confessed Emilie, who bested Harry’s jump-off time of 43.33 seconds on Sherlock with her mark of 42.43 seconds aboard Portobello van de Fruitkorf.
Harry noted he was happy with second place, explaining, “I didn’t plan on jumping Sherlock in too many of the bigger classes under the lights; he’s still quite green at night, but tonight he jumped better than I could have hoped. I thought the course builder (Alan Wade) did a great job.”
grand prix; 6645, SHERLOCK, HARRY CHARLES; Sportfot
Henrik, 44 — two decades older than his chief rivals in the class — has been working on some issues in jump-offs with King Edward. He was a bit cautious in the tiebreaker and finished clear in 43.88 seconds for third place.
“I felt I needed to go two steps backwards and get a little more confidence again in it,” noted Henrik. Whatever position he is in, he’s used to handling pressure.
“I like to go in the ring and feel the pressure. The day I don’t feel the pressure it’s time to put the hat on the shelf, because the excitement is not there when it should be. I’m just so happy I have a horse like this and try to enjoy every round I have with him.”
Emilie, who rides for her family’s Stephex stable, noted she added strides with her mare twice in the jump-off.
Emilie Conter on her way to victory before a packed house.
“I wasn’t supposed to do that,” Emilie admitted, “but she was super quick off the floor. I think to the last line I made up some time. Every week got better with the mare, so she’s maturing. I saw a really long [distance] to the last oxer and I heard Helena (Stormanns, her trainer) scream ‘go get it!’, so I took it. I didn’t think it was going to be enough to beat these other riders, but I looked up and saw that I was in first.”
Discussing her 10-year-old mare, Emilie said, “When I first started riding her, she was a bit colder, but always had massive scope. When she was younger, she was not so impressed with the small jumps but now the bigger the fences, the better she jumps.”
Emilie is ranked 79th in the world, and third in the Under 25 category.
Seven entries from a field of 41 at Wellington International were fault-free. Big things were expected from world number two, Kent Farrington of the USA on Myla, but his current winning streak ended when he had a rail at the A element of the double that was the penultimate obstacle on the first-round course. He is only 29 points behind Henrik in the world rankings, and a win in the 5-star would have helped boost his standing.
No U.S. riders were on the podium for the 5-star, where Emilie Conter was the winner, Harry Charles (left) the runner-up and Henrik von Eckermann was third.
Another top U.S. rider, McLain Ward, was back this week after a month off for a spinal injury following a fall. He also did not make the jump-off after having two rails down with his Olympic mount, Ilex, as feisty as usual, putting in a big buck after the first fence.
Versatility, commitment and pure ability all have served jumper rider Skylar Wireman well, but that combination of assets was never better illustrated than by her achievements during February.
Still eligible for Under 25 classes, the young professional made her U.S. international senior team debut against the exotic backdrop of Abu Dhabi, where coach Robert Ridland rode a camel in the parade of participating countries at the Longines League of Nations’ 2025 opener. With only a single rail down there, Skylar –the youngest rider in the entire competition — proved she belonged in the heady company of top international team competition.
Then, as the month ended, the 20-year-old switched gears to focus on style while taking the $100,000 Pro Equitation Challenge on home turf in California at the Desert International Horse Park. Its catch riding test played to her strengths and secured the victory.
Schuyler Wireman on her way to winning the $100,000 Pro Equitation Challenge (High Desert Sport Photo)
It was only a little less than one year ago that Skylar had her introduction to a major championship at the FEI Show Jumping World Cup Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“It was my first FEI show out of the country; my first show internationally was the World Cup Finals,” she reflected, still seeming to be a bit amazed.
“It was a great takeaway, being able to watch so many of the top 10 in the world.”
In an imposing, unfamiliar setting, she was clean and fast with her 10-year-old Tornado (Diarado X Chacco Blue) to finish tenth in the first round and earn the admiration of other countries’ chefs d’equipe. In the second round over bigger fences, however, lack of mileage for horse and rider showed. With four rails down in that leg, Skylar wisely decided not to contest the even more difficult third phase.
As she explained at the time, “Tornado is inexperienced at this level and having studied our round on Thursday and talked extensively to my coach and many others whose opinions and experience I have high regard for, I will not risk his welfare or his future in the sport by asking Tornado to jump a course he might not be quite ready for.”
Smart. That’s Skylar.
The experience overall benefited Skylar and her mount, however.
“I came home with an even better horse than I went with. He really learned a lot there, as much as I did. It was a huge growing week for us.”
They proved that by jumping four clear rounds in a row at Thunderbird in British Columbia upon their return.
She noted that before Riyadh, “if he was impressed, he’d kind of hurl himself over the jumps, rather than opening up and following through behind.”
He finally figured it out over the big fences in Saudi Arabia.
When they came home, “he had a whole new hind end. He found the shape of his body and a true correct bascule over the jumps,” said Skylar.
She has always had to work for what she got. Her mother, Shayne Berridge-Wireman, acts as both her trainer and her groom when necessary, and together they make things happen from their base in San Diego County, Calif. Being women going to the Middle East last year for the first time may have seemed a bit intimidating at first, but as Shayne noted, everyone was very nice and they felt welcome. In Abu Dhabi, where the hotel staff was the friendliest they had ever encountered, the U.S. group even visited a mosque.
The team visits a mosque in Abu Dhabi. Skylar Wireman is fifth from the right. (Photo courtesy Lizzy Chesson)
“We were more comfortable coming to the Middle East because we had done it once. We knew what to expect and how it works, so it was a lot less stressful in the preparation,” Shayne said.
Skylar’s work ethic has made her a standout, and she caught the eye of Olympic team gold medalist Peter Wylde during the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Emerging Athletes Program finals when he was 14 in 2019.
“She had really good instincts as a rider,” recalled Peter, noting Skylar had also impressed in the stable management portion of the competition.
It can be hard to evaluate someone in the EAP, because they are on borrowed horses, some of which are easy and some of which aren’t, he commented.
But “every time there was a problem situation, Skylar’s reactions were correct,” he said.
“She had the most appropriate instinct of what to do when it wasn’t going the right way. As an athlete, she has incredible body control,” he continued, noting she had also been a gymnast.
She didn’t win the final, because of a mistake in the last line of the ride-off, but her talent had made its mark with him.
Skylar and her mother had asked after EAP if Peter could work with them, but at the time, he was too busy. And then Covid hit. With everything shut down, he had the time to give Skylar.
Peter invited the Wiremans to his base in Wellington, Fla., where they stayed in his guest house. He was sharing a stable with international show jumper Lauren Hough, who let Skylar ride one of her jumpers in addition to a hunter being trained by Peter. Mark Phillips, the former U.S. eventing chef d’equipe, was also on the scene and gave Skylar flat lessons.
“Everybody’s like, `This kid is really good.’ It cemented in my mind that she was as talented as I thought she was when I saw her at the EAP,” Peter said.
She’s been busy accumulating honors. Skylar was the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Junior Rider of the year and topped the 2020 Platinum Performance/ USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West at age 15.
While she didn’t win one of the major indoor finals, finishing second in the Medal and the Washington after working with Andre Dignelli, Peter noted that McLain Ward and Beezie Madden went up to Skylar and said, “Don’t worry. We didn’t win a finals either.”
Explaining his involvement, Peter said, “I feel like she’s exceptionally talented. They have a very low budget and I know it’s going to get better at some point and they already have gotten some money behind them. Skylar works as hard as anybody to get where she’s gotten so far.”
She and her mother make their budget work by pitching in with their own braiding, transport, grooming and stall cleaning . The budget also determines their choice of shows.
“We have to go where she has a shot of paying back the entries,” said Shayne, explaining their financial strategy.
In the spring of 2023, Skylar took over the ride on Tornado, known as Tomato around the barn. He was going to be a jumper for top hunter competitor Nick Haness, but he gave Skylar the ride after breaking his wrist.
She had success with Tornado in the jumpers, despite being sidelined for six weeks with a lacerated liver she suffered when another horse stepped on her after a fall. Nick enabled her to keep Tornado until November of that year, when a group of friends and family were able to purchase the Swedish warmblood for her at the 2023 Las Vegas National on the Thursday, just before she rode in the World Cup qualifier two days later. She was eighth there and then went on to the Cup qualifier in Fort Worth, Texas, where she won and earned points to qualify for Riyadh. Skylar is also hoping to make the cut for this year’s Cup finals in Switzerland next month.
What makes her so good?
“She consistently sees the confident forward distance and is able to get the horse to that distance,” said Peter, who doesn’t charge fo his work with her.
“I call it pro bono,” he said.
“He’s so easy to work with,” said Shayne, noting that even though she is her daughter’s trainer, she defers to Peter “because he knows so much more than me.”
For her part, Skylar commented, “to have someone with such knowledge and expertise helping me is really amazing, and for him to do it all because he wants to.”
From Peter she has learned, “finesse and (that) small things can really make a big difference.” He has also mapped out a show schedule that enables her horses to be at their peak when it really counts.
And he introduced her to Boyd Martin, the Olympic eventer he helps, who aided her in getting a Purina sponsorship. She is also grateful for help from Mary Jo and Todd Kaplan, who own one of her horses, Karen.
Looking back on Abu Dhabi, Skylar mentioned the special dynamics of an all-female team, and noted they did some fun things, such as camel riding and falconry on a desert adventure tour.
Skylar and Tornado in Abu Dhabi.
But they were all business for what mattered most. Skylar noted that her time on a Major League Show Jumping national team in the U.S. had been good experience for riding for her country in Abu Dhabi. But being part of the U.S. squad in the Longines League raised the stakes.
“It adds an element of pressure knowing that your team is relying on your round. You have to be really on point and it takes a lot for all the stars to align for everyone to have that perfect round to end up on top,” Skylar emphasized.
Shayne recounted that Robert Ridland defused tension by giving the team a pre-game pep talk, saying that while they were a little bit the underdogs, “We’re going to ride California strong and for the fires,” referring to the blazes that devastated the southern part of the team members’ home state recently.
“It was a great pleasure working with Skylar at her first CSIO 5-star,” said Lizzy Chesson, the USEF’s managing director of show jumping.
“She is an extremely hard-working, talented and dedicated young woman who really maximized her experience in Abu Dhabi. Her curiosity and desire to learn was remarkable. I truly hope she continues to find backers within the sport that help her achieve her potential.”
When the team didn’t qualify for the second round, “Everyone was disappointed, but everyone was grateful for the experience,” said Skylar, noting the U.S. squad did have the second-fastest first round time of all 11 teams. The riders rightly considered that an achievement.
And at her next team event, she will be able to bank on her first experience.
“It’s a whole different animal to put on that pink coat for a team event versus the World Cup, where it’s every man for himself,” she explained. “I like the team, I like the pressure, it’s well-suited for me.”
The U.S. Show Jumping Team took its tenth victory in the $150,000 Nations Cup in Wellington, Fla., Saturday night. The only all-female squad in the competition accumulated a mere 5 penalties, and the margin was so good that anchor rider Laura Kraut didn’t even have to go in the second round.
Ireland was second with 12 penalties, but its chef d’equipe, Michael Blake, got even with U.S. coach Robert Ridland by dousing him with the celebratory bottle of champagne presented during the awards ceremony. Belgium was third on 17 penalties.
Both Ireland and Belgium had one rider each eliminated in the first round, so they had only three competitors to go in the second, run over the same course as the initial effort in the International Arena at the Wellington International showgrounds. Teams from nine countries competed, but the rules called for only eight returning in the second round, so Israel finished ninth.
As usual, Robert gave less-experienced riders a chance to get Cup mileage in this competition. Carly Anthony on Heavenly W was one of only three people in the class to go double-clear.
Carly Anthony was double-clear for the U.S. with Heavenly W. (Sportfot photo)
Robert celebrated woman power.
“What we really like is American girl power beating Irish boy power,” he said with a chuckle.
The U.S. team: Laura Kraut, Natalie Dean, Robert Ridland, Carly Anthony and Charlotte Jacobs (U.S. Equestrian)
The pressure was on Charlotte Jacobs as last to go with Playboy JT Z.
“I knew my horse jumped great in the first round, so I just wanted to repeat that performance,” she said, adding only a single time fault in the second round to her clear trip in the first.
Also on the team was Natalie Dean with Acota M, clean in the first round and a single rail in the second.
The lineup of countries for the Nations Cup (Sport fot photo)
This was Laura’s ninetieth Nations Cup outing, but her first with Tres Bien Z. She had the drop score, when there was a problem at teh one-stride combination after the water jump. Although they cleared the obstacle on a second try, the mishap and time faults made her the drop score.
But as always, the 2008 Olympic team gold medalist had an upbeat comment.
“This was incredible,” she said.
“From the beginning, when Robert told me who the team was, I was really pumped. These are three amazing riders who have been on fire now, not just recently, but working for years to get here. The way they rode the first round was textbook and just so impressive,” she observed.
“To come back the second round and do the same — I’m grateful to them for being the great riders and tough competitors they are.”
An innovative arrangement to spearhead the USA’s high performance three-day eventing efforts will be led by Leslie Law, who has been serving as the country’s eventing development coach. He becomes the team’s chef d’equipe while taking on the role of high performance manager for the Defender U.S. Eventing Team, working with Karyn Shuter. She fills a newly created spot as U.S. Eventing high performance adviser.
Leslie earned the 2004 Olympic individual eventing gold medal in Athens, where he also was a team silver medalist for his native Great Britain. In the chef role, he succeeds Bobby Costello, who did not seek renewal of his contract after it expired last November.
Karyn evented for New Zealand, but is best known for working with Britain’s former world number one eventer, Oliver Townend. In his words, she has done “everything—entries, bills, owners, sponsors, riding and training” for approximately 15 years.
She is one of the owners of Ballaghmor Class, the horse on whom Oliver has won the Defender Kentucky 5-star and most recently the Maryland 5-star.
In addition to working with Oli, “She has helped other athletes,” said Hallye Griffin, the USEF’s director of FEI/High Performance Sport.
While Karyn may also be helping those athletes elswhere on occasion, Hallye said USEF conflict of interest policies will apply, which means “when she’s working for us, she’s working for us. There will be times when she is not working for us,” which means she will have “an allowance to advise others” in those instances.
Hallye noted the eventing leadership selection process was “extremely athlete-driven,” saying they are “really, really excited about Karyn coming on board along with Leslie.”
She added, “The athletes were a big piece of this… (they) were really driving this process. When it came down to it, it was, you know what? We think we need two people.” Looking at other countries, Hallye pointed out, “having more than one person (in a leadership position) is not uncommon.”
Tamie Smith, who in 2023 became the first U.S. rider to win the Kentucky 5-star since 2008, noted that “As riders, we are very excited with the selection of Leslie Law and Karyn Shuter as the leaders for our high-performance goals.
“After an extensive and thoughtful evaluation process, we believe their combined expertise and passion will inspire our team to achieve new heights. We extend our gratitude to USEF for their support and for allowing us to be a part of this process.”
While Leslie has “so much knowledge of the talent of the U.S. and our operations and the programs and the athletes and the horses,” Hallye said, “Karyn is going to come in with a slightly different outside perspective and have a lot of insights into what some of the other top athletes around the world are doing, and seeing where we can increase or level up our programs to get some extra edge for the future.”
Karyn is based in the United Kingdom, but she will be traveling to the U.S. for various events,, home visits and other occasions.
Added Hallye, “There is a lot that is still evolving. This is a re-structure for us to have a high performance advisor. She and Leslie and our athletes have all been super honest with understanding there might be some things within job descriptions that have to evolve.
“As they get their footing, Leslie and Karyn really have to get feedback from everyone as to where these programs need to be going. They’re both excited to have a team of people here.”
Leslie, who has continued to compete in recent years, noted that “Having supported the USEF eventing programs and teams for more than a decade, I have a clear understanding of our depth of talent and ability. I’m honored the athletes supported this transition and are confident in this new structure. With Karyn coming into the fold, alongside our program staff, we are starting this new quad heading in the right direction with the same collective goals in mind.”
“Having supported the USEF eventing programs and teams for more than a decade, I have a clear understanding of our depth of talent and ability,” said Leslie.
“I’m honored the athletes supported this transition and are confident in this new structure. With Karyn coming into the fold alongside our program staff, we are starting this new quad (quadrennium) heading in the right direction with the same collective goals in mind.”
For her part, Karyn stated, “The U.S. has a longstanding and successful history in the sport of eventing and a lot of untapped potential. I’m looking forward to the future with this program and to contributing to supporting the athletes and identifying ways we can improve performance at the international and championship levels.”
Shuter will work with athletes and stakeholders on performance plans, while supporting Leslie in developing a long-term strategy to produce sustained success. It’s all about strategy in their case, since neither of the positions involve training roles.
Christina Vaughn, who worked with Leslie on the eventing development programs for the past decade, will become USEF eventing elite program director and team leader. Leslie and Karyn will report to Amber Braun, USEF’s managing director of eventing.
Trainer/rider Nicole DelGiorno is concerned about why more children and young people aren’t riding dressage in the U.S., even as the hunter/jumper/hunt seat equitation ranks are crammed with kids.
A four-time North American Youth Championships medalist and board member of the Dressage Foundation, Dressage4Kids and Dressage at Devon, she began her learning process with the U.S. Pony Club. Nicole, whose specialty involves developing youth riders and young professionals, is a U.S. Dressage Federation Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist. She also has served as chef d’equipe for Children’s and Junior teams.
She took to social media to diagnose the problem, airing her thoughts on why more U.S. kids aren’t riding dressage. It goes without saying that it is important to have young people coming up through the pipeline so eventually they can represent their country at championships, such as the Olympics. The grassroots are key.
“My goal is to start the conversation,” Nicole told me. While some people do discuss the subject, she believes “it’s a matter of everyone coming together deciding what the right course of action is.” She mentioned that without reinventing the wheel, “There are so many great examples,” to provide inspiration, such as what the American Quarter Horse Association does for its kids.
While some USDF GMO’s (Group Member Organizations) offer age-appropriate schooling show competitions, Nicole noted that is “really dependent on your local GMO and how active and creative they are.” One bright spot in USDF’s Region 1 ((Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) is Lendon Gray’s Youth Festival for riders 25 and under, to be held Aug. 8-10 at the Horse Park of New Jersey. The only other similar festival, according to Nicole, is in Georgia.
Nicole, who is based in New Jersey, offers some intriguing insights. She contends “the recognized youth divisions in U.S. dressage are structured terribly, and that is definitively why we cannot get more kids in dressage.”
Nicole with her former student and current assistant, Quinn Ridgway, at the North American Youth Championships with Quinn’s family.
She illustrated the situation with this theoretical example:
“You are a non-horse parent with a 6-year-old kid that loves horses. You type `horseback riding lessons near me’ into a search engine and start investigating. Ninety percent of the programs that show up offer instruction in hunt seat equitation. Must be popular! You see that the highest-rated barn offers a summer camp and you decide to send your child. She loves it and starts making friends with the kids who ride at the barn. She begs for weekly riding lessons. She takes lessons one to two days a week until her trainer mentions that she is really getting quite good. She should start to compete.
“She does the leadline division and gets exposed to an environment like the Devon Horse Show. Dreams ablaze in her heart, she asks if she can have a pony of her own, but your family isn’t ready for that type of commitment.
`No worries,’ says the trainer. `You can lease our small pony.’ Then she ages out and you lease the medium pony…or the large pony… or the junior hunter.
“But at some point, your kid is getting quite good and the trainer helps you buy a competitive A-circuit equitation horse. Your daughter goes on to place well at several big championships, catching the attention of a noted trainer who offers to take her on as a rider. She goes on to become an assistant trainer, or to cruise happily around the amateur divisions. The End.”
Nicole observed that storyline involves, “Everything curated. Everything clear. Their goal is to not overwhelm parents, because there is real money in developing youth riders in hunter/jumper land and real milestones to attain from the time the kids are little. When that’s true, the trainers are happy and structure their programs to make parents and children happy.
“Now, let’s say your first call was to a dressage barn,” Nicole continued.
“Nine times out of ten, that conversation is going to go like this: `Hello! I am inquiring about riding lessons for my 6-year-old daughter.’ ….`Hi! Does she have her own horse?’ …`No, we don’t.’ `Sorry, can’t help you.’”
Nicole goes on to illustrate another scenario, in which the parent calls one of the 10 percent of dressage barns that can accommodate beginner children.
“Your kid takes riding lessons there for two years. In her third year, she might do some dressage schooling shows at Introductory Level. Your trainer may even take her to some unrated hunter/jumper shows because the format is easier, cheaper and she can get more ring time. Next year, your kid begs to show recognized at Training Level. At only 10 years old, she really does quite well on the barn’s lesson pony. She qualifies for Regional Championships.
Continuing, Nicole suggested, “When you arrive in the warmup for your first class, you see your child’s eyes widen to saucers. She rides over to her trainer and asks in hushed tones, `Is SHE in my class?’
`Yes, my dear, SHE is.’ Your eyes slide over to the 21-year-old rising professional riding her client’s young horse, who appears to be the second coming of Glamourdale. The class commences. Your kid rides her heart out on her lesson pony (you had tried to find something nice for her to lease for this year, but no luck finding a quality seasoned dressage pony for lease). Still, even with her best test of the year, she places third to last with a 62 percent. The young pro wins with a 74 percent. Not because your kid isn’t great and skilled for her age, but because there is a chasm in terms of experience and physical ability between a 10-year-old and a 21-year-old.
Nicole DelGiorno with her former student Quinn Ridgway, who is now her assistant. (Photo by Priceless Equine Productions)
“This is what it is going to look like for the next few years until you buck up and buy a pony for her to do FEI Children’s or Ponies (probably from Europe, because that’s the only place to reliably find a competitive pony that’s actually been shown and proven by a kid). Sure, you could aim at Dressage Seat Equitation Medal Finals, which has a 13 and under division… if you have one of the few 10-year-olds who can ride First Level inside out and backwards, and you can find a size-appropriate mount for her to do it on.”’
She suggested splitting Youth Division classes at Second Level and below according to the rider’s age, noting it wouldn’t cost more than few extra sets of ribbons.
For Dressage Seat Equitation, her idea is a Walk-Trot Equitation class aimed at beginner riders with an Introductory skill set; Walk-Trot-Canter aimed at novice riders with a Training Level skill set and then Advanced Equitation.
It “would keep the current standards for riders with a First Level skill set and feed into the Dressage Seat Medal Finals.” Nicole also would like to see a Pony Division split according to size.
The problem, as Nicole sees it, is that “In general, we do NOT provide the Disney experience to families like the hunter/jumper community does. We do not structure our divisions to give kids appropriate milestones (Why not have an equitation class that is just Walk/Trot like they do in hunter/jumper land? Why can’t we get out of our own way and reward correct basics without making the kids do leg yield, zig-zags and counter-canter and three changes of lead through trot on the diagonal?)
“Because the way our youth divisions are structured is so challenging, no trainer really wants to structure their business around it. It’s a bad gamble that will almost assuredly result in a ticked-off parent and a disappointed kid. Much easier to help adult amateurs…pursue their medals.”
She emphasizes what is at stake for the discipline: “We want to see more kids riding dressage. We want to see better horsemanship and depth at every level of the sport. Then where is the space for younger riders to compete, learn and connect with their peers? Where are the milestones for them to aim toward?”
Nicole riding at Yeguada Susaeta. (Photo by Maria Ruiz Fernandez)
Nicole feels it’s crucial to address these issues, mentioning the concept of a USDF task force that could examine the subject and come up with ideas.
“Until we have an outlet for these young kids to showcase their skill and test their ability in classes that are structured fairly, I think we are going to continue scratching our heads and wondering, `Where are the dressage kids?’ ”
Anyone who thinks they have answers and wants to continue the conversation Nicole started may contact her at nicole.delgiorno@gmail.com.
