Twenty-year-old Kaitlyn Hamilton from Oxford, Michigan will represent the United States at the first edition of the FEI Young Rider World Cup Dressage Final in Frankfurt, Germany, December 16 – 18, 2005.
She will be riding her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding “Noviembre” with whom she formed a successful partnership that led the way to the Region 2 team’s Gold Medal victory at the FEI North American Young Rider Championships in July. This combination also won the FEI Young Rider Team, Prix St. Georges and Young Rider Freestyle tests at the 2005 Great American/USDF Region 2 Dressage Championships. Jochen Hippenstiel, head trainer at Tempel Farms, Illinois, has been training Hamilton and will accompany her to Frankfurt along with her parents.
To assist with the costs of this trip, Hamilton has been awarded a $7,950 grant from The Dressage Foundation from its Michael Poulin Dressage Fund. “This fund is such an appropriate source for this grant, as it fulfills the Fund’s purpose to support innovative programs that enhance our sport,” said John Boomer, President and CEO of The Dressage Foundation. “It fits so well with the goals of Olympian Michael Poulin, in whose honor this Fund was established by his friends, students and admirers.”
In the FEI Junior division, four U.S. Junior riders competed at CDI 3* Copa, Mexico last weekend. Ana DiGironimo of New Jersey, Ryan Eskridge from North Carolina, and Floridians Amanda Stearns and Arianne Weiss were among twelve riders who competed for the 2005 USEF Junior Dressage Team Championship, presented by Collecting Gaits Farm, The Dutta Corp and Performance Sales International, in Devon, Pennsylvania last month, and were thereby given the opportunity to compete in this competition. In front of an imposing ground jury with members such as Mariette Withages (BEL), Cara Whitham (CAN) and Axel Steiner (USA), these youngsters tested their skills while competing on borrowed horses over the duration of three days. Ana DiGironimo was the highest placed U.S. rider, finishing third in the freestyle with a 62.925%. Ryan Eskridge placed sixth, followed by Arianne Weiss and Amanda Stearns.
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