The 2015 Florida Youth Dressage Championships will once again be held during the international dressage winter competition at The Stadium at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. The event will take place March 11-15, 2015. The Florida Youth Dressage Championships are open to all nationalities.
Riders under 25, no matter what country they are from, are encouraged to sign up and participate! Competition includes four FEI Divisions: a Pony Division, a Junior Division, a Young Rider Division and an Under 25 Grand Prix.
Newly appointed USEF Dressage Youth Coach George Williams looks forward to the competition and is happy to see the championships return to Wellington in 2015 as Wellington gears up for a winter of top international sport.
"I am definitely looking forward to the youth championships again this year," Williams stated. "I think each year it gets bigger and more important as a competition. It is an international competition that is open to riders from all countries. It is not limited to just North America, so it allows our U.S. riders an opportunity to compete against riders from other countries. That is a valuable experience and obviously a wonderful learning opportunity for our riders. I think that by having these opportunities, we really encourage and give our riders incentive to compete on a higher level."
Youth under the age of 25 interested in competing must apply in writing by submitting a letter of intent by midnight EST on February 15, 2015 to LendonGray@gmail.com. The qualifying process will be that the top 15 ranked pairs in each division that have submitted a letter of intent will be invited. Lendon Gray will identify the 15 top ranked riders for each division and notify them for their participation.
Special youth activities are scheduled for the week as well as the CDI competition.
Photo © Astrid Appels
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