Annelise Klepper, 2019 North American Junior Champion, Soaking Up Knowledge and Working on Her Future

Wed, 05/13/2020 - 16:24
USA
Annelise Klepper and Happy Texas Moonlight are the 2019 North American Junior Riders Champions :: Photo © Meg McGuire

For 2019 North American Junior Riders Champion Annelise Klepper her goal of pursuing a second consecutive title at the 2020 NAYC in Traverse City, Michigan has gone up in smoke with the cancellation of the event due to the ongoing corona pandemic. Covid-19 has upended the FEI competition calendar for the entire spring and summer show season and imposed a new way of life for all.

Home in lockdown in McCutchenville, Ohio, and adjusting to a "new normal", 15-year old Annie returned home from a successful season at the 2020 Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, where her career as an international dressage rider started in 2018.

Pony Start

Klepper made her international show debut at age 13 at FEI pony level with HB Virginia, a Westfalian bred riding pony by Vivaldi x Principal Boy. The young duo competed in three CDI's in Wellington and earned her first miles in the same arena in which America's greatest compete. 

"Being familiar with international competition and the overall process of a CDI from such a young age was invaluable to me," said Annie. "It allowed me to be more comfortable with higher pressure shows, a skill very helpful in national and continental championships. I definitely learned that bad rides are not the end of the world, which additionally helped me to appreciate the good rides."

The pair rounded off their first season at the 2018 U.S. National Dressage Championships where they gained ring experience. 

Klepper and HB Virginia (Photo © E.Miller)
Klepper was selected for an Educational Trip to the U.K., hosted by Lendon Gray's Dressage4Kids, in August 2018. The group attended the 2018 European Pony Championships in Bishop Burton, brood farm Mount St John Equestrian, and Olympian Carl Hester's training facility.

"We packed so much into that trip, but some of the highlights were visiting and touring Carl Hester’s yard. Charlotte Dujardin was also there and generously gave a presentation on Valegro to our small group, which was surreal. Valegro even slobbered on my head," said Klepper. "I was incredibly impressed with the quality of the ponies at the European Pony Championships and the immense talent of the pony riders. The scores were astronomical because the riders were so precise and had such a deep knowledge of dressage theory. The pairs were like well oiled machines!"

From Ponies to Horses

Although Annie had not outgrown ponies, the family decided to make an early transition to junior level and horses. 

"We're not able to own multiple ponies and horses for this level of competition, so we decided that it would be better to fully dedicate training and competing on one mount," Klepper explained. "We decided to move on to a horse. In an absolute perfect world we knew we needed a very special one that could ideally take me from Juniors to Young Riders and beyond. It was a tall order, but I was hopeful and also very excited for this new chapter."

Klepper and Happy Texas Moonlight
At the end of 2018 the now 13-year-old Happy Texas Moonlight (by Happy Diamond x Top of Class) joined the family as a Christmas present. The dark bay Oldenburg is a gentle giant standing 18 hands high and he has been amicably nicknamed Louis or “Lounicorn”.

“I was incredibly fortunate to have found my heart horse," said Klepper about her trip to Germany where she discovered Louis. "I knew from the first 30 seconds of our initial ride that he was the one. We almost didn’t try him because of his size. In fact, we were actually there to see another horse. He was an absolutely amazing mover and so correct in his training. When I first rode him, I could tell that he was eager to please and enjoyed his job. He is the world’s sweetest horse - an absolute gentleman and his large stature makes him quite a stand out!"

Take the Junior Scene by Storm

Coached by Kristin Stein, the new duo didn't need much time to find the swing of things. After one CDI in Florida, where they won two out of three classes, Annie and Happy Texas Moonlight were selected on the Region 2 team and headed to the North American Youth Championships in North Salem. 

"We truly clicked after our first few months of training in Wellington, and dove into a successful CDI competition season fairly quickly, which really solidified our partnership," said Annie. 

2019 North American Junior Champions
Klepper and Happy Texas Moonlight took the NAYC by storm. After spearheading her Region 2 team to a silver team medal, Annelise went on the win individual and Kur gold as the youngest junior to date with double gold at age 14.

"I definitely did not expect to win NAYC in 2019. I was simply excited to be there," Annie admitted. "I honestly still can’t believe it! I feel so fortunate to have shared that experience with my horse. It was truly unreal to be able to stand on the podium next to such talented riders. My region 2 teammates were so supportive throughout the entire show. NAYC was very much the start of this new phase in my riding career."

After a brilliant summer show season, the icing on the cake arrived a month later in September, when Klepper got submitted to the 2019 Discover Dressage USEF/USDF Emerging Athlete Program. 

Show Schedule for 2020 Up in the Air

As the reigning North American Junior Riders Champions, Annelise and Happy had a reputation to live up to when they returned to Florida for the 2020 winter show season. The pair competed in seven tests at four CDI's and won every single one of them. 

Annelise had just completed all of her qualifying scores for 2020 at the last CDI in Wellington when the corona pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt.

"When shows begin again, I would love to show in the Prix St Georges as I continue in the Juniors," said Klepper. "Long term, I want to stay with the youth trajectory; working toward Young Riders and Under 25."

The 2020 North American Youth Championships in Traverse City, MI, have been cancelled, which means that all eyes are on 2021.

Corona Times in Lockdown

Annie and Happy
Although in lockdown in Ohio, Annie is still fortunate to be able to ride, having her horse at home.

"Florida is tough on the horses, so Louis is in heaven here in Ohio with the cooler temps and huge lush pastures," said Annie, who is continuing her training with Stein.

"We worked so hard this winter on polishing my Junior tests to show in the CDI’s at Global. We were also preparing for a PSG test before shows were cancelled due to the virus," said Klepper "Now that we’re back in Ohio, Kristin is making the two hour drive to our farm twice a week for in person lessons (still maintaining social distancing of course!) and giving virtual lessons the other training days of the week. At the moment, we’re taking things slowly, doing a lot of hacking and allowing a much deserved relaxation period for Louis."

Together with Annie mum Shannon runs a small, family owned apparel company "Annie's Equestrienne Apparel" specializing in show clothing. 

"My mom and I started the business when I was younger and just starting to compete. It’s fun to see how the brand has grown up and matured along with me," said Klepper. "We began with a modest yet unique line of children’s breeches, but now it has evolved to include beautiful show jackets and shadbellies. During quarantine, I’ve been designing an entirely new collection that’s completely unlike anything we’ve done before, so stay tuned!"

Photos © Sue Stickle, Emma Miller, Meg McGuire

Related Links
Bacariza Wins Florida International Youth Dressage Championships on Concluding Day of 2020 Palm Beach Derby
Klepper Scores Kur Gold at 2019 North American Junior Riders Championships
Klepper Elevates to Individual Test Gold at 2019 North American Junior Riders Championships
Region 4 Wins Team Gold at 2019 North American Junior Riders Championships
Scores: 2018 U.S. Dressage Championships