Erin Nichols is the 2026 North American Under 25 Champion

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2026 North American Youth Championships

Erin Nichols and Kind Pleasure are the 2026 North American Under 25 Champions. The pair won the Intermediaire II team championship test to lead Region 3/6 to team gold and added two more individual gold medals to her tally, winning the individual test (short Grand Prix) and freestyle.

The North American U25 Championships are part of the 2026 North American Youth Championships held at Flintfield Horse Park in Traverse City, MI, U.S.A. on 28 July - 2 August 2026.

The U25 division featured 13 riders, 11 of them American, one Canadian and one Mexican. With no actual two international teams present the "FEI North American Championship" run at USEF level. Riders were awarded USEF medals instead of FEI ones.

Short Grand Prix: Individual Test Gold for Nichols

The Wellington based Nichols and Kind Pleasure, a 2015 KWPN gelding by Governor x Zack, claimed individual gold in the U25 Grand Prix 16-25 Test, posting a score of 68.513%. Alicia Berger (Wellington, Fla.) and Aqua Marin, a 2011 Oldenburg gelding (by Ampere x Stedinger) earned the silver medal with a 66.846%, and Canada's Brooke Mancusi (CAN) and DeJohn Ymas, a 2008 KWPN gelding (by Johnson TN x Sandro Hit) took bronze with a personal-best score of 66.205%.

Nichols, competing with Kind Pleasure at their first championship together, said the partnership is still finding their footing in the ring.

"I think we're really growing as a team,” she explained. “We have been learning how he acts in that championship setting; he's a little bit shy. After getting his confidence up and going around, he did a foot-perfect test except for the last centerline. That just tells me there's always something to work on, something to learn from, and to look forward to in the future."

Nichols said she's especially looking forward to unveiling her freestyle. "My music is a surprise, but it's one of my favorite freestyles I've ever made. I'm really excited for everyone to see it," she said.

Berger and Mancusi on the Podium

Berger, who earned silver aboard Aqua Marin, said the U25 division has been an important steppingstone in her and her horse's development.

The individual test podium: Berger, Nichols, Mancusi

"Sometimes athletes jump straight from Young Riders to the senior Grand Prix, and it's such a big jump. The U25, at least for me, not only allowed me to step up to the Grand Prix, but it also provided an opportunity for my horse too. The coolest part to me is sitting here with [Nichols and Mancusi], two other very talented young ladies going through the same thing. We can all walk out of the test proud of what we've done, have these green moments together, and build friendships that last into some of the more difficult times in dressage," Berger said.

Berger also spoke fondly of her horse's enthusiasm in the ring. "I call [Aqua Marin] my pocket rocket. He's full of so much excitement and enthusiasm, and he just has fun out there. He thinks everyone is there clapping for him, which is really fun, and he just gives it his all. It's such a pleasure to ride a horse that really tries," Berger said.

Mancusi, the lone Canadian rider in the U25 division, said representing her country at NAYC carries extra weight in her final year of eligibility. "It's really such a great country, and it's really hard for us to get a horse to be here at this level. It's always a pleasure to walk away with a medal. It's my last year, so it's bittersweet," Mancusi said.

Mancusi called her test with DeJohn Ymas one of their strongest outings together. "It was probably one of our better entries,” she said, “Our piaffe and passage with the first half was good. We got all the changes today; the pirouettes were good, and extensions were good. He was just really with me the whole time, and it was really good. We really tried.”

Kur to Music: Hattrick for Nichols

Nichols went on to win Kur to Music gold on Saturday evening 1 August. The podium ended up being identical to the short Grand Prix with Berger getting her second silver and Mancusi her second bronze.

Nichols, who trains with German Christoph Koschel, scored a personal best of 73.530%, sweeping all five judges, and capping a triple gold week for the pair.

"This show is so special, and to come home with three gold medals is more than you could ever dream of," Nichols said. "I'm so proud of my horse. He really shined tonight and enjoyed himself, and that's what we've been working on. I'm really excited for the future with him." Kind Pleasure is just eleven years old, and Nichols noted the partnership is still developing. "We bought him when he was nine years old to develop, and now to have our first championship under our belt, you can't ask for anything more. He's such a cool horse, and he's starting to really shine in the ring and show off."

Nichols rode to a freestyle built around Elton John's music, designed with Karen Robinson. "My goal was to use music everyone knows, and everyone can enjoy it. It's some of my favorite music too. I was listening to it while braiding [Kind Pleasure] and dancing along." Asked to sum up Kind Pleasure in one word, Nichols said simply, "A dream."

Berger (Wellington, Fla.) and Aqua Marin, who are coached by German born American Olympian Jan Ebeling, earned silver with a personal-best score of 71.640%, riding to an Avatar-themed freestyle.

"I just love the music, and I think it fits him well," Berger said, referencing her horse's barn name, “Aqua.” "The first part is actually Collier Wimmer's voice; she voices it over just like in the movie, and she says, 'Are you ready to fly?' I love that, because that's exactly what it feels like passaging on Aqua. You're just flying."

Asked about a standout moment from the test, Berger said, "Any time you get the chance to passage with him, is amazing. You really feel like you're floating on clouds, taken in such a powerful but graceful way. There's nothing like it." She described Aqua as being "Full of fire, and he thinks everyone's there for him. That's the coolest part."

Mancusi (CAN) and DeJohn Ymas rounded out the podium with a personal-best score of 70.460%, riding to a Guns N' Roses freestyle.

"My dad actually picked the music out. It was between Maroon 5 or Guns N' Roses, and Guns N' Roses is his favorite, so I said, ‘okay, we're going with that,’" Mancusi said. "I wanted it to be something everybody knew, and we shaped the rhythm and the words to make it flow, which really helps me and my horse find the beat together."

Mancusi pointed to a specific moment as the highlight of her test: nailing the tempi work late in the freestyle. "My coach told me I had to get my twos and threes. I didn't get them in the beginning, so I made sure to get enough twos, and if I had the space, go for the ones. Doing the twos into the ones and getting everything I needed was just really special." Mancusi and DeJohn Ymas, known in the barn as “Johnny,” have partnered for several years. "He's big-hearted; he really drives his heart out for me. From year one to now it's been a huge change, and he tries really, really hard no matter what."

Looking ahead, Nichols confirmed her next stop with Kind Pleasure will be the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions at HITS Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill. in late August. Berger will join Nichols at the Festival of Champions aboard Aqua Marin, and Mancusi has a busy fall slate planned, including a show in Bromont, Québec in September and Canada's National Dressage and Para Dressage Championships in Bécancour, Québec in early October, where she'll contest the Open Grand Prix alongside a second up-and-coming Grand Prix mount.