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Saturday, June 12 2021 / Published in Sidelines Feature

North American Youth Championships and the Importance of Friendly Rivalry

By George Williams

Every year as the days get longer and summer is almost here, I start looking forward to what has become an institution: one of the most instrumental dressage competitions we have in North America, the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC). While it’s gone by different names over the years, it has served as the international debut for several U.S. and Canadian dressage Olympians including Courtney King Dye, Ashley Holzer, Adrianne Lyle, Jackie Brooks, David Marcus, Ali Brock and many others who went on to represent their countries at the World Equestrian Games and Pan Am Games.

NAYC’s role in producing top senior riders cannot be denied, since the first ones were held in the late ’70s and early ’80s. It’s been the start of international careers for a number of U.S. and Canadian top professionals and team riders. The list of alumni is literally a virtual “who’s who” of dressage, proving that the competition is vitally important to both the U.S. and Canada.

Part of what makes NAYC so valuable is the experience of being part of a team, especially in a sport where we usually perform as individuals. To compete successfully as a team requires athletes to learn how to work together toward a common goal. An added benefit, especially from my perspective, is that for dressage the U.S. is permitted to have regional teams and Canada can send teams from provinces. That means the U.S. has the possibility of sending a total of 72 athletes.

Each of the nine USDF Regions can send a four-member team of FEI Junior riders and a four-member team of FEI Young Riders. We’re not quite to the point where each region is in a position to send full teams, but it does allow us to promote dressage throughout almost all of the United States. Without this aspect of the NAYC, it would be easy for dressage to be even more centered in areas like Southern California or Florida. Instead, this year, we have athletes applying from 28 states (over the years more than 32 states). In my opinion, that’s pretty darn good when you consider that combinations are competing at an FEI level.

Like so many competitions, the 2020 NAYC was cancelled due to COVID-19. The championships were scheduled to be held in Traverse City, Michigan. This year, fingers crossed, the Traverse City Horse Shows will add their name to the list of incredible venues that have hosted the NAYC since its inception in the 1970s as the American Continental Young Rider Championships. The NAYC is recognized by the FEI as a continental championship for the three Olympic disciplines for riders ages 14 to 21. For the last four years, the eventing championships have been held separately but dressage and jumping are still together.

A Vital Role

As we focus on growing and strengthening dressage within the U.S., one of the things that’s easy to forget is the vital role of “friendly rivalry.” Well, perhaps it’s not always so friendly — with the NAYC, we do want to emphasize the importance of good sportsmanship. But it is a sport, and as a country, it’s crucial that U.S. athletes are competing against the best horses and riders possible, meaning that it’s in our national interest for Canada to produce top competitors.

One only has to look across the Atlantic to see this at work. When I was growing up, Europe was the hot spot for dressage. If you look at the team medals won at CHIO Aachen throughout the years, Germany has remained one of, if not the, leading countries. Over the decades that I have spent in dressage, they have faced major challenges from the Dutch, the Swedish, the British, the Danish and the U.S. In response, German riders have continued to up their game.

In the end, all of the countries become stronger and dressage as a sport is the beneficiary. The same scenario plays out on this continent with the Canadians, especially the “friendly rivalry” of our young athletes. This is an extremely positive and much-needed phenomenon. As a youth coach, I’m thrilled and applaud when I see young Canadian riders like Camile Bergeron doing so well — in the long run, it will only make our riders do better.

Major thanks are owed to the foresight of those individuals who started and nurtured this important competition. They became a collective force of nature and we now have a treasure trove of instructors, trainers, judges and international competitors who are influencing not just our next generation of riders but our current riders as well. In my humble opinion, if we care about the future of our sport in the United States, the NAYC is an institution that needs to be supported and protected.

Caption:

Even though NAYC 2020 was cancelled, declared riders from Region 2 received a baseball cap to lift their spirits during the pandemic.

Photo by Ruby Tevis

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Tagged under: dressage, nayc, nayc dressage, young-riders, youth championships

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A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself The spor A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself 
The sport of eventing is a demanding and mentally challenging discipline that requires a combination of physical and mental fortitude from both the rider and horse. While having a coach can be incredibly beneficial, self-coaching can also play a crucial role in a rider’s success.

I think that given the opportunity, most riders would like to be coached every day. The reality of life in the horse world, however, is that the majority of us need to absorb as much from the lessons we have on a limited basis and then practice those skills at home to improve.

When I am riding, I try to have a plan for the horses each day and focus on what I’m looking to achieve. It’s important to be aware of the steady improvements rather than trying to solve everything all at once. This is especially important when teaching horses new movements or exercises that they might struggle with, and we need to give them time to learn and understand what we are asking for.

I have a couple of quotes that I use regularly when I’m teaching, and these are mottos that I hold myself to in my daily work as well.

The first is, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.” This is a quote that was said to me many years ago when I was still motor racing and I keep it in the back of my mind each day. It’s easy to get stuck doing the same thing every day with your horse and bad habits are hard to break, from both riders and horses!

This leads me to my next quote, which is, “If what you are doing isn’t working, try something else.” It really is as simple as that! Many riders I see keep asking a horse to do something the same way over and over with an ongoing negative response and they wonder why things don’t get better. In these circumstances, I recommend that the rider change something, even if it’s wrong.

Read the full article by clicking the link in our bio! Don’t forget to keep your eye out for our April subscription!
📸Photo by Alex Banks Photography
The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

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