Canadian Eventers Win Team Honours at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships

Canadian eventers excelled at the 2012 Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) held July 18–22 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.   

In the Young Rider Two Star Championships division, the combined Ontario/Quebec team of Erin MacDonald of Barrie, ON, Rachel McDonough of Etobicoke, ON, Sable Giesler of Powassan, ON, and Katherine Martineau of Brossard, QC, earned a total of 258.2 penalty points to win the team bronze medal.

Individually, MacDonald and Tobiaz, her 10-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding, were the top placed Canadians finishing in ninth place. Sitting in fifth position on a dressage score of 54.1, MacDonald added 18.4 cross country time penalties to their score. Two costly show jumping rails added an additional eight penalties giving the pair a final score of 80.5. McDonough, riding Irish Rhythm, her 13-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred gelding, finished just behind MacDonald, in 10th spot, with a score of 85.4.  Rounding out the Canadian entries in the CH-Y** division was Giesler and Evil Munchkin, her nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding, with a 12th place finish.  

MacDonald also won the Captain Andrew De Szinay Sportsmanship Award which is awarded to the rider who best exemplifies the high standards and virtues of sportsmanship that Captain De Szinay spent his life encouraging and developing in young equestrians. MacDonald's name was put forward by the Chef d’équipes for Eventing, and during a meeting of representatives from all disciplines, it was agreed that she deserved the award.

In the always competitive Junior One Star Championships division, the Ontario team of Kylie Figueira of Fenelon Falls, ON, Haley Armstrong-Laframboise of Orangeville, ON, Dasha Ivandaeva of  Richmond Hill, ON, and Charlotte Evans of Whitevale, ON won the CH-J* team silver medal, with a combined score of 185.8.  

The combined Quebec/Ontario team of Genevieve Boutin of Sherbrooke, QC, Sean Mcintosh of La Salle, ON, Mia Dover-Terrettaz of Carp, ON, and Hannah Galway, Toronto, ON were fifth place overall, scoring 220.3.

Armstrong-Laframboise and Steven Chepa's 12-year-old Trakehner mare, added eight jumping penalties to their dressage score of 51.2 to finish as the top placed Canadian in the CH-J* division with a score of 59.2, for ninth place. Riding Autorytet, her 10-year-old Thoroughbred cross gelding, Ivandaeva added only 1.6 cross country time and four jumping penalties to her dressage score of 54.4 to finish in 12th place with 60. In 14th place was Mcintosh and Wild T'Mater, Robert Mcintosh's 11-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred gelding with 62.9, while Figueira and her 15-year-old Trakehner, Danzig, were 17th with a score of 66.6. In 23rd spot was Galaway and D'Jion, her 10-year-old Mustang gelding, and right behind in 24th place was Dover-Terrettaz riding Etoile, her eight-year-old Thoroughbred cross gelding. Riding Curioso, Anne Grimard's eight-year-old Lusitano Appendix gelding, Boutin rounded out the Canadians in the CH-J* division in 28th.

"We went into this year's competition with more depth than we have had in years with 10 qualified CCI* riders and four CCI** combinations," said team coach Peter Gray. "Without question, all riders were well prepared having had a stellar competition season; most started their journey south of the border for winter training. All riders had their personal best results in the dressage phase and added few penalties  through the following two days of competition."

Gray continued, "We missed gold medals in a very close finish, but I was extremely proud to see our Junior and Young Rider Teams finishing on the podium. Our riders worked very hard in training and remained focused throughout the competition."

Thanks to the generous support of the Team sponsors Tipperary, SSG gloves, Greenhawk, Bahrs Saddlery, Avid Equestrian, Lanes End Stables and Grandview Farms.   

The North American Junior/Young Riders’ Championships are held annually under the rules of the Federation Equestre Internationale—the international governing body for equestrian sport. The 2011 competition hosts the Olympic disciplines of eventing, dressage and show jumping as well as FEI disciplines of reining and endurance.  Many of the world’s top event riders, including many Olympic gold medalists, began their careers at the NAJYRC.

For more information and full results for NAJYRC, please visit www.youngriders.org.

In Junior One Star Championships division, the Ontario team of Kylie Figueira of Fenelon Falls, ON, Haley Armstrong-Laframboise of Orangeville, ON, Dasha Ivandaeva of  Richmond Hill, ON, and Charlotte Evans of Whitevale, ON won the CH-J* team silver medal, with a combined score of 185.8.

 

In the Young Rider Two Star Championships division, the combined Ontario Quebec team of Erin MacDonald of Barrie, ON, Rachel McDonough of Etobicoke, ON, Sable Giesler of Powassan, ON, and Katherine Martineau of Brossard, QC, earned a total of 258.2 penalty points to win the team bronze medal.

Photo Credit—Brant Gamma & Pete Landon