North American Youth Championships

These past few months Mariska, my 8-year-old Friesian-cross mare, and I have been traveling across the Southeast to take our best shot at qualifying for the     Adequan®/FEI North American Youth Championships. The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) has developed this annual junior olympics as an opportunity for riders ages 14 to 21 to experience an international competition to proudly represent their region and country. Highly accomplished riders from all parts of the continent come together to show their skills in Jumping, Eventing, and my discipline, Dressage. This year the Championships are being held at Old Salem Farms, in North Salem, New York, on August 1-5.

Qualifying has consisted of attending many horse shows and working to get the highest scores possible in both FEI Junior tests. After a lot of hard work, Mariska and I have reached our goal, and we are one of the four Junior riders to be selected from our very competitive Region 3 to attend the NAYC. Being part of these championships is a dream come true, and something I have been working towards for several years.

Now that I have this amazing opportunity, I need your support to help with the various expenses associated with horse competitions. Our expenses will include travel for horse and rider, housing, entry fees, and training. I am estimating a total personal cost of around $12,000. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have.