The Stage is Set for the 2015 U.S. Young and Developing Dressage Horse Championships

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2015 U.S. Young Horse Championships

The future of United States dressage will be showcased this week when 65 talented combinations compete at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in the 2015 U.S. Young & Developing Horse Dressage Championships on 20 - 23 August 2015. Combinations will be vying for titles across four divisions including Young Horse Four-, Five-, and Six-year-olds as well as the Developing Horse Prix St. Georges and Grand Prix. Each division will determine its champion after two days of intense competition.

4-Year-Old Championship

A field of 13 combinations will begin their quest for a title on Thursday when they perform the U.S 4-year old Test. They will close out the competition on Saturday performing the 4-year old Test once again. Top ranked Alice Tarjan (Frenchtown, N.J.), a veteran of National Championship competition, has two entries, her own Tiko and Donatella M. Out of the 13 combinations, seven athletes will ride U.S. bred horses. Those seven include horses that were bred by longtime supporters of the U.S. Young Horse Program: Maryanna Haymon, Judy Yancey, and Louise & Doug Leatherdale.

5-Year-Old Championship

Competition gets underway between 16 combinations in the 5-year-old division on Thursday with the 5-Year-Old Preliminary Test and wraps-up Saturday with the 5-Year-Old Final Test. After winning the Four-Year-Old U.S. Championship in 2014, Carly Taylor-Smith and Nikki Taylor-Smith’s Rosalut NHF will look to add a Five-Year-Old National Championship title to their list of accolades. Tarjan will contest this division as well with her third entry, her own Candescent.

6-Year-Old Championship

The 6-Year-Old Championship will feature a lineup of 13 combinations, when they begin on Friday morning with the 6-Year-Old Preliminary Test. The field features a majority of U.S. bred horses and several familiar faces to these championships. Lisa Wilcox (Loxahatchee, Fla.) leads the field and brings Horses Unlimited’s Gallant Reflection HU to the competition. Horses Unlimited Inc. has a successful record at these championships as their horse Pikko del Cerro HU won the Developing Horse Prix St. Georges National Championship in 2011 and the Developing Horse Grand Prix National Championship in 2012 with Wilcox. 2011 Six-Year-Old Champion Emily Miles-Wagner (Lacygne, Kan.) is back and competing with two horses as is Patricia Becker (Wadsworth, Ill.) and Mike Suchanek (Cambridge, Minn.). The competition will end on Sunday with the FEI Six-Year-Old Final Test.

Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Championship

Competition for the Developing Horse Prix St. Georges National Championship begins Thursday afternoon with the Prix St. Georges Test. The champion will be named on Saturday morning following the USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Test. The field of 14 combinations features Cesar Parra (White House Station, N.J.) and his and Martin Sosnof’s Oldenburg Fashion Designer OLD who won the 2013 Five-Year-Old championship. They will take on last years’ Six-Year-Old National Champions Heather Blitz (Medfield, Mass.) and Oak Hill Ranch LLC’s Ripline and three other horses who competed in last years’ Six-Year-Old National Championships, Marchella Richardson’s Boccaccio IOF, Maryanna Haymon’s Doctor Wendell MF, and Peggy Mills’ Clapton JP.

Developing Horse Grand Prix National Championship

A small, but impressive group of nine combinations will lineup Friday morning, beginning with the FEI Intermediate II Test, for their chance at the Developing Horse Grand Prix Championship title. The 2013 Developing Horse Prix St. Georges National Champion and 2014 Developing Horse Grand Prix National Reserve Champion Emily Miles-Wagner and her own WakeUp will go up against some tough competition including 2014 Developing Horse Prix St. Georges National Championship third-place finisher Petra Warlimont (Evergreen, Colo.) and Susan Alvey’s Highschool MCF and 2014 Intermeidiare I National Championship participant Christopher Hickey and Cecelia Stewart’s Ronaldo. The champion will be named Sunday afternoon following the USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Test.