Italian youth team trainer Anna Merveldt believes dressage in Italy in the youth divisions has shown significant growth in the past few years.
Merveldt is born in Canada and rides for Ireland, having represented the country at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
As a team trainer she is involved in the competitive growth of young Italians throughout the course of the season. Several clinics were held in Italy and attended mainly by the domestically based riders.
"This year we have increased the clinics and improved the organization," said Merveldt. "We have an excellent Junior team and we managed to compose a team for each level for the 2019 European Youth Riders Championships. We try to do more and more for our young people and without a doubt there has been a great improvement in their level of preparation."
For next year Merveldt hopes to increase the amount of clinics hosted bby the federation, "so that we can help them in their competitive growth. We will try to be more closely involved in the training of these promising girls and boys."
Anna admires the attitude and commitment of the children, junior and young riders she has worked with
"I feel very comfortable with them. They have much passion and are trained by highly qualified instructors," she said. "They work hard all year and are very promising. Of course they need to still grow more, but they also require good horses and talent."
--- Horses Riviera Resort press release
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2019 European Youth Riders Championships