Eila Fisk Scores Golden Hatrrick at 2026 North American Young Riders Championships

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2026 North American Youth Championships

-- USEF press release, edited by Eurodressage

After winning team gold on Thursday, Region 3's Eila Fisk continued to dominate the 2026 North American Young Riders Championships, earning individual and Kur to Music gold.

The North American Young Riders Championships are part of the 2026 North American Youth Championships held at Flintfield Horse Park in Traverse City, MI, U.S.A. on 28 July - 2 August 2026. They concluded on Sunday 2 August 2026 with the Young Riders Kur to Music.

Individual Test: First Individual Gold for Fisk

The individual test on Saturday 1 August was judged by Agnieszka Majewska, Janet Lee Foy, Cesar Torrente, Alexandre Lacerda Leão, and William Warren. Twenty-three combinations competed in this second round of the NAYRC but not a single pair was able to crack the 70% magical marker. Nevertheless, the top three place-getters each rode a personal best score.

Eila Fisk (Aiken, S.C.) and Quaresma, a 2016 Oldenburg gelding (by Quantensprung x Furstenball), owned by Gina Fisk, topped the Young Rider Individual field with a score of 68.382%, earning their second individual medal of the week.

"It literally feels crazy. I legitimately would never have thought I would be here," said Fisk who has been training with Laura Abner for the past three years. "My concern was really just trying to qualify for NAYC this year, because it is both my horse's and my first year at this level. I spent my winter training, trying to get some pirouettes and tempi changes, and I never thought we'd be able to polish it up in just the past couple of months so we could be here."

The YR Individual podium:
Campbell-Wright, Fisk, Berger

Fisk described Quaresma, whom she calls “Quinnie,” as a horse who took time to come out of his shell. "He was a little stoic in the barn, but after six to twelve months, he really opened up. Now he's very cuddly, affectionate, and it really comes out in the ring, too. He's not a big fan of strangers, but when you get his trust, it's there for a million years."

Alison Campbell-Wright (CAN) and Vintage, a 2016 Oldenburg gelding (by Vivaldi x Belissimo), owned by Bonnie Campbell, earned silver with a personal best score of 67.177%. Alison trains with Canadian Grand Prix rider Pia Fortmuller.

"NAYC is such a fun experience, and representing Canada, it's great to be wearing the red and white," Campbell-Wright said. "It is really nice to see all the different countries come together and have such camaraderie for each other. Even though I'm Canadian, some of my biggest cheers today were for Americans. I always try to watch as many rides as I can and cheer everybody on, because this is such a great experience for youth coming up through the programs."

Vintage made his competition debut on North American soil back in 2021 in Florida, where Colombian Raul Corchuelo showed him through 2025.

Of her mount, Campbell-Wright said, "We've only had him since December, so it's been interesting trying to figure out each other. He's a bit of a character; he loves people, but only once does he get to know them. He's very opinionated; he has what he likes and what he doesn't like, and he decides what we're doing. I love him."

Allison Berger (Wellington, Fla.) and Delacure, a 2014 Hanoverian gelding (by Deveraux x Brentano II), co-owned by Allison and Marianne Berger, rounded out the podium with a personal-best 67.030%, marking Berger's second medal of the week.

"It was so fun just to compete this whole week," Berger said. "It was a little different to compete as a team, but much like on team day, I had my whole team and lots of others cheering me on today as well, and that felt amazing. I just wanted to put together a clean test, and he really tried hard for me. I'm happy with how it turned out."

Berger has partnered with Delacure for four years, moving through the levels together after competing with him at NAYC as a Junior. "He's so patient with me, and he's teaching me. We're learning together. I'm so grateful to him, and to my coach, Jan Ebeling, and my family. It really takes a village to make it work, and I'm so grateful to everyone who makes this possible.”

Allison is the younger sister to Alicia Berger, who won double individual silver in the Under 25 division the same weekend.

Kur to Music: Hattrick for Fisk

Eila Fisk and Quaresma also topped the Young Rider Freestyle on Sundau with a score of 72.600%, earning their third gold medal of the week.

"It just really speaks to Quaresma's heart," Fisk said. "As a horse, he is so consistent and always tries his hardest. He'll always put forward as clean of a test as he can. I'm especially proud because it's our first year at this level and the idea that he can pull that off — it's a wild feeling." Fisk credited her family's business, Zia Equestrian, for providing both her trainer and her horse over the past several years, along with additional riding opportunities that rounded out her preparation. "It really all comes together, from Quaresma to my other horses, to my trainer, Laura Abner, and the barn," she said. "I would have never thought at the beginning of the week that we’d take home three gold medals."

Fisk's freestyle, choreographed to '80s-inspired music, was built to showcase Quaresma's half-passes and pirouettes. "Last minute, we decided to add some degree of difficulty with our tempis on a circle, and to see that come out successful today was crazy. A couple of months ago we were just trying to get four changes on a line straight," she said. "I'm so happy with how it turned out."

The Kur podium: Marshall, Fisk, Campbell Wright

A new face moved on the podium on the fin al day of competition as Eliza Marshall (CAN) and Ramazzotti Langholt, her own 2017 Danish Warmblood (by Revolution x Zonik), earned silver with a personal-best score of 72.125%. "I think it was about trusting the horse," Marshall said. "I've been a little conservative these past two days, and coming fourth yesterday made me want this. To have that focus and be able to ask of him. That's a very cool feeling, and he's only nine." Marshall, in her first year at the Young Rider level, thanked her longtime trainer, as well as her family. "It's my first year at Young Riders, and his first year at this level too, so it's really exciting to be here with something I've had the chance to develop."

The kur to music was judged by Agnieszka Majewska, Cesar Torrente, Janet Lee Foy, William Warren, and Lee Tubman, but the panel struggled to find unity in their assessment. While bigger discrepancies often happen in freestyle scoring, considering how arbitrary the artistic mark can be, still gaps of 5% need to be flagged and they happened with the top two place-getters. The scores of the winning ride ranged between 70.975% and 75.850%, while Canadian Eliza Marshall had the lowest scores from the American judges (68,425%, 69.575% while the other three ranked her first with marks up to 75.375 (Torrente).

Alison Campbell-Wright (CAN) and Vintage rounded out the podium with a score of 72.015% for bronze, Campbell-Wright's second medal of the week. "Honestly, it feels crazy surreal," she said. "We just got Vintage in December, so I was happy to be here and experience a bigger atmosphere with him. Coming out with two medals is insane. I don't think it's fully registered yet." Campbell-Wright said the week taught her to trust the process. "I've been so focused on everything that needs to be perfect and detailed. Coming into the weekend, I really trusted him more each day, and it was fun to just play around and see what he can do."