Canadian dressage riders continued their winning ways on day two at the 2014 North American Junior Young Rider Championships held at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY.
In her first year attending the Championships, 14-year-old Camille Carier Bergeron of Mascouche, QC earned the highest score for the Junior Individual test, 70.342%. Riding Lowelas (Hockey 41 x Inster Graditz), a 14-year-old Trakehner owned by Gilles Bergeron, Carier Bergeron rode a flawless test for the victory.
“The objective today was to be very, very precise,” said Carier Bergeron, who has only been riding Lowelas for three months. “Lowelas gave me everything in the test, and I’m thrilled with how we did.”
Close behind Carier Bergeron, winning the individual bronze medal, was Alexandra Meghji of Toronto, ON. With Iliado II (Idilio II x Ibiza), a nine-year-old Andalusian gelding, Meghji earned a score of 67.711%.
“I’m ecstatic to be able to win the bronze medal. Yesterday, my team won the silver medal, so two medals at the show is just incredible and I could not have asked for more,” said Meghji. “This is my horse’s second year doing dressage and his first year at the Junior level, my goal was to have fun. Winning a medal is just icing on the cake.”
Liza Wilson of Collingwood, ON, and Fleurina (Florestan I x Nouveau Roi xx), her 16-year-old Westphalian mare, finished in fourth place in the Individual test with a score of 67.658%.
In the Young Riders Individual test, David Ziegler of Beiseker, AB rode his 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Peninsula Top Man, who is sired by Kings Master, to a silver medal finish. The pair scored 68.289%.
“I bought Peninsula Top Man six years ago intending him to be an event horse, but he did not really like it, so we switched him over to dressage,” said Ziegler. “He has come such a long way in past six months. He has really flourished and muscled up. He looks like a dressage horse now.”
Tanya Strasser-Shostak of Ste. Adele, QC, and Action Time (Aktuell x Aleksander), a 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Evi Strasser, were fourth in the Individual test with 67.237%.
The competition wraps up on Saturday July 19, with the Freestyle Test for both divisions.
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