This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
by S.M. Durieux


n’Ju


Horses are a true equalizer, in the sports and in life. Equestrian disciplines are one of the only places you will find male and female athletes vying directly for top honors. And in today’s highly competitive show jumping arena, it is more and more common to find young equestrians giving seasoned professionals, sometimes three times their age and twice their weight, a run for the money.


T


here are fresh young faces challenging show jumping veterans from around the globe in the USEF’s A-circuit Open Jumper divisions. For many riders who have come up through the ranks, competing in the “Big Eq” classes


was a mandatory part of their education in the saddle. While the juniors who qualify, compete (and frequently win) in the year-end equitation classes like the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals and ASPCA Maclay Finals USEF Medal Finals are traditionally considered the next generation of show jumping stars, it is no longer the mandatory route to the top. Today’s horse shows offer such a diverse roster of classes and divisions with so many jumper classes to choose from, that some young riders with their eye on the Grand Prix are choosing to forego equitation and hunters. Instead, they are finding a new route to the top of their chosen sport. Warmbloods Today tracked down a slew of young


equestrians, some who are not even driving yet, putting in competitive and even winning rounds against some of today’s top show jumping competitors. Each was eager to share his or her first experiences in the Grand Prix arena.


26 March/April 2013 Reed Kessler


aboard Mika at the 2012 European Championships in Chantilly, France.


OUR YOUNGEST OLYMPIAN The young rider who captured the nation’s attention in 2012 was Reed Kessler of Lexington, Kentucky. At 17 years of age, the talented teen made history when she became the youngest member of the United States’ Olympic show jumping team in history. As the petite brunette tells it, she and her coach Katie Prudent had first started discussing the possibility of the London Games when she was only 13. “It was an idea that we were talking about even back then,” remembers Reed. “Even before I was old enough to do the big classes, I was preparing for them. It was all part of my program. I don’t remember my first Grand Prix that vividly, though I know I was a bit nervous. I know I was also excited to get to move up.” But age restrictions kept Reed out of the big international classes until the qualifying events. And it was luck that her eighteenth birthday came early enough for her to be allowed to compete on the U.S. team at the London games. However age has not held her back from setting, and maximizing, her goals. “I just hate, hate, hate when I see someone who has been winning in the Junior Jumpers and Young Riders for years not move up,”Reed admits. “If you’re doing it well, then try something more difficult! I feel that trainers need to push their students to advance when it is time; not just stay in the same place forever so they can win. There is more to life than just winning in the same division—a little more work, a little time struggling, and you can be winning at in a more challenging division. You grow as a rider; it’s amazing!”


Sophie Durieux


H


i


g


-


h


J


u


s m


pi


nior


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100