Exclusive to the Digital Edition of The Rider


AUGUST 2023 Vol. 5, Issue No. 2


CELEBRATING 53 YEARS


Canada Captures Gold In Young Rider Team Competition At North American Youth Championships


Canada waved their flag proudly on team day of the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Championships, presented by USHJA, on Friday after- noon. The four team riders in the Young Rider category, William Martin, Quintyn Werner Baeumler, Lily El- liot, and Halle Duke, put in the strongest overall per- formance over the two rounds, sealing the deal for the gold medal in the Team Final.


2023 marks the first


time in many years that Canada has won the gold at NAYC in this category, which made the riders and their chef d’equipe, Dayton Gorsline,


tremendously


proud. They had to earn the win, too, as Nick Granat’s (USA) courses for the day


were demanding and few were able to jump clear. Fault-free rounds from Duke and Martin as the leading and anchor riders, respectively, kept them on the lowest score. “I think any time you


can represent your home country it’s a big deal,” Martin, who took an indi- vidual gold medal in the 2022 Junior section, re- marked. “Canadians really take pride in that. This is a show we look forward to all year long mainly because we get to represent our home country. To bring back a medal means a lot.” Duke leaned on her


partnership with Ilana to come through and jump clear for the team, even after an unexpected break in competition due to weather


conditions. “I’ve had this horse


for four years this week ac- tually,” she said of her horse. “We are pretty much best friends. She jumped in- credibly today and the sec- ond round I gave her the ride she deserved and she jumped clear for me. This is my second year coming here and it’s amazing, every part of it. To be able to rep- resent your own country is incredible.” Baeumler knows he


Will Martin and Ricore Courcelle. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.


and his teammates are inch- ing closer to representing Canada on a grander stage. “Being on a Canadian team is wonderful and the team we have here is one of the best,” he shared. “Everyone is kind, caring, and works


really hard. I’m thankful to have such a great team be- hind me and this is the one step before the senior teams. We’re all looking forward to that and we’ll all be working hard for that day.” In the silver medal po-


sition, Zone 7 featured Luke Jensen, Sofia Cady, Stella Wasserman, and Hallie Grimes. The team faced a few unexpected challenges later in the class but Cady’s


clear round helped solidify their second-place finish. “I don’t think there’s a


horse show I enjoy more,” Cady said. “There isn’t any- thing like it. Pressure aside, it’s a lot of fun. There’s lim- ited opportunity to do team events and this teaches you a lot about how to master your nerves and mental game along with how to have your horses jump best and how to sustain yourself


as well.” Grimes is jumping the


highest levels of the sport at 21 years old and still gets more butterflies jumping at NAYC than she does in the CSI5* events. “I’ve never felt more


pressure than I do at Young Riders,” Grimes remarked. “I jumped my first five-star last week and today was [more pressure] than that. It’s unbelievable because I really want to show up for these people. It’s once a year and you know you can’t take it back. You give it everything you have. I can speak for all of us when I say we’re going to come out of it stronger because we’ve had this experience.” The Bronze medal


went to Zone 5’s trio of Maggie Jacobs, Olivia Williams and Alexander Al- ston.


Young Riders return


Sunday for their Individual Final with Mexico’s Maya Ines Denis Chambon on top aboard Jantien de Muze with 1.41 faults. See full results from


the Young Rider Team Competition here - https://results.hippodata.de/ 2023/2328/docs/r_yrt_c2_fi nal.pdf?style=hippo


Halle Duke and Ilana. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.


Quintyn Werner Baeumler and Haydn. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.


Lily Elliot and Pesto Adelheid Z. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.


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