NAYC Daily Wrap Up | Aug. 1, 2019 Young Riders Team Ontario/Quebec Earns Silver In Historic Dressage Team Competition Finish

Team Ontario/Quebec captured the silver medal in the Dressage Young Riders Team Competition, held on Aug. 1 at the 2019 Adequan/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) presented by Gotham North at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, NY.
L to R: Julie Barrett, Jade Morrissette, Vanessa Creech-Terauds, Sophie Dean-Potter
Photo Credit: Meg McGuire Photography

A four-time veteran of NAYC, 19-year-old Creech-Terauds rode Fleur de Lis L (First Dance x De Niro), owned by Diane Creech and Louise Leatherdale, for the 2019 competition – a wise choice, as she and the now 10-year-old Hanoverian mare topped the Junior Team Competition in 2016 and currently hold 17th in the FEI Dressage World Youth Ranking. The partnership didn’t disappoint, and Creech-Terauds and Fleur de Lise L executed yet another strong test for a score of 72.588% to claim third place individually.

“I could not have asked any more from her, it was a personal best for us and such a rush coming out of that ring knowing we laid down such a great test,” said Creech-Terauds of her performance with Fleur de Lis L. “This is my fifth year coming to NAYC and it is always such an amazing experience, one of the best weeks of the year. We’re so fortunate: the camaraderie that we get to share with our teammates is great, and it’s wonderful that we’re able to experience having teammates and also ride as individuals the next two days. It’s a great change to ride under a little bit of pressure, and have fun as well.”

Creech-Terauds of Caistor Centre, ON, and Fleur de Lis L were the top combination for Team Ontario/Quebec.
Photo Credit: Meg McGuire Photography

Dean-Potter also has NAYC experience under her belt, having previously been a member of the silver medal Junior team alongside Creech-Terauds in 2014. For her last year of NAYC competition at 21 years old, Dean-Potter contributed a fantastically smooth round on Ribot (Reno x Cor Noir) a 17-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Carla Bahr. A score of 69.147% pushed them into sixth place in the individual standings, a feat made even more notable considering Dean-Potter has only been partnered with Ribot for the last three months after the tragic loss of her Young Riders level horse last year.

Barrett, 20, also returned for her final year of Young Riders competition with Rosamunde (sired by Rotspon), her 18-year-old Hanoverian mare and NAYC 2018 partner. Together, they scored 63.941% for 20th place. Morrissette, also 20, followed Barrett for her NAYC debut with her 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Auratos (Adlantus As FRH x Graf Remus), to the tune of 63.353% for 22nd.

Team Ontario/Quebec’s composite score of 205.676 was a hair’s breadth away from the gold medal, which ultimately went to US Region 1 on a score of 205.706. And on the other side of the podium, US Region 3 nipped at Canada’s heels on a score of 205.088 for bronze.

“I thought our girls rode great today and it was really right down to the wire,” said David Ziegler, Chef d’Équipe for Team Ontario/Quebec. “I know how nervous a lot of them were going into this, so they did a really good job of keeping it all together and coming together to get the best team result that they possibly could.”

Team Alberta/Quebec landed less than five points shy of the podium in fifth place after solid performances by teammates, Annie Coward of Calgary, AB, Claire Robinson of Edmonton, AB, Chase Robertson of Calgary, AB, and Camille Carier Bergeron of Mascouche, QC.

The two 19-year-olds, Coward and Carier Bergeron, set the example with their high scores. Carier Bergeron, who helped Young Riders Team Alberta/Quebec earn gold at NAYC 2018, propelled the team’s standing with an outstanding score of 70.441% riding Sound of Silence 4 (San Amour I x Limes), an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Gilles Bergeron, for fourth place individually. Coward scored 67.676% for 11th place with the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare that she co-owns with Carole Coward, Diolita DN (Tango KWPN x Glendale).

The 17-year-old members of Team Alberta/Quebec followed, with Robinson piloting Carol Robinson’s Glamour Boy (Bojengel x Jazz), an eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, to a score of 63.794% for 21st. Robertson, who captured the 2018 Junior Freestyle gold and Individual Competition bronze medals, debuted a new horse for NAYC competition – Diplomat 105 (Don Schufro x Rubinstein), a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding that she co-owns with Teresa van Lambalgen – resulting in a score of 62.147% for 24th place.

Jumping Children’s Individual Qualifier Showcases Stiff Competition
The Jumping Individual Qualifier provided a preview of competitive rounds to follow in the Children’s division, with 75% of entries riding clear and zero time penalties across the board.

The first rider up for the red and white, 14-year-old Olivia Blaber of Ottawa, ON, posted the quickest Canadian time of 64.75 seconds to claim fourth with her 13-year-old Selle Français mare, Serenade de Mai (Gio Granno x Kessel II). Speaking to her double-clear round, she commented, “I’m really proud of Mai’s and my performance, and I’m really excited for the next few rounds and even think that we can improve.”

Olivia Blaber of Ottawa, ON, and Serenade de Mai were the quickest Canadian combination in the Jumping Children’s Individual Qualifier.
Photo Credit: SEL Photography

Olivia Stephenson of Calgary, AB, joined Blaber in the Children’s top 10. The 12-year-old rode Cheree Stephenson’s 12-year-old Oldenburg mare, Chaccana (Chacco Blue x Kannan), with complete cool and confidence through a clear round in 68.72 seconds for sixth place – a fitting start for the combination that captured both the team and individual gold medals at NAYC 2018, and most recently represented Canada at the CSIO-Ch Children’s Nations Cup at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC, in June 2019.

First place went to the winners of the 2018 Children’s Individual Qualifier, Mia Abelo and Cassandra Dreams of US Zone 4, who remained untouchable with a time of 60.17 seconds.

Blaber and Stephenson’s performances, along with that of teammate, Joseph Carruthers, 13, of Millarville, AB, ties Team Canada in second place with US Zone 3 heading into Aug. 2’s Team Competition on four penalties. US Zone 4/10 currently sit in first with zero penalties.

Jenna Lee Gottschlich Squeezes Out a Clear Round in Tough Junior Individual Qualifier
The Junior Individual Qualifier proved to be incredibly challenging, with a difficult course causing rail after rail to fall for many competitors. Jenna Lee Gottschlich of Edmonton, AB, laid down the only Canadian clear and top 10 performance of the day, powering through in 65.15 seconds. The 16-year-old navigated the tricky rollbacks and combinations with her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, Evita P (Vingino x Niveau), to earn sixth place overall.

Jenna Lee Gottschlich of Edmonton, AB, produced the only clear Canadian Junior round of the day with Evita P.
Photo Credit: SEL Photography

“In Canada, we compete a lot in big, open arenas, but this arena’s small, so there were some tight inside turns you could do to make up time. At the same time, time was going to be tight,” said Gottschlich. “But my horse, Evita, jumped amazing, and now it’s time to make sure that she is prepared for the team event.”

US Zone 5’s Kyle Perkovich and Hit me van’t Zorgvliet prevailed to take the top spot with a clear round completed in 59.56 seconds.

After the conclusion of the first competition, Junior Team Canada sits fifth in the team standings with 22.28 penalties. Team Mexico leads the way with 12.62 penalties.

Sam Walker Steals the Show in Young Riders Individual Qualifier
Equestrian Canada’s 2018 Equestrian and Junior Equestrian of the Year, Sam Walker of Nobleton, ON, lived up to expectations with a strong start in the Young Riders Individual Qualifier. The 17-year-old raced across the finish line with Coralissa (Com Air x Corrado I), a nine-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by MarBill Hill Farm, in 70.23 seconds to win the last class of the day.

“My horse felt amazing, the course was super, and I had a great time,” said Walker, who won the Junior team bronze medal in 2018. “Thank you so much to Equestrian Canada for allowing me to be here and for all the support. I’d also like to thank the course designers and horse show for putting on such a nice show and course, and I thought that it was a great opening day. I enjoy representing my country – that makes me the most proud – and being selected to be here is something that I look forward to pretty much every year.”