PrintOur columnist sees a void in our system for discovering and developing talented young dressage riders.
Close to 40 years ago, dressage was introduced to this country as a “new” concept in riding. Slowly the discipline was accepted, adopted and embraced by American riders.
We have the event riders to thank for the initiative of being the first to bring dressage over here, and once it took hold, its growth in popularity has been rapid and rewarding. That is, for adult participants.
Our giant mistake when dressage first arrived was to make it an “X-rated” sport by promoting it as an exclusively adult activity. Not only were children on ponies not encouraged to participate, in some cases they were actively discouraged, as if we wanted to keep them out.
Eventually, and not without resistance, we developed Young Rider and Junior programs for youngsters to compete and participate in Fédération Equestre Internationale events. For seven years, I was very active in the Junior department, and it was sometimes like pulling teeth to get support for the youth to partake and be welcomed to dressage.
“This is not a kiddy sport” was the answer I received from one famous rider when I approached her for help with the juniors, as if this was a well-known and accepted fact.
I once had an 11-year-old student who won the Prix St. Georges Championship at Devon (Pa.). The surprise and upset among the adults was interesting to behold, as if they were thinking: “Who let that child into our playground?”
We have in this country thousands and thousands of gorgeous ponies who all live in the hunter/jumper world and never show up at a dressage clinic or show. Lendon Gray is one of the few souls who has tirelessly focused on helping the kids who want to ride and compete in our world.
Thankfully, Lendon’s annual show, Dressage For Kids, has become a place for youngsters to pilgrimage to every year, but the sad fact is that there are hardly any other such events available anywhere in this huge country. We sure need more fine souls like Lendon around to copy her, create their own ideas and focus on the young.
And, of course, we need funds to enable us to run programs that support the kids. We desperately need a little league of dressage and people to entertain that notion with their minds and their actions!
A Country To Emulate
When I was in Windsor, England, in August, for the FEI European Dressage Championships, I met and talked to Dr. Maarten van der Heijden, director of sports and international affairs in the Netherlands for the Royal Dutch Equestrian Center. He filled me in on some of the successful youth activities in the Netherlands, which are sponsored by Rabobank and supported by all of the best trainers, judges and organizers.
He also sent me a PowerPoint presentation that outlines the process, and although the program of scouting for talent and educating the young riders is only about 10 years old, it’s already yielding fabulous results.
The sponsor is involved with the activities and constantly checking in and expecting progress. At some of the final events, the audience gets to vote on the winners, which is a great way to win new fans and involve more people.
