The U.S. Equestrian Federation has announced that Traverse City Horse Shows at Flintfields Horse Park in Williamsburg, Michigan, has been selected as the host venue for the 2026-2027 FEI North American Youth Championships for dressage and jumping. The championships will be held from July 28-August 2, 2026, with the dates for 2027 to be confirmed. NAYC is the only FEI championship held annually in North America.

“Traverse City in the summer is an incredible place for championship sport. The mild temperatures, ample space, and vibrant local community make it a prime destination,” said Matt Morrissey, event director of Traverse City Horse Shows. “We’re proud to welcome back the continent’s best young athletes and provide a world-class stage for an important step in their careers.”The competition will include the FEI Jumping North American Youth Championship and FEI Dressage North American Youth Championship. The FEI Jumping North American Youth Championship for children, pre-junior, junior, and young rider categories provides the opportunity for athletes in these age categories to compete against their peers in a championship format similar to that of international senior championships. In each age category, the competition is held over the course of multiple days and features both a team competition, with teams fielded by United States Hunter Jumper Association zone, and an individual competition.

The jumping portion of NAYC features four FEI-recognized divisions:

• Children’s championship (ages 12–14; fence heights up to 1.25 meters)
• Pre-junior championship (ages 14–16; fence heights up to 1.30 meters)
• Junior championship (ages 14–18; fence heights up to 1.40 meters)
• Young rider championship (ages 16–21; fence heights up to 1.50 meters)

Similarly to the jumping championship, the FEI North American Youth Dressage Championship is the premier dressage competition in North America for children (ages 12-14), juniors (ages 14-18), young riders (ages 16-21) and U25 riders (ages 16-25), offering riders in these age groups an opportunity to compete on teams based on their United States Dressage Federation region.

To learn more about the facilities, grounds and hotel information, click here.  For questions regarding the 2026-2027 FEI North American Youth Championships, contact Erin Keating, USEF Director, Jumping Development Programs, at ekeating@usef.org.