United States Eventing Association

The Area IX season is now well underway, and the juniors and young riders are proving to be a force to be reckoned with on the leaderboards. As a young rider myself at 15, it’s pleasing to see my fellow young rider teammates be so successful. It’s astonishing to watch the young riders and their horses lead the divisions from start to finish. From Beginner Novice to Preliminary, the Area IX young riders are frequently at the top of the pack, and more often than not, maintain the lead throughout the jumping phases.

While the adult riders are experienced, there is something about the young riders and their horses that make such a solid dynamic. Being a junior, my horse and I connect on an intense level, and I believe that it is the emotional aspect of the relationship with the horse that makes us so unstoppable. We fall in love with our horses so deeply.

I asked young rider Ava Severs of Grand Junction, Colorado about how she feels when she wins. Ava and her experienced mount, Ruby, have been together for about 5 months now. Starting at Beginner Novice, Ava has placed first at every show she has entered in 2015. Ava said, “Winning feels amazing; one of the best feelings in the world is knowing all of your hard work has paid off. That you tried your best and you met your goals.” With Ava and Ruby’s dressage scores and clear jumping courses, there is no surprise that she is dominating at shows.

Most of the successes that these talented young riders have, regardless of the horses they ride, are credited to the unconditional love and determination they have towards their riding and horses. A lot of the top juniors are competing on an experienced packer, but that does not always determine the outcome of the weekend. A partnership is nothing without hard work. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

These horses are truly our best friends and often times, the bond and trust a rider has in their horse can ultimately change the standings at the end of the competition. My theory, as an avid young rider with aspiring hopes and dreams, is that my fellow young riders perform so well and land high on the leaderboards because of the insurmountable amount of determination we have for our eventing careers.

I asked teammate and friend Emma Ciafone her thoughts on the bond she has with her event partner Cady O’ Daly Gabriel. Emma says, “I have always focused on my bond with Gabe before anything else. I have found that you need an understanding with each other and everything else seems to follow. We work towards a common goal, and we don’t just have each other to compete, but we have each other for the relationship and opportunity to grow and learn from each other.” Emma and Cady O’ Daly Gabriel, or Gabe, compete at the Training level successfully. Like many other Area IX young riders Emma has been at the top of the leaderboards very regularly. To end the duo’s debut season in 2013, they earned the win at the American Eventing Championships in Tyler, Texas and then a reserve championship the following year at the Novice level.

The young riders of Area IX are full of potential as many of us qualified and competed at the American Eventing Championships in 2014. At all levels, there were 10 young riders who made the trek to Tyler and many finished in the ribbons. Obviously, we are aspiring athletes that have passion for the sport and compassion for the horses we compete on. So much goes into this sport and the young riders of it often perform well because of our determination and the love we have in our equine partners that get us around the course safely.