Wellington, Fla. – Feb. 28, 2020 – Competition for the Florida International Youth Championships (FIYC) continued bright and early on Friday, with the FEI Pony Rider division kicking off the day in the stadium. Friday’s packed schedule included the first leg of several youth championship divisions featured in Week 8 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), such as the FEI Pony Team Test, the FEI Young Rider Team Test, and the the FEI Junior Team Test. The FIYC will continue throughout the weekend and the final placings will be rewarded on March 1.
Canada’s 15-year-old Scarlett Hansen and her own Reve De Glatigny took the first blue ribbon of the day with a 64.524% in the Pony Team Test. Hansen and the 15-year-old gelding have had a packed competition schedule since beginning their CDI career together in 2018, competing at the AGDF, the Tryon International Equestrian Center and several CDIs in Ontario with consistent placings in the top two. Now in their third season of international competition, the pair is looking to improve upon their scores and defend their championship title in the FEI Pony division.
In the FEI Young Rider Team Test, the 2019 returning champion in the division Natalia Bacariza Danguillecourt of Spain rode Romantico Ymas to the win with a score of 73.725%. Danguillecourt and the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding stepped up into the Young Rider division after competing in the Junior division at last year’s championships, where they earned the championship title. This year, Danguillecourt is riding both Romantico Ymas and Dhannie Ymas, owned by Yeguada de Ymas, in the Young Rider division. With Dhannie Ymas, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, she earned a score of 70.147% and third place.
Canada’s Camille Carier Bergeron rode Sound of Silence 4 into second place with a score of 71.667%. Bergeron began her competitive partnership with the 12-year-old Westphalian gelding in 2019, wintering in Wellington to gain experience at the AGDF before going back to Canada to ride in CDIs in Ottawa and Thornton. She also competed at the North American Youth Championships in North Salem, New York, last year, where she rode as an individual rider for Canada.
The FEI Junior Team Test commenced immediately following the Young Riders, and it was U.S. rider Annelise Klepper aboard Happy Texas Moonlight who took the top honors. Klepper and Happy Texas Moonlight, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Shannon Klepper, have claimed top placings at the AGDF since they began their partnership just over a year ago. They went on to compete in the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions at the Lamplight Equestrian center, and also helped the U.S. Region 2 team earn a silver medal at the North American Youth Championships in Salem, New York. So far, they are undefeated in their 2020 season.
Mathilda Von Guttenberg of Germany and Fly Rio, an 11-year-old Hanovarian gelding, secured second place in the class with a score of 71.212%. Von Guttenberg and Fly Rio, owned by Karl Theodor Von Guttenberg, have been partnered together since 2018, competing in the Junior division at the AGDF and Leudelange, Luxemburg, with good results.
Rounding out the top three was U.S. rider Madison Waller and Diablo DC, a 12-year-old gelding. Waller and Diablo DC made their return to the CDI arena for this year’s Junior Division following a three year break from competition. They previously competed in the Children’s Division together.
Competition will resume at the Florida International Youth Championships on Saturday, Feb. 28, with the FEI Children Team Test at 8:00 a.m.
RESULTS
FEI Pony Rider Team Test
1. Scarlett Hansen / CAN / Reve De Glatigny / 64.524
FEI Young Rider Team Test
1. Natalia Bacariza Danguillecourt / ESP / Romantico Ymas / 73.725
2. Camille Carier Bergeron / CAN / Sound of Silence 4 / 71.667
3. Natalia Bacariza Danguillecourt / ESP / Dhannie Ymas / 70.588
4. Christian Simonson / USA / Hemmingway / 70.147
5. Annie Coward / CAN / Diolita DN / 69.853
6. Kayla Kadlubek / USA / Perfect Step / 68.873
7. Hannah Irons / USA / Scola Bella / 68.039
8. Ava MacCoubrey / CAN / Danola / 67.304
9. Melanie Doughty / USA / Fascinata / 66.47
10. Allison Youngdale / CAN / Emmett Top / 65.834
FEI Junior Team Test
1. Annelise Klepper / USA / Happy Texas Moonlight / 71.414
2. Mathilda Von Guttenberg / GER / Fly Rio / 71.212
3. Madison Waller / USA / Diablo DC / 67.424
4. Scarlett Hansen / CAN / Da Vinci / 64.848
5. Victoria Stewart / CAN / Danaka / 64.141
6. Ariel Boesener / CAN / Sedona / 62.525
7. Maggie Tifft / USA / E-Ros / 61.414
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Natalia Bacariza Danguillecourt – FEI Young Rider Team Test winner
On Romantico Ymas:
“I bought him in 2017 and I started competing with him last year, and Juniors was our first international debut. I recently moved him up to the Young Riders and this was our first CDI. I can see an improvement since the last one so I am very happy with him. I think the highlight of Romantico’s test were the tempi changes and the trot work.”
On Romantico Ymas’ strengths:
“He earns a lot of points in the trot work. He is very expressive. In the walk, he is able to maintain it. If I have some mistakes in the canter, it will go down a bit, but he also has a really good canter. That is why he is able to stay up there with the high marks. I’m looking to improve the canter work and the little mistakes here and there. That will raise the marks and raise the overall score.”
On competing in Youth Championships:
“This is the third year competing in the Youth Championships. My favorite part about competing is that we are in such a friendly environment. I am competing against riders who are all my friends and we get to do a bunch of group activities. We have a lot of fun together and we get to compete together.”
Annelise Klepper – FEI Junior Team Test winner
On partnership with Happy Texas Moonlight:
“We have been working together for a little over a year now. This is our second season in Juniors down here. It was a really good test today. It was a little hectic [with the wind] but he handled everything super well. We were able to really work through those things. I was really proud of him.”
On his best skills:
“His changes are most consistent. We had one, a little wobbly, change. He is usually very consistent in his changes. That is really nice for me to not always have to worry about having late changes.”
Highlights of test:
“I was a little nervous. There were some birds that popped out somewhere and he kind of spooked but it actually kind of helped us going into our half pass. That was a fun, little surprise. Our extended canter, the very last one, was really good today. I was really proud of him.”
On Youth Championships:
“I didn’t compete last year but I did compete in 2018 in the ponies. It is great to be back, especially with my horse in this new division. I love the Youth Championships. It is a lot of fun, all the activities are really great. It has a different energy than a regular CDI.”
