Perhaps the most heated and closely fought battle for medals ever seen at the NAYRC concluded on July 31, 2005, with Catherine Malone from USDF Region 1 earning the North American Young Riders' Championships Individual Dressage Gold Medal.   Catherine and five other NAYRC dressage competitors earned more than 200 total points during the competition, exemplifying the improving level of skill and ability of our future high performance riders.  The United States Dressage Federation selected 32 of the very best young riders competing in dressage to represent their individual regions and the USA at the 2005 NAYRC. 

Catherine Malone, 20, from Coatesville, PA, dominated the FEI Young Rider Team and Individual Prix St. Georges Test with 68.978% and 69.950% respectively, and placed fourth overall in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle to earn the 2005 NAYRC dressage individual gold medal with 208.978 points.  Catherine and her horse, Michigan, an eleven-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Iron Spring Farm, exhibited outstanding gaits and maneuvers which helped her hold onto the lead throughout the competition.  Earning the gold was a long sought after goal for Catherine, who has competed in three previous young rider championships and who steadily improved her performance each time.  Catherine trains with former NAYRC Individual Dressage Gold Medal winner, Todd Flettrich.

Dani Judy, 20, from El Cajon, California, who just missed the medal podium in 2004 by placing fifth overall, returned to the NAYRC in 2005 and accomplished her goal of standing on the medal podium by earning the dressage individual silver medal.  Dani and her horse Antaeus, an eleven-year-old Oldenburg gelding, gave Catherine Malone a run for the gold medal by turning in a brilliant Freestyle on top of a solid FEI Young Riders Team Test and Prix St. Georges Test for a combined score of 208.547.  Dani trains with Debbie Robinson and she is a senior at the University of San Diego in San Diego, CA..

Recently returned from a year of working and training in Germany with Uli Beschnidt, Anna Wood, 19, from Boulder, Colorado, and her horse Novarredo, a towering 17.2 hand Westphalian gelding, made her region proud by bringing home the individual bronze medal with 206.989 points. Anna last competed in the championships in 2002 and she has brought her riding to a new level since that time, exhibiting a clear head during heated competition.  Anna will be a freshman at University of California in San Diego, CA, this fall.

The North American Young Riders' Championships is the premier dressage, eventing, and show jumping competition for Young Riders, aged 16-21. Invitations to compete in the NAYRC are extended to riders from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and Bermuda.
For complete 2005 NAYRC results, visit www.youngriders.org.

Founded in 1973, the United States Dressage Federation is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of dressage. For more information about USDF membership or programs, visit www.usdf.org, email [email protected], or call (859) 971-2277.