Ten Broeck Farm

Dressage4Kids Introduces Young Breeders Program

Lendon Gray

Young Breeder Clinic with Britta Johnston
November 7, 2010
Ten Broeck Farm
Inquiries and registration contact

graydressage@optonline.net

Dawn Duerwald first came to me with the idea of having D4K start a program for young breeders. I felt it would fit in well with our goals. We are looking to educate young people (under 25) in the hopes of helping put together a team to represent the United States in the International Young Breeders World Championships. We are organizing clinics designed to educate young people about breeding care, presenting horses in hand and free jumping, and judging conformation. Six young people between the ages of 15 and 24 may be selected to represent the United States at the championships to be held in France in 2011. The International Young Breeders Competitions are meant to bring young breeders together across breeding associations, countries, and languages. They compete in five disciplines, but the aim is to get together, make new friends, and create new contacts.

These clinics will be a great learning experience to evaluate the suitability of sport horses of all different breeds. It is a good opportunity for the riders to learn to judge the horses’ potential from the ground. They will learn about the horses’ conformation, and how to evaluate the horses’ strong and weak points. They will learn how to present the horses in-hand, evaluating free-jumping, and theory. The competition consists of 3 parts, a written quiz on knowledge, presenting a horse on the triangle, and judging. The judging consists of 3 parts, judging mares in hand, evaluating free movements of the horse, and evaluating horses over jumps.

Marie Banks and Alice Peterson of Blue Ribbon Farm and Phil Silva of Ten Broeck Farm are overseeing the program. Anyone interested in participating either as young breeder participants, adults to teach, or stables to host training, please contact me at graydressage@optonline.net.

For those on Facebook, remember there is a fan page for Dressage4kids and soon there will be one for the D4K Young Breeders Program.

For more on D4K, visit www.dressage4kids.com
D4K Mission Statement:
To encourage riders under 21 to become true horsemen with correct position, competitive skills, and knowledge of all aspects of riding and horse care; to offer scholarships to enable competitors to further their education; to have fun and develop good sportsmanship throughout.

 

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