Last week the Cayman Kids Dressage Team learned that they had won the top spot in the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s 2014 Dressage Competition.

In the last few weeks, FEI ‘I’ and USEF ‘S’ judge, Jeanne McDonald, has travelled to Barbados, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Cayman to judge children and adult dressage athletes in the CEA’s annual dressage competition. Cayman was the second country to be visited, on 1st June, and a large group of riders came out to participate. Riders could choose what tests to ride before the judge, from a collection of dressage tests designed by the United States Equestrian Federation.

Each rider was given a score by the judge and the top three scores in each of the children and adult categories were submitted as team scores for the country.

In the children’s category, Thea Millward and Zafira, competing in the Training Level category, had the highest score of the day with 74.2%. So, as well as taking the top spot in the children’s team, the pair won the children’s High Point Award for the day. Millward was joined in the team by Hannah Fowler and Seligkeit , also in the Training Level, who scored 71.8% with Madeleine Aqart and Smart Racer in the same category finishing a whisper behind with 71.6%.

These scores were sufficient to give them first place in the children’s category, a spot that Cayman children’s team has occupied for the last three years.

The adult team comprised Jessica McTaggart and Loris 7 who scored 71.935% in the 1st Level Test 3, a score which secured for her the adult High Point Award for the competition. McTaggart was joined in the team by Tracey Surrey and SonRise David who competed in the Training Level and scored 63.2%, and Charlotte Hinds and Monroe Carr who completed the 4th Level Test 1 and gained 60.429%. The competition in the adult category was stiff and these results took Cayman’s adult team to 4th place.

Other results from the day saw strong competition in the children’s Training Level class with an encouraging number of entries. Aside from the top three scores for the team, Isabelle Smith and Ed came in 4th, Ashley van den Bol and Carmella came in 5th and Basil Humphries and Storm rounded off the class in 6th place.

In the adult 1st Level Test 3, Surrey and SonRise David followed Mctaggart’s first place on Loris 7, with Polly Serpell and Calidad in 3rd. Amara Thompson sported a huge smile in 4th as she brought her mare Roux back to the competition arena after a long period of recovery from injury. This left Regina Nowak and her beautiful mare Leonora to bring up the rear in 5th place.

Phoebe Serpell and Sunday’s Edition took 1st place in the children’s 1st Level Test 3 with Anja van Genderen and Kartouche in 2nd and Fowler and Seligkeit in third.

McTaggart and Loris 7 on top form took the spot again in the adult 2nd Level Test 3 with Lexi Bodden and Relation in 2nd and Polly Serpell with Partenon in 3rd and Calidad in 4th.

A National Dressage Show followed the CEA Dressage Show with lots of competition in the lower beginners’ classes. Old hand Meegan Slattery and Max took the 1st place in the USDF B Test with Eva Muspratt and Oscar in 2nd, Kayla Mannisto and Snow White in 3rd, Lara Humphries and Storm in 4th and Charlie Milgate and Amarilla in 5th.

In the USDF C Test, Muspratt and Oscar took first place, with Saskia Drake and Me & My Shadow in 2nd, Basil Humphries and Storm were 3rd, Slattery and Max in 4th, Abbey Swartz and Pony Up in 5th and Leah Alberga and Twinkle in 6th.

Several riders rode additional classes bringing the last show of the 2013/14 season to a close. The afternoon ended with an awards ceremony and a pot luck lunch organized by parents and volunteers.

CIEF President, Sharon Hinds said, “It is a great end to a long season for our Children’s Team to retain the top title in the CEA Dressage. We are really proud of the progress all our riders are making and we believe we have an extremely solid foundation of current and upcoming talented riders who have really made their presence felt in the international arena this year.

Although the season is over, we have two riders, Hannah Fowler and Ashley van den Bol, who will be representing Cayman in an international dressage competition in the US in July and, of course, we are extremely excited to see Polly Serpell, our first ever Cayman equestrian to head off to the Youth Olympics in Nanjing in August. It is going to be a thrilling summer for the CIEF and we wish all these riders the best of luck. Cayman equestrianism is progressing in leaps and bounds and I am eager to see what new benchmarks our riders can set next season. I said last year that 2013 was our most successful year to date and 2014 is shaping up to be pretty good too!”

PHOTOS: (supplied) Photo credits to the Slattery Group.

FIRST PLACED CAYMAN CHILDREN’S TEAM (LTO R : THEA MILLWARD, MADELEINE AQUART AND HANNAH FOWLER)

CAYMAN ADULTS TEAM TOOK 4TH PLACE (L TO R: TRACEY SURREY, CHARLOTTE HINDS AND JESSICA MCTAGGART)

L TO R: JUDGE JEANNE MCDONALD, CAYMAN HIGH POINT WINNERS JESSICA MCTAGGART AND THEA MILLWARD, CIEF PRESIDENT SHARON HINDS)

CHARLOTTE HINDS ON MONROE CARR (L) AND AMARA THOMPSON ON RUMOUR HAS IT (R)

DRESSAGE NEWCOMERS (L TO R) KAYLA MANNISTO ON SNOW WHITE, SASKIA DRAKE ON ME AND MY SHADOW AND CHARLIE MILGATE ON AMARILLA