By: janwest From Sidelines blog

At the weekend 3/4 sixteen riders from eight countries came to Bear Spot Farm in Concord, MA for the Children of the Americas Dressage Invitational (CADI) to benefit the Bear Spot Foundation for Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy. Held every year, CADI gives riders age 12-14 the opportunity to represent their countries, develop their horsemanship and make new friendships. For the first two days of the event riders received training on their own or borrowed horses and then competed in a Children’s Preliminary Test and Freestyle on third and fourth days. Phoebe Serpell of the Cayman Islands finished on top for riders on borrowed horses and Hannah Irons of the United States won the overall championship for riders on their own horse.

CADI provides young riders with an amazing opportunity to ride very talented and experienced horses that owners kindly lend and the opportunity to train with some of the best trainers in the world. Pam Maloof, Sue Williams and Gerrit-Claes Bierenbroodspot were Thea, Anja and Phoebe’s trainers respectively.

PHOTOS

The riders pose for pictures together after the awards ceremony with their flags. This year riders from Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Ecuador, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States came for CADI.

The riders who qualified for CADI to represent Dressage4Kids (D4K) stand together after the final awards ceremony. D4K’s Youth Dressage Festival is a special qualifier for CADI, sponsoring a group of riders each year.

From left to right, Caroline McConnell of the USA, Kenzie Manning of Barbados and Anja van Genderen of the Cayman Islands celebrate their new friendship and third place finish in the team competition. While CADI is a competition, one of the big goals is for the riders to learn about one another’s cultures.

For more on this story go to:

http://sidelinesnews.com/blogs/showworld/children-of-the-americas-dressage-invitational-wrap-up.html