Author: andy

A big THANK YOU to FEI 3* Dressage Judge Mr. Omar Zayrik of Mexico for presiding over the Bahamas leg of the 2024 Caribbean Equestrian Association Dressage Challenge. Thank you also to CEA President Heidi Mello who was on hand for the successful event. The next day Judge Omar gave clinics to our dedicated Dressage riders who could only describe the experience as AMAZING!

The overall winners from each category were:
Introductory Test A – Childrens: Kennedy Albury riding Rags to Riches (69.062%)
Introductory Test B – Childrens: Isla Whylly riding Rags to Riches (66.875%)
Introductory Test C – Childrens: Gabriela Souza riding Casino Royale (69.500%)
Training Level 1 Test – Childrens: Sennen Fitzmaurice riding Lea’s Pride (69.423%)

Introductory Test B – Adults: Krystal Darville riding Vivawell (65.937%)
Training Level 1 – Adults: Amber Lleida riding Querida FSH (56.153%)
Training Level 3 – Adults: Lorrinda Maura riding Shakespeare in Paradise (69.200%)

The overall top-scoring pair (69.500%) was Gabriela Souza riding Erika Adderley’s Casino Royale.

The riders named to the Childrens Team were Gabriela Souza, Kennedy Albury and Sennen Fitzmaurice. (Due to a CEA rules technicality, insufficient competitors qualified to field an Adult Team score.)

The Caribbean Dressage Challenge takes place in Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Overall ranking of the teams will not be known until all the participating countries have held their 2024 Dressage Challenge competitions.

Congratulations to Ella Saidi, Emma Johnston, Alana Pyfrom and Hannah Knowles who represented The Bahamas at the Grand Caraibe Suriname competition, held at Ponderosa Stables, Paramaribo, Suriname. The team was coached by Raishun Burch of Bermuda and assisted by local trainer Erika Adderley. As in all Grand Caraibe competitions, this was a horse-borrowed competition, with the riding clubs in Suriname lending their horses for the competition to the participants, including riders from Antigua, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique and Suriname.

The competition was held under the rules of the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation and took place over two days, with day 1 featuring a 2-phase competition and day 2 the more familiar format of one round against the clock, with riders achieving clear rounds proceeding to the jump off. Overall placings were based on an amalgamation of the two days’ results.

Ella Saidi riding Caesar placed 5th in Sunday’s competition and finished 10th overall out of 22 in the Elite Division while Emma Johnston riding Ruffian placed 7th in Sunday’s competition and finished 20th out of 42 overall in the Espoir.Division. Congratulations also to Alana and Hannah for riding in their first international competition in a very challenging environment!

Equestrians kicked off the 2024-2025 horse show season with a weekend of camaraderie, teamwork and spirited competition, as four teams gathered to contest the first leg of the Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League (BIEL). Defending champions Mariposa Gold Drops looked strong in their first start, winning convincingly with a total of 48 points. The Camperdown Equestrian Centre Blue Marlins were 2nd with 40 points, while the Mariposa Monarchs and CEC Sand Dollars finished 3rd and 4th, respectively.

The competition took place at Mariposa Stables and was judged by Mary Knowlton, USEF ‘R’ Judge and former President of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA).
Once the awards were handed out, riders lined up to confer with Judge Knowlton and receive feedback on their performances.

Founded in 2017, the BIEL competition circuit is favourite amongst Bahamian junior equestrians because of the unique format, based on collegiate competition rules, in which competitions are team-based and riders and horses are matched by random draw. BIEL competitions are subsidized by Equestrian Bahamas, the National Federation for Equestrian Sport, providing affordable competition options while also preparing athletes for college competition.

Empowering Clean Sport: Thank you to Bahamas Anti Doping Commission Executive Director Petra Haven and her education team for a spicy Q&A session on the doping control process, prohibited substances, therapeutic use exemptions and more! Riders learned of their rights and responsibilities in the Clean Sport process while the BADC team enjoyed interacting with our horses!

Tasty nibbles, positive vibes and lots and lots of questions were asked and answered at the EB Parent Mix & Mingle event held yesterday at Waterloo! Parents learned about upcoming initiatives, new competitions, opportunities through the Rider Development Pathway, and more. From disciplines and divisions to points and performance awards, there was a lot to discuss! ICYMI – informational brochures are available from your trainer.

Watch Kacy Lyn Smith and D’Angelo 6 compete for the Bahamas in the Juniors (1.40m) Division of the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships in Traverse City, Michigan!
The competition runs from July 29-August 4.

Watch livestream on USEF.org, on Clip My Horse TV.