Cayman dressage teams named for Caribbean competition
Jessica McTaggart-Giuzio riding Ray of Light (Photo by Eve van den Bol)
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation (CIEF) has selected its teams for the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s (CEA) Caribbean Dressage Challenge. The adult team consists of Amara Thompson, Jessica McTaggart-Giuzio and Jenn Cowdroy, while Chloe Fowler, Anja van Genderen and Ashley van den Bol round out the children’s squad. The teams were chosen based upon the results of the Cayman leg of the CEA Dressage Challenge held this past weekend at both the Equestrian Centre and Cayman Riding School.
The selection of McTaggart-Giuzio was especially gratifying, as it was the first time her 21-year-old former Pan Am Games mount, Ray of Light, has been able to compete since sustaining an injury almost two years ago, and he performed spectacularly in the hardest test of the day.
The CEA Dressage Challenge enables riders from CEA countries to compete against one another without having to travel. Instead, the CEA hires a single judge to travel to each island so the scoring is consistent. Jeanne McDonald, a USEF S-level judge from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who has adjudicated the CEA Dressage Challenge for the past two years, again travelled to Cayman for the competition.
Riders competing in the challenge are ranked both individually and by country team, the latter comprising the top top three adult and top three junior riders based upon the scores they receive and the difficulty of the test they ride. To date, only the Cayman Islands and Jamaica have held their CEA Dressage competitions.
Bermuda will hold their event this weekend, with Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago scheduled for the end of June. Once all of the five countries in the CEA have completed their competitions, the final standing for Cayman’s riders and the national team will be decided.
High point champion for the adults and juniors, respectively, were Amara Thompson riding Second Kiss and Chloe Fowler riding Will to Win, both of whom won at Training Level Test 3.
In addition to the CEA Dressage Challenge, the CIEF held other classes for interested riders.
Complete results are available on the CIEF website.
The last CIEF event for the 2015/16 horse show season is the fourth and final leg of the National Jumping Series, which will be held on 29 May at the Equestrian Centre on the Linford Pearson Highway at 8am. As always, spectators are welcome and admission is free.
Category: Equestrian, Sports
