In January of 2022, I took over the role of USEA Area III Young Rider Coach. The program has not only been going through a transition within Area III, but at the national level as well. This year, the USEF Young Rider Championships was moved from its regular summertime date to the Tryon International, which took place at the Tryon Equestrian Center in North Carolina in mid-November. The championships were run as a long format. Area III was able to field both a CCI1*-L team (Rory Frangos, Chloe Paddack, Breanna Robinette, and Evelyn Davis Douglass) and a CCI2*-L team (Rory Frangos, Breeana Robinette, Lea Kilpatrick, and Katarina Midgley), but our riders had mixed levels of experience. The competition proved to be stiff. In the 2*, Rory Frangos finished 9th individually and Breanna Robinette finished 10th. In the 1*, Rory Frangos finished 6th on her younger horse, and Chloe Paddack finished 7th. Unfortunately, neither team was able to finish all four riders.
The riders all gained experience, however, and most had never competed at the championship level before. My hope is that as we head into the next few years, the Area III Young Rider program will begin to grow and flourish again. As an area, we have some of the best opportunities in the country, and this program is a wonderful experience for riders hoping to compete on senior USEF teams!