Sunday September 1, 2002

2002 Northeast Junior/Young Rider Championships,
Where Everybody Is A Star

Every month on a weekday evening a group of women gather in the living room of a charming clapboard colonial house hidden at the end of a quiet street in beautiful Bedford, New York. In an atmosphere charged with purpose and excitement, participants feverishly scribble information that flies across the room from several simultaneous conversations.

At the end of a couch positioned next to a phone which never ceases to ring, is the visionary of the group, two-time Olympic Dressage rider and trainer, Lendon F. Gray. The planning committee is in the final hour of preparations for the fourth annual Northeast Junior/Young Rider Dressage Championships scheduled to return to the landmark Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien, Connecticut on August 17 and 18, 2002.

The 2002 edition of the Northeast Junior/ Young Rider Dressage Championships was once again a huge success. Celebrating every aspiring young dressage rider that is competing, Ox Ridge farm succeeded in turning everyone into a shining star. There are almost as many awards given at the Northeast Junior/Young Rider Dressage Championships as there are riders participating.

Lendon Gray has seen to it that all of the competitors feel special and rewarded for their participation, whether they win the "Pony with the Most Dapples Award," or the Overall Championship after the two days of competition, August 17-18, at Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien, Connecticut. Opening day hosted nearly 250 entries at the four-ring competition, a marked increase from the inaugural event four years ago when 150 riders competed. And the sponsor list of those who have donated money and prizes this year is more than 100 names long.

Read Mary Hilton's extensive report of this exclusive young riders event at horsesdaily.com:
2002 Northeast Junior/Young Riders Dressage Championships