My Experience at the 2004 Junior Championships in Pebble Beach, California
by Emily Mitchell

Qualifying and competing in the Junior Championships in Pebble Beach from July 9-11 has been an honor and a wonderful experience that I will remember for many years to come. The competition itself was both exciting and tense; however the show maintained a fun, togetherness mindset throughout the time we were there. The competition was very patriotic, with the three team names: Team Freedom, Team Independence, and Team Liberty, and the team colors: red, white and blue. I was a part of Team Freedom, along with three other girls from different states: myself on Till We Meet Again, from Illinois; Ashley Schempp on Mowgli, from California; Vanessa Simon on Que Cir Que, from Colorado; and Elizabeth Wilson on Bently, from Washington. The USEF Junior Championships were made possible by the sponsors: Premier Sales International, the Dutta Corporation, and Collecting Gaits Farm. Also, A?Dashi was kind enough to donate gift certificates and a pair of gloves to the Bronze Medal winning team. I would also like to thank my sponsor, Wahl Clipper, Corp. in Sterling, for helping me pay for the transportation of my pony by Mr. Roger Van Drew. My family and I became good friends with Roger during the time we spent together at the show. He took time out of his busy schedule to drive Till from Sterling to Pebble Beach, a 33 hour long trip.

Qualifying for the Junior Team was more difficult this year, since the date of the show was moved from August to July, with the qualifying date set at June 14th. This year, approximately 140 riders signed letters of intent to try for the Team and about 40 Juniors turned in their scores, but only the top twelve were chosen. I went into the competition in fourth place and ended up sixth overall individually. My team won the Bronze medal. The scores for the show are accumulated over two days, with a preliminary ride on Friday. There are two tests: the Team test and the Individual test. The Team test was ridden on Saturday and the Individual was ridden on Sunday; however, each rider?s overall individual score is figured by averaging the two days? scores. The team placing is determined by the average of the top three riders? two scores. My Saturday score was a 65.026%, putting me in fifth; and my Sunday score was a 63.795%, where I tied for sixth with the only other pony competing.

There were many group activities set up during our stay, including a trail ride at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center on provided horses, a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, dinner at Bullwhackers in Monterey, and dinner at two places in Carmel, both within walking distance of our hotel. The teams stayed at a Best Western Hotel in Carmel. Our rooms were paid for by the sponsors, two girls to a room. All of the teams showed a great deal of team spirit while learning valuable horse show techniques, such as the CDI jog clinic given by Dr. Mike Tomlinson. This clinic showed us how to present our horses for a CDI jog, something required by FEI rules and practiced in any CDI, including the Young Rider Team and the Olympics. Other fun activities included the welcome party on Wednesday evening at the Beach Club and the tack stall decorating contest on Saturday.

I had a lot of fun meeting so many other Junior riders and their parents. It is exciting to know that there are so many other talented riders in my age group and nice to see that their parents have been so supportive to help them reach this level. I had so much fun with my group because we all stayed positive and team oriented throughout the weekend. I am sure we were the most coordinated group: we planned beforehand to have matching outfits throughout the show. We met on Wednesday night to puffy-paint team shirts, we had matching shirts, hats, and even beanie horses with Team Freedom on their coolers. We won the tack stall decorating contest, which was judged by the sponsors on Saturday afternoon.
Something else that I enjoyed during my stay was listening to former Olympic riders Charlotte Bredahl and Anne Gribbons. Ms. Bredahl has been the Chief d?Keep for the Junior Championships for the last two years and Ms. Gribbons has been the president of the Championships since its first year in the U.S. They told stories about past and present horses, including Ms. Bredahl?s first Olympic horse, Monsieur. I was also very lucky to have the chance to school with Ms. Bredahl during the show. Ms. Gribbons said that she was very pleased with this year?s group of Junior riders. She said that "Every rider who is here deserves to be. Those who had problems throughout the show handled them well. This is the most sophisticated group of Juniors I have seen since the Championships started."

I hope you enjoy the article.