What we can do for dressage kids
Well… I seem to have caused a stir.
Mom always told me not to cause a problem without proposing a solution. So I guess I will try to do that! Here are 10 things that I think we can do to help promote youth in dressage:
Break down youth divisions by age at recognized shows for 2nd Level Classes and below. Something like 12 and Under, 13 to 16, and 17 to 21.
Separate Dressage Seat Equitation into three classes: 1) Walk-Trot Equitation aimed at beginner riders with an Introductory skillset. 2) Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation aimed at novice riders with a Training Level skillset. And finally 3) Advanced Equitation which would keep the current standards for riders with a First Level skillset and feed into the Dressage Seat Medal Finals. I don’t think they need a championship, but heck, if they get really popular give them their own division at Regional Championships and US Dressage Finals. I think there is still a place for the USEF Dressage Seat Medal program, so let that continue on.
Offer pony classes. If you look at successful youth programs across countries and disciplines, it becomes apparent that we are missing the pony element. I’m spitballing here, but taking a random combination of hunter divisions and German dressage pony divisions, maybe we should offer something like this:
Small Pony Division (12.2 hands and under): Training Level test ridden by kids aged 12 and under
Medium Pony Division (13.2 and under): First Level test ridden by kids aged 14 and under
Large Pony Division (14.2 and under): Second Level test ridden by kids aged 16 and under
Bring back Regional Youth Team Challenges. This used to be a thing, guys! Now, I think we have only three similar competitions in the whole United States. Imagine a competition for younger, grassroots dressage kids to showcase their skills and test their ability in classes that are structured fairly by age and experience. It offers a jumping off point that gives kids the confidence to reach for bigger and bigger goals. I know for me as a 12-year-old competing at the Youth Dressage Festival and the Region 1 Youth Team Challenge, I was exposed to things that GREATLY eased my equestrian career later on. I'll map some out for reference...
Competing in a championship environment > "Regionals seems attainable." (Several BLM and Regional Championship Titles)
Dressage Seat Equitation > "I scored pretty well. Maybe I could qualify for Dressage Seat Medal Finals." (5th Place 13 and Under at Dressage Seat Medal Finals)
Riding in front of an "O" judge > "A CDI doesn't seem so scary." (Several wins at Dressage at Devon and CDI Saugerties)
Meeting an Olympian > "Just another person who loves horses. I can apply to be a demo rider for that Steffen Peters Clinic." (Demo rider for ESDCTA's Clinic with Steffen Peters and Janet Foy)
Riding on a team > "Riding on an NAYC team would be so fun!" (4-time NAYC medalist)
Written tests > "I could probably survive the "L" Program." (L Graduate with Distinction)
Connecting with peers who love dressage > "I can reach out to [INSERT FRIEND], they will know what to do/how to help." (Chairman of the USDF Youth Executive Board, Board Member for The Dressage Foundation and Board Member for Dressage at Devon)
Appoint a “Youth Development Advisor” for each region. Call it a “Regional Youth Coach” if you want. The name doesn’t matter. Basically someone who is responsible for scouting, mentoring and advising young riders AND their coaches alike. They should also be responsible for growing youth divisions in their region through close collaboration with families, trainers, breeders and show managers. They should report in to the National Youth Coach so that we can have one vision for the direction of our sport (towards greater harmony and horsemanship). Their performance should be measured by the number of youth coaches they mentor, the level of engagement in youth programs in their region, and youth participation at USEF/USDF recognized shows.
Why? Our geography as a nation is extremely challenging. We are 27 times the size of a country like Germany with much lower population density. We need to take a unique approach to truly meet the needs of youth riders and their teams. Because it is just too much for one person to cover in a comprehensive way.
On that note, mentor youth trainers. I surveyed every lesson barn I could find in Region 1 that offers dressage education. I asked them the question, “How can we help you?” The most common response was some version of, “Please give me the chance to learn and ask questions. I don’t have all the answers and I am overwhelmed. My kids have many opportunities, but I would love some mentorship so I can be better for them.” For every youth program we have, we should have a component or a separate program to develop youth instructors. They often feel very isolated and sometimes downright shunned (and then we wonder why they don’t want to come to Convention or sign up for the Instructor’s Certification Program).
Offer a badge through the USDF Instructor’s Certification Program to recognize excellence in early childhood education. Some of the best, most passionate, most effective, most innovative teachers I know will never ride down centerline at the FEI Level. We need a way to identify them, mentor them, and recognize their unique skillset. They are out there right now doing god’s work teaching our future USDF President to post, and dying quietly inside as our next Olympic medalist does her whole Training Level canter tour on the wrong lead. It is a hard, often thankless job which they do as a labor of love. And they are SO. DARN. IMPORTANT.
Bring back the USDF Youth Executive Board. Okay, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I volunteer for a lot of dressage organizations… Boy, are we all looking old! We need to provide leadership opportunities for youth if we are to have a prayer of continuing beyond the next ~10 years. Because some of us want to retire eventually.
Change the format for the USDF FEI Youth/Youth Outreach and USEF Developing Clinics. I’ve participated in these clinics as both an athlete and a trainer, and I always leave a little frustrated. To me, it seems sort of silly to expend resources sending our coaches around the country to teach these clinics, and then not giving them the time to gather information from the riders and their teams. I get it, we like to be efficient. We put everyone in one room and try to listen and educate all at once. But I don’t think that is in-depth enough. We have some of the best young and developing riders in the country as a captive audience — many times we even have their trainers and parents! We should add another day to these clinics so we can sit down for 30 minutes with each team, review their goals, and ask some questions. For example:
What is keeping you from achieving your goals?
What do you think you are really good at? What are you struggling with?
Looking to the future, what excites you? What worries you?
What is instrumental to your success? What can you not live without?
How can we help you?
Imagine how much we would learn! We have to create feedback loops. It will be pivotal to our ability to identify and solve problems quickly. And I fear we don’t have a lot of time.
Encourage more horsemanship education. This is something I think the western and eventing worlds often do quite well. As a sport, we tend to get very caught up in teaching the intricacies of dressage. It is a complex art and it takes a long time to learn, so I get it. But I think our educational programming needs to also focus on teaching kids basic horse handling, care and management skills. Some things to consider: Awards for youth who have the best turnout at a show, youth challenges that combine riding with sporthorse handling, horse bowls at prominent dressage shows, horsemanship skill assessment sheets to be completed by all riders applying for FEI Youth or Youth Outreach Clinics, and unmounted weekend horsemanship seminars.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We are surrounding by successful youth programs. Inspiration can come from any one of them — from Dressage4Kids to AQHA to Pony Club to USHJA to the FN. We need to do some secondary research to see what is working for kids and also what is working in the U.S. market. The answer is out there.
NOTE: This is just me more or less speaking into an echo chamber. And this is not really an exhaustive list. To make these ideas actionable will require a task force that brings together knowledge from all parties involved — from show organizers to parents to trainers to judges to officials. Oh, and we should run it all by the KIDS too! (Where are the GMO youth council representatives and USEF Youth Advisory Group members in this conversation?)
Marley McCourt and Nicole DelGiorno with Hide D4K, a 2012 KWPN gelding (Andretti x Tango x Gribaldi) bred by W.G. Gijsbers and owned by Dressage4Kids.
Photo by Frank Masini.
