Welcome back to returning competitors and
welcome to newcomers! The
Youth Dressage
Festival (YDF) is a unique equestrian
competition and educational event conducted
annually
by Dressage4Kids, Inc. It is
traditionally held on a weekend during July
or August. Click on the
toolbar to the left for an Overview of
the Youth Dressage Festival’s exciting
events and activities.
How do you prepare for the Festival? To get
started, click on the toolbar to the left to
read the 2010 Prize List. The Prize List
contains all the information you’ll need,
including qualifying requirements, rules and
a tentative schedule for the weekend. It is
full of so much essential information that
Lendon has included quest ons on the Written
Test which cover material found only in the
Prize List.
Next, talk with your trainer and parents to
determine which divisions and classes would
be best suited to you and your mount.
Now that you’ve decided to set the Festival
as your goal, go out and earn your
qualifying score. You do not even need to
go to a recognized show. You can earn the
score at a schooling show
or a Pony Club competition. You can even
bring a judge to your home barn and ride the
test
there as long as the judge is a USDF 'L'
graduate, USEF or FEI Dressage judge.
Begin reading the required books for the
Written Test. Click on the toolbar to the
left for the Required Reading List for
the Written Test and to order your
books. Practice your individual
Dressage test. Prepare for the Equitation
phase by riding with other horses working as
a group
to get your horse used to working at
the trot and canter in an arena full of
other horses. If
you’re showing in Second
Level and above, also practice doing the
mandatory (but unscored) practice vet jog.
Click on the toolbar to the left for a
description of the Vet Jog. And
practice your stable management skills as
well. If you are one of the top two scorers
in age group 11 to
21 in the
Written Test, you will be eligible to
participate in the Stable Management
Challenge. Go the Overview of the Youth
Dressage Festival to learn more about the
Stable Management
Challenge.
In addition to the division competitions,
there are lots of fun classes you can enter,
and most have no qualifying requirements.
They are the Leadline class for aspiring
riders aged 4 to 8; the Dressage Trail
class; the Musical Freestyle class; the
Pleasure class and the Prix Caprilli class,
a dressage test
with jumps. Descriptions of all these
classes are found in the Overview of the
Youth Dressage Festival. Click on the
toolbar to the left for the actual tests for
the Leadline
class, the Dressage Trail class and the Prix
Caprilli classes.
Do you ride a Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse
or any kind of non-traditional dressage
horse breed? Are you an Event rider or
a Hunter Equitation rider? Do you ride
a pony? Your division scores can count
towards one of many Special Awards.
Click on the toolbar to the left to read a
description of all the Special and Breed
Awards
and their qualifying requirements.
We also have several competitions that don’t
involve you getting on a horse. Enter our
Cover
Art Contest for a chance to have your
drawing on the cover of the 2010 YDF Show
Program.
There are also a Turn-Out Inspection which
begins early Saturday morning and a Stall
Area and Tackroom Decorating Contest which
runs from late Saturday morning to early
afternoon. More details on these contests
and ompetitions can be found in the Prize
List and the Overview of the Youth Dressage
Festival.
But the weekend isn’t just about
competitions. Saturday
evening festivities begin with the Parade of
Teams and often continue with exhibitions by
top international riders showcasing the
athleticism and grace of the horse. Dinner on Saturday
evening includes free pizza for the riders.
There is also a separate buffet dinner for
the adults at a nominal cost, and it
features comments from the judges that are
both instructive and inspirational.
Getting yourself to the Festival involves
some practical matters, too. Work to get
your expenses covered. Click on the toolbar
to the left to learn how you can Earn
credits towards stabling expenses.
Send in your Entry Form and fees as early as
possible and neatly written. Click on the
toolbar
to the left to download and fill out the
2010 Entry Form
Book your hotel accommodations. A list of
hotels can be found in the Prize List.
Request your RV Hookup on the Entry Form.
There is also a place on the Entry Form to
reserve your golf cart (for licensed drivers
only).
Check your and your horse’s “wardrobe” to
make sure everything you and your equine
partner
will need to wear fits correctly and is in
good condition.
If your trainer can’t come to the Festival
to help you, that’s not a problem. We have
Roving
Trainers on hand to coach you before your
class. These young professional riders,
veteran competitors at the FEI levels,
donate their time so there is no charge for
their service. You can
sign up for the Roving Trainers at the show
grounds, after you have checked in.
Also, if you need some extra practice before
your official classes begin, you might want
to enter
the Friday Schooling Show or do a Practice
Ride on Friday. You can find more
information about
the Schooling Show and the Practice Ride in
the Prize list.
Plan to volunteer, and get your family to
join you. To keep expenses to a minimum, we
run the Festival on almost 100%
volunteer-power. We require all
competitors to donate a minimum of
two hours
of volunteer service during the weekend.
After you have checked in at the show, sign
up
for your volunteer service. Family and
friends who accompany you are requested to
volunteer as well. We have lots of jobs to
be done, and we even provide clearly written
job descriptions. No
job is very hard, but all the jobs done by
the volunteers help the Show Committee do
their jobs better and result in a more
smoothly run Festival for everyone. In
appreciation for their service,
we
provide welcome gift bags and other perks
throughout the weekend. Click on the
toolbar to the left for more information
about Volunteer requirements and
positions.
Bringing a younger or non-riding sibling
along? We even have special horse-themed
activities
for younger kids each day. Click
on the toolbar to the left for a description
of Activities for Younger Children.
Stay informed.
There are lots of ways to do that. Scroll
down to the bottom of this page to sign
up for Lendon’s email newsletters about the
Festival. Anytime you have a question,
reread the
Prize List. Check the website periodically
for updates. You may also email Lendon at
graydressage@optonline.net
. Once you arrive on the show grounds, read
the show program
you’ll receive when you check in. The
program is packed with important
show-related
information. In it you’ll find schedules
for the weekend, instructions to competitors
from Lendon
and information about our wonderful sponsors
and other programs conducted by
Dressage4Kids. Throughout the weekend, visit
the Information booth, check the bulletin
boards near the show office and listen for
announcements for the most up-to-date
information.
From all of us members of the Show
Organizing Committee, welcome to the 12th
Annual
Youth Dressage Festival!
Lendon Gray
graydressage@optonline.net
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