By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Aug. 21, Cazenovia equestrian Grace Young took home the gold medal from the 13 and under division of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Dressage Seat Medal Final at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions.

According to Young, dressage is a sport in which a horse and rider team navigates an arena in a specific set of movements. Each movement is performed at specific markers located around the arena.

“Dressage is about training a horse to listen, be flexible, and be calm,” she said. “The tests should look pleasant and effortless. As the horse is trained, the movements and tests become more challenging.”

During the final, each rider completed a group assessment — performing various gaits on demand — and a test pattern designed by the judges.

Riding Maestro, a 20-year-old German riding pony gelding, Young beat out her 10 competitors with a score of 86.

“It was an honor, especially considering the competitors and the limited amount of training and competing we were able to have this year,” said Young. “I’ve improved as a rider, which means our training is working. It’s a milestone that I’m grateful to experience at this point in my life. Winning allows me the opportunity to share my passion with others.”

Young, who trains with Diane Brandow at Spruce Valley Stables, LLC in Erieville, rides and works at the barn five times a week.

“Grace has been working hard on her equitation both in and out of the tack,” said Brandow. “I thought she put in a solid ride at the show, so it was no surprise she did well. For the test portion of the class, Grace chose to skip the opening circle, which made it more challenging. I think that helped set her apart from the others. All the kids that make it to the finals are very competitive, so it is hard to tell where you will place. I was beyond excited that she won.”

Young started riding horses in 2013 and training in dressage in March 2016.

She discovered the discipline while searching for a new barn.

“We found Spruce Valley Stables because it was really close to where we live,” Young said. “They offered dressage, so that’s what I started riding. I really didn’t want to jump, so dressage was perfect. I stuck with it because I really like that there are clear goals you can achieve and you can choose the path you want to take. You can work on your own goals to improve your basic riding skills for any discipline, or you can show locally, regionally or nationally in dressage specifically.”

Young has been working with Maestro (owned by Hailey Kates) for the past three years.

According to the rider, her relationship with Maestro took time to develop.

“[He’s] a good fit because he can be a bit of a challenge, but he likes to work . . .” she said. “It’s the time we’ve spent together that makes us a great team. He had a little dressage experience in his past, but he was jumping right before I started with him. It took some work to get him back into dressage. Every day he comes out a little different; some days he can be a real challenge and other days he just seems to know the plan. Either way, I really love working with him.”

Young aspires to compete at the Olympics and to eventually train new riders herself.

The USEF Dressage Seat Medal program is designed to celebrate excellence in equitation and to develop a solid foundation for future success in the international dressage arena.

For more information, visit usef.org.