2004 Dressage at Devon

Leah Wilson's Own Private NAYRC at 2004 Dressage at Devon

Canadian Young Rider Leah Wilson described the FEI Young Riders Classes at 2004 Dressage at Devon as "my own NAYRC." In August, Wilson traveled with the Canadian team to the NAYRC at Temple Farms in Wadsworth, ILL and had the huge misfortune of arriving there with a lame horse. "I made it onto the team and just 3 hours before the jog, he went lame." Wilson could not compete, and there set her mind on taking 'revenge'.

At 2004 Dressage at Devon, Wilson came, saw and conquered. Aboard her Russian warmblood gelding Dostoevsky, Wilson placed second in the team test with 64.222%, but she won the Individual/PSG and the kur to music with 65.667% and 72.042%. "Devon made up for the NAYRC," Wilson said, "I had my own NAYRC here."

Wilson's freestyle was ridden to light, cheerful music highlighting the chromatic perfection with which Dostoevsky performs his movements in the ring. The horse's tempi changes are very correct, but could have been bigger and more expressive. The canter pirouette to the left was good, the one to the right a little big. The trot half passes were nice, but the horse sometimes came behind the vertical. With some minor improvements to the execution of the movements and with more pizzazz in general, Wilson will have a definite medal candidate for next year's NAYRC. In Devon, she already topped the leader board twice in a field of 13 competitors.

"I'm happy with lots of points in my ride," Wilson commented after the kur, "but it's not the best freestyle I've ridden. I've never got such high marks before. It's overwhelming to be here in the ring in Devon."

Leah Wilson and her parents found Dostoevsky, who is nicknamed Ivan, at Hof Kasselmann in Hagen, Germany. "Me, my parents and trainer Tom Dvorak were there for a week and I tried out 40 horses. I rode Ivan twice and we clicked. He was the right age and level we were looking for and I fell in love with him," Wilson explained.

The now 10-year old Dostoevsky was purchased by the Wilson family in December 2002 and is to date Leah's only horse. She competed him extensively in Canada during the 2004 show season in preparation of the NAYRC and Devon.

Wilson describes Dostoevsky as a "tryer, a people horse. First he was very shy and stood in the back of his stall, now he's a puppy and he loves attention. He tries really hard."

The 17-year old Wilson still has four more years to go in the Young Riders' division and hopes to ride at that level for a couple more years. "Afterwards, I will sell Dostoevsky for a young horse that I can take up to Grand Prix or I'll take him up the levels to Grand Prix," Wilson said. Nevertheless, her short term goal for next year is "making the team again" for the 2005 North American Young Riders Championships.

Text by Astrid Appels - Photos by Astrid and Mary for Phelpsphotos.com

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