Grab your boots, grab your hat and don't forget your jacket! The first Northeast Junior/Young Rider Dressage Championships will be held September 11,1999 at Ox Ridge in Darien, Conn., and promises to be a one-of-a-kind event.

Children 21 and under in all disciplines with any breed are invited to test their abilities and reach for the brass ring (or a trip to Aachen 2000 or a backstage pass to a live taping at MTV studios in New York City or how about one of five saddles?).

The Championships is the brainchild of Olympic dressage rider Lendon Gray. She created the competition with a three-part format--a written test, an equitation class and a dressage test--to test the overall horsemanship of competitors. The show will offer classes at training through fourth level, with 13 various age groups in total. Riders must compete in all three phases in their division. The overall high-score rider in each of the 13 divisions offered will be pinned a Champion and take home an armload of awards and a training scholarship.

To find out more about the Championships, the qualifying requirements and to see the incredible list of sponsors and awards, take the North East Jr/YR Championship Tour, a special feature in horsesdaily.com.