Regan Salm aboard Karat EG put in their personal best at Gladstone and are ready to rock at the NAJYRC in Lexington this month. (Photo: Susan Stickle Photo )

Lincoln, MA – Her heels are down, her eyes up and Regan Salm, 18, of Lincoln, MA, is sparkling with success after an outstanding performance on Karat EG at the US Festival of Champions in Gladstone, NJ, and is emerging as a very serious contender for the upcoming North American Junior/Young Rider Championships, July 15-20, in Lexington, KY. Salm, a USDF Bronze Medalist in her last year as a Junior rider, and her 17.3 hand, nine year-old, bay Hanoverian gelding laid down an excellent test for a score of 67.730% in June at Hamilton Farm’s Olympic equestrian training headquarters, finishing fourth in the FEI Juniors Team Test in the same historic arena where some of America’s best dressage pairs of the last century have trained and launched international careers. That didn’t intimidate this cooly-collected teenager: “I love to compete and he (Karat) has a really good energy level at shows. I think he enjoys competing as much as I do. Gladstone was really exciting for us, because we were in ninth place and moved up to fourth. I wasn’t expecting it, but we not only qualified for Lexington, we put in our one of our best rides ever.”On the ground, she compares Karat, who she found through Lars Petersen, to a pet dog. “He’s social. But under saddle is where he really shows his talent and big heart. Lars had done clinics at my trainer, Mary Bahniuk Lauritsen’s faciility and knew I was outgrowing my current horse and needed one who could go up the levels with me.  As soon as Lars introduced me to Karat I knew I wanted him right away.”Salm’s four years training with Lauritsen have led to a string of dressage accomplishments all the more impressive when considering, before age 14, the discipline had rarely entered the young equestrienne’s mind.“Since I was five, I’ve been interested in horses but not in a discipline. I liked to trail ride and showed Arabian horses in middle school, but it wasn’t until high school that I took dressage lessons. I loved the feeling of getting a horse so connected with you.”Salm’s innate ability to connect with her horse led, in 2013, not only to a USDF Bronze medal but her Region 8 Junior Rider Second Level Championship and, by year’s end, the Second Level Junior/Young Rider National Championship title. It’s not every teenager who can claim a national riding title, but Salm is no ordinary young woman: “I owe so much to my parents and my trainer,” she said. “I have the best parents in the world, who have really helped to make all this possible. Especially in letting me travel to Florida to train and to grow as a rider.“Mary (Bahniuk Lauritsen’), my trainer, and I have a great friendship out of the saddle, too. She’s really willing to work through challenges with me, instead of just getting on my horse and “fixing” the problem Mary takes the time to teach me how to train the horse correctly so I am learning the process that gets the correct result. It takes a little longer, but I feel empowered when I learn.  Mary has amazing patience and makes everything upbeat and positive,” Salm explains. That desire to keep learning and growing will keep this uncommon member of the dressage Commonwealth busy for the near future. As a competitor, Salm’s goal is to debut Karat at Prix St Georges level by August and set dressage audiences on fire in at the NAJYRC with a bold and modern freestyle.“Mary and I, along with Mary’s mother, Joy Bahniuk worked on the choreography together, and it’s been a lot of fun putting the music together.” Among the artists and songs she’s chosen to lay down their beat? Kanye West, Madonna, Rihanna and – for some ‘bling’ in the ring – a rendition of ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”As level-headed in approaching her own life as her horse’s training, Salm may have her heart in the show ring but she intends to turn her attention back to the classroom next season and enter Santa Clara (CA) University to major (maybe) in Economics.“I would like to ride professionally, so it’s hard to choose a major right now. I think I know what I really want to do…”With only 25 shows’ worth of experience under her belt, yet a horse and scores so solid as to take her straight to the greatest dressage arenas in America, a growing legion of fans think they know what Salm should do, too, and expect her and Karat to prove it in Lexington.Follow Regan Salm Dressage on Face Book for more information.