Para-Dressage Team medalists – Team USA (left) and Team Canada (right) (Photo: SusanJStickle.com)

While the Team Para-Dressage championship took place on Thursday at the 2015 Adequan/FEI NAJYRC. The winners received both their Team and Individual medals on Saturday after also completing their Individual tests. Topping the podium in team competition was Team USA, with Team Canada taking the Silver. The U.S. team finished with a team cumulative score of 380.191.

The team is composed of:Kate Shoemaker (Glendale, Ariz.) on Pacifec M – Grade IIICambry Kaylor (Lehi, Utah) on Markgard Donnewind – Grade 1bSydney Collier (Ann Arbor, Mich.) on Wentworth – Grade 1b

Beyond just being happy with their performances, all members of Team USA were excited to see para-dressage added to the disciplines offered at the NAJYRC. “I’m just really excited to be here, since it’s the first time ever that [para-dressage] has been in the NAJYRC,” Kaylor said. “I’m just honored to be here, and we’re thrilled.” Kaylor finished with the Individual Silver medal in the Grade 1b competition, earning scores of 62.65% in the Team test and 61.509% in the Individual test for a 124.16 total. Earning the Individual Gold medal in the 1b competition was Kaylor’s teammate, Collier.

Collier received scores of 67.65% and 67.112% for a cumulative total of 134.76. “I feel ecstatic about it,” Collier said. “I was here [at the Kentucky Horse Park] about three years ago with Jonathan Wentz, doing our demonstration of our freestyle, and it just really feels like Jonathan is right here with is. It’s such an honor to be here as a team, and I’m so impressed with my teammates and incredibly happy with our horses.” The third member of Team USA, Shoemaker, received the Individual Gold in Grade III with scores of 66.02% and 68.079% for a 134.099 total. “I just really wanted to thank the whole team that helped get us here,” Shoemaker said. “USEF, USET, Adequan; a whole bunch of people who are unnamed that made everything behind the scenes happen. It was huge, and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing sponsors, and not to mention, our individual help from our families and everybody that helped with our horses.”

Riding for Team Canada are:Nel Godin-Keating (Dartmouth, N.S.) on Mr. Itchy – Grade 1aSarah Cummings (Cranbrook, B.C.) on West Bay – Grade IIMadison Lawson (North Bay, Ont.) on Lawrence – Grade IV

Godin-Keating and Mr. Itchy earned the Gold in Grade 1a on scores of 63.315% and 61.902% Cummings captured Gold in Grade II with West Bay on scores of 61.397% and 61.464%, and Lawson claimed the Gold in Grade IV on Lawrence, earning scores of 66.815% and 65.298%. Para-dressage riders return on Sunday to complete their Freestyle tests and vie for Freestyle medals.

For full results or to learn more about the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, please visit www.youngriders.org.