The Central Ontario Region is sending three young riders from this area to compete at the national dressage championships being held August 13-15 in Kelowna, British Columbia.

" Meaghan Lloyd of the Durham Pony Club, at First Level - Meaghan just graduated from J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate in Ajax, and this Fall will start at York University Glendon Campus, going for a bilingual BA in English Studies. She has been a Pony Club member for five years. She also competes on the National Gold dressage circuit and last year was Reserve Champion at First Level.

" Johanna McKeen of the Oshawa Pony Club, at the First and Second Levels in the Affiliate Members group (Affiliate Members are 21-25 years old as of January 1, and compete only against each other, not against the younger riders) - A Newcastle native, Johanna has competed successfully in both dressage and show jumping in Central Ontario for several years, and also competes for her University of Guelph team internationally. She is studying Animal Biology.

" Carolyn Russell-Poliquin, also of the Oshawa Pony Club, at the Third Level - Carolyn, who lives in Orono, is 19 years old and is a French immersion graduate of Clarington Central Secondary School in Bowmanville. She has been accepted at Hartpury College, University of Western England for their Equine Sport Science Degree and offered a spot in the Elite Equine Academy for her and her horse.

The event comprises two technical tests, a mystery test, a written test and a turnout score. The competitors will ride two different horses for each of the technical tests and will use one of them for their mystery test. As shipping horses around the country is impractical at this level of competition, all entries will be riding borrowed horses, supplied by the host British Columbia Interior/Northern Region.

The technical tests can be Canadian Pony Club dressage tests (up to Pre-Training level), Cadora or Equine Canada tests for the other levels. These tests must be ridden from memory. The mystery test is a technical test from a related level for each competitor but from a different country. The tests are unknown to the competitors and they will have a short time to review the test before riding it at the competition. These tests will be called to them. Each competitor will ride a different mystery test. The written test is a test to judge the general knowledge of the rider (Pony Club and non-Pony Club related) as it pertains to dressage. The turnout is specifically related to the rider's turnout with a portion attributed to the overall appearance of the horse.

The competitors who qualify for this competition are determined individually by each region but typically are champion at a regional dressage competition or related competitions with a minimum percentage of 58% in their technical tests.

For more details e-mail Bob Inglis, Central Ontario Regional Communications Chair, or call him at 416-493-1223 (office) or 416-491-4230 (home).