July 6, 2006

Dear Region 4 Members and Friends,

We are asking for your help. Our Region is sending five superb young riders to represent Region 4 and compete at the 2006 North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships, (NAJYRC) August 1-6, to be held at the Virginia Horse Center.

The NAJYRC are the premier equestrian competitions in North America for junior and young riders, age 14-21. Young equestrians come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean Islands to vie for team and individual medals in the Olympic equestrian disciplines. The two FEI dressage championships are comprised of dressage young riders competing at the FEI Young Rider Level (equivalent to Prix St. Georges), and juniors competing at the FEI Junior Level (equivalent to Fourth Level). Only the top thirty-six young riders and top thirty-six juniors in the country are invited to compete for the United States in these FEI dressage championships. The championships are modeled after the Olympic Games and they offer these young people an experience much like the real thing. Involving juniors at an earlier age will help develop our junior riders as they become our future Olympians. This is our team’s first experience riding on a team as well as their first time competing under the rules of the Federation Equestre International (FEI) the international governing body for the equestrian sport.

I am most delighted to announce that our region will be sending Ellie Hardesty and Jena Dick to ride as our Young Riders. Because three are required to make up a team, they will be riding as individuals. The Region 4 Junior Team members are Emily Wagner, Lauren Gorton and Natasha Vincent. This is the first time our region will have five riders going to represent us at this prestigious international event.  We are hoping that many of our Region 4 members will be willing to give them some financial support.  This will be tax deductible and will be greatly appreciated.

Please send checks to Maryanne Mahowald, Region 4 Advanced Young Rider Coordinator. 1106 Riverside Ave. N, Sartell, MN 56311.

1. The checks must be made payable to: “USDF Region #4”.

2. The check’s memo field should read, “FEI NAJYC Team donation”.

3. USDF will send a receipt for donations if requested.

4. Donated funds through USDF regional bank accounts will be designated for expenses incurred for that region’s FEI NAJYC team as a whole, not for particular individuals.

Our junior and young riders are the future leaders of our sport. I know that our riders will make our region proud as they participate in this exciting accomplishment. I hope next year we will have 2 full teams who will have the opportunity to participate. Our region has a growing number of fine young people who are excellent in this sport. It is a pleasure to participate in their development. Our junior and young riders have worked hard to accomplish this goal. Regional support will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity.

Sincerely,

Linda Landers, Regional Director