Five
Cayman dressage riders returned home Monday with lots of first place
ribbons won at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA)
Dressage Team show held at Epiphany Farms located about 1.5 hours
north of Atlanta, GA. The Cayman riders participated alongside their
three American teammates as members of the High Point Farm IEA
Dressage Team.

High
Point Farm, located just south of Athens, Georgia, is run by Cindy
Thaxton and her family. Thaxton is a leading dressage coach who is
invited regularly to Grand Cayman by the Cayman Islands Equestrian
Federation (CIEF) to train local dressage riders.

Assistant
Trainer Claire Coman runs the farm's IEA Dressage team, which is in
only in its second year. She explains that "IEA is an excellent
program as it really tests the kids riding ability and adaptability.
To do well, the riders have to be effective and clear with their
aids."

Four
Caymanian riders make up the entire High Point Farm Middle School
team, which was named Champion in their division at the Epiphany
show: Kayla Mannisto, Marley Trench, Rosana Stroh and Jenna
Superfine. Abbey Swartz is the sole Caymanian on the farm's
four-person High School Team, which finished up as the Reserve
Champion in their division. Seven teams competed at both the middle
and high school levels.

Other
highlights include wins by Marley Trench in both her future novice
test and dressage seat equitation class, a win by Kayla Mannisto in
Future Intermediate Dressage Seat Equitation and a win by Rosanna
Stroh in Beginner Dressage Seat Equitation.

The
idea to recruit team members from the Cayman Islands came about after
the trainers at High Point observed the horsemanship skills of the
Cayman riders competing at the Combined Training Test Event they held
last Spring. The idea resonated with local riders and their parents,
and now the majority of the High Point IEA Dressage Team consist of
riders from Cayman.

Founded
in 2002, IEA currently has over 13,500 members in 42 states and
operates in three disciplines: Hunt Seat, Western and Dressage. IEA
Dressage is open to riders in middle and high school who have a
minimum of one year of riding experience. Riders compete as both
individuals and on teams in dressage test classes and dressage seat
equitation classes, and at one of four levels: Beginner, Novice,
Intermediate and Open. The regular competition year for IEA starts
in September and runs through February. Each rider is limited to
competing in a maximum of five IEA shows per season, and if that
rider earns enough points during the season, they can qualify for
Regional and National Championships.

IEA
competition is unique in that no rider needs to own a horse.
Instead, the host team provides horses for the competition and riders
are assigned to horses based on a random draw. Each rider riding a
test has only three minutes to get to know their assigned horse
before entering the competition arena. In dressage seat equitation,
no warm up time is allowed and the riders compete without any
knowledge of the horse. The format of IEA is designed to equalize
competition variables and test the horsemanship of the contestants.
Said Coman, "the Cayman riders all had a correct concept of
dressage position and were able to sit on any horse and adjust to its
needs and perform. Big credit has to go to Jessica McTaggart, their
coach in Cayman, for their fabulous results this weekend."

The
next IEA Dressage show for the Cayman riders on the High Point team
will take place in mid-December. For more information about the IEA
program, please visit www.rideiea.org. For more information about
the Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation, please visit
www.ciefcay.com.

by
Eve van den Bol