Cayman
Equestrians Named Champions in Jamaica

December
has been a great month for Cayman's youth equestrians competing in
Jamaica.

In
early December, the Cayman team of Ava Law, Nadia Thompson and
Madison Ameline were named Champions at the Dressage Invitational
hosted by Caymanas Pony Club located near Kingston, Jamaica. Riders
from Barbados also participated in the event.

The
Cayman Team came out on top over Jamaica, with the Barbados team
coming in third. Cayman had a number of "firsts" at the
competition, including a win by Law in the C-test, a 3rd
place finish by Ameline, who competed in a musical freestyle for the
first time and a 3rd
place finish for Thompson in the A-Test, at her very first horse
show.

Last
week Cayman's youth equestrians traveled again to Jamaica, this time
for a show jumping competition sponsored by the Jamaican Equestrian
Federation at Drax Hall Country Club in St. Ann Parish, near Ocho
Rios. Olivia Ziemniak, representing Cayman in the .70 meter
division, came in first and second in her two classes and was named
the division's Champion. Megan Swartz and Leah Alberga competed in
the .90 meter division, where Swartz took home 3rd
and 4th
place ribbons, and Alberga a 5th
place. Riders from Costa Rica were also invited to this event.

"We
are really pleased to see our youth perform so well while competing
overseas on borrowed horses." said Eve van den Bol, President of
the Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation (CIEF). "With limited
local competition, we have been encouraging our youth members to
participate in overseas events, especially those with borrowed
horses." In addition to Jamaica, countries that host
borrowed-horse competitions in which Caymanian riders have been
invited to compete include the USA, Ecuador, Barbados, Suriname,
Martinique, Costa Rica and Guatemala, among others.

For
more information about the CIEF, please visit their website at
ciefcay.com

by
Eve van den Bol