North American Western Dressage Introduces – School Partnership Equestrian Competition Program
Press ReleaseFebruary 11, 2015 (Minnesota) — North American Western Dressage (NAWD) is pleased to announce its School Partnership Equestrian Program. The NAWD Student Equestrian Athlete program is open to equestrian athletes, regardless of breed of horse, who are interested in competing in Western Dressage Tests, Traditional Dressage Tests, Ground Work Tests, Western Dressage Freestyle tests, or Western Dressage Trail tests. This is a program that allows students to work with their horses and utilize a progressive training plan, one very similar to how K-12 and College education curricula are designed – setting a foundation and then building a knowledge and skill base that allows for lifetime achievement. NAWD offers the opportunity to start with groundwork, progress to ridden tests and then increase the degree of difficulty by encouraging specialization in Freestyle routine development or NAWD Trail.
Christine Ramsey, an avid horsewoman and member of NAWD from California, will be steering the program and shares her enthusiasm — “It is very exciting to lead the School Equestrian Portion of the NAWD Youth Program. As a mom, I have seen how school sports help develop teamwork, commitment, and leadership for student participants. Through my own high school and early collegiate career, I was honored to be involved in rodeo, and serve as a Rodeo Queen in California, and this program is an excellent opportunity for me to continue serving and helping our Youth benefit from opportunities to be involved in equestrian sports through their schools.”
Program Highlights
· All competition is completed using video submissions so equestrians can compete from their home arena, saving hundreds in travel costs.
· Spring Season runs from February 1 to May 15 and the Fall season runs from September 1 to December 15 – each year. Signups are required for each season.
· School teams compete for a national title each season (when 5 or more teams sign up in a division) for that season. Points accumulate from all team members each season.
· NAWD has divisions for Grades 6-8, 9-12, and College.
· A competition page sharing the cumulative points for each School will be available on the NAWD Website.
“We are continuing to create opportunities for young riders. This is the second phase in a comprehensive program that we have developed. It is a very exciting time for NAWD and we are extremely grateful for the hard work of the individuals involved in the creation of these programs,” says Jen Johnson, President of NAWD.
Program details can be found HERE.
About North American Western Dressage – North American Western Dressage is a non-profit organization that offers casual, fun, and affordable ways to learn about Western Dressage in the form of clinics and virtual shows. We start from the ground up with our “Six Feet on the Ground” Groundwork program, continue with Western Dressage Tests, Western Dressage Freestyles, and Western Dressage Trail tests. Our judges are carefully chosen for their understanding that Western Dressage is not dressage in a western saddle and that the fundamentals of good riding are universal. We embrace and include equine enthusiasts from ALL walks of life.