The team dressage competitions got underway on the first day, July 27, of the Adequan/FEI North American Junior And Young Rider Championships, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Region 5 team took home gold in the young rider team dressage competition on a score of 198.10 percent, while the Region 1 team was victorious for the junior class.

• Brandi Roenick, 16, came from Scottsdale, Ariz., to put in a winning test aboard Pretty Lady for the Region 5 young rider team, scoring a 69.28 percent—the highest scoring test of the day. Teammate Madeleine Birch, 18, of Salt Lake City, Utah, returned for her second year at the championships having competed in 2010 as a junior, and she followed close behind Roenick with a 67.02 percent aboard Uoeri. The 16-year-old Catherine Chamberlain rode Verdicci to a 61.78 percent, and Aylin Corapcioglu started the team’s successful day with a morning ride on Ruhmann, with whom she picked up a 61.63 percent.

• Pretty Lady was Roenick’s 10th birthday present from her parents. She has brought the mare, who she says demands to be treated like a lady, from training level to Prix St. Georges with the help of her mother, Tracy Roenick, and Steffen Peters. She says that while riding a mare can be a matter of finesse, “When you have a good mare it’s the best ride of your life.”

• The junior gold medal team from Region 1 finished the day with a collective score of 199.18 percent. The team was spearheaded by 16-year-old New Jersey native Julia Burtt aboard Aaron VI, who scored the second-highest junior test of the day with a 67.05 percent. Teammates Kya Enderson, 16, of Southen Shores, N.C., (66.43%) and Dominique Cassavetis, 18, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., (65.70%) followed close behind to seal the win.

• Horses and riders had to battle the relentless heat and humidity throughout the day, which proved challenging for horses that normally lived in different climates. Corapcioglu, who was the only rider on her team to travel solo to the championships, said, “I think we all feel the effect of humidity. We all come from drier climates, and my horse and I are used to the high altitude of Colorado. We feel it, but we’re working through it.”

• The Canada-British Columbia and Quebec team, which bagged a silver medal in the young rider team competition, said that they felt they had something to prove in following the footsteps of their successful predecessors. Emily Fownes, 19, from Montreal, said, “I think we have something special to prove because the Canadians that came before us were so good.” Esmee Ingham, 18, from West Vancouver, B.C., agreed. “This year the Canadian spirit has been especially high. To come together as a team having never met [each other] and medal is incredible. Especially since it’s Emily [Fownes] and Mathilde [Tetrault’s] first year,” she said.

More team results from the first day of dressage:

• The team from Canada-British Columbia and Quebec grabbed the young rider silver medal (197.02%). Teammates were Emily Fownes on Frapuccino, Mathilde Tetrault on Michealango, Anne Messier Mylain on Marzipan and Esmee Ingham on Norseman.

• Region 8 young riders (Alexandra Potasky on Chackomo M, Isabelle Leibler on Watson 108, Madeleine VanVleet on Top and Marlee O’Neil on Leonardo) were the bronze medalists with 196.13 percent.

• The Region 5 junior team (Taylor Lindsten on Raoul, Talia Hershaft on Westfalica, Brook Santiagelo on Daylight and Devon Wycoff on Power Play) picked up silver with 195.86.

• Region 8 juniors (Ciara Cummiskey on Queen’s Delilah, Jannike Gray on Di Maestro, Katelyn Kok on Morgan Enshoj and Rachel Chowancec on Embrujado XI) took home the bronze team medal.

Full results available at Fox Village.

The individual dressage competition begins at 7 a.m. tomorrow.