The American team tied for fourth place in the Young Riders Nations Cup competition at the CSIOYJ Bonheiden (Belgium), the first leg of the 2012 Show Jumping European Young Rider and Junior Rider Tour.

The top three scores from each round counted toward the team score. They finished with 32 faults to tie with Belgium. Alise Oken, of Charlotte, N.C., led the team effort as she was one of only two competitors to jump double clean in both rounds of the competition riding Kaid Du Ry. Other riders on the U.S. team included Annie Cook on Banba, Lydia Ulrich on Santos Utopia, and Jennifer Goddard on Unique.

The German team won the class with 13 faults over France (16). The team from Sweden finished third with 20 faults.

Earlier in the week, the U.S. young riders, coached by Anne Kursinski, won two classes and finished in the top 10 four other times.

Goddard and Ungaro de la Hot Coutour, owned by Stateside Farm, won the 1.2-meter Table A two phase class on May 17. 

In the 1.3-meter Table C class on May 18, the young riders took the top two placings with Goddard, Fort Solanga, N.Y., and Ungaro de la Hot Coutour in first and Oken in second on Marcus Quintus.

In the junior division, Sydney Shulman, Greenwich, Conn., won three days of classes in a row mounted on Zimza La Bim, owned by Maria Werner. The pair won the 1.2-meter speed class on May 17, the 1.2-meter Table C class on May 18, and the junior 1.2-meter speed class on May 19.

The young riders and juniors will compete next at the CSIOY and CSIOJ in Reims, France, on May 31 through June 3.