Team Quebec/Alberta captured the gold medal in the Dressage Young Riders Team Competition on Aug. 1 to kick off the 2018 Adequan/FEI North American Youth Championships presented by Gotham North, held in North Salem, NY.
L to R: Camille Carier Bergeron, Rakeya Moussa, Beatrice Boucher
Photo Credit: © Cealy Tetley – www.tetleyphoto.com

Ottawa, ON – The 2018 Adequan/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) presented by Gotham North began in North Salem, NY on Aug.1, 2018, with a stellar start for Canada in the Dressage Young Riders Team Competition.

The Canadian Dressage Young Riders Team provided sunshine on a rainy day with a gold medal finish for Team Quebec/Alberta, comprised of Rakeya Moussa of Edmonton, AB, Camille Carier Bergeron of Mascouche, QC and Beatrice Boucher of Saint-Dominique, QC. The team earned an impressive score of 210.145 despite competing at a disadvantage – as the only team competing with three riders instead of four, they did not have the luxury of a drop score.

The silver medal went to US Region 4 & 7 on a score of 202.646, followed closely by US Region 1 for the bronze on a score of 202.087.

As the first competitor on deck for Team Quebec/Alberta, Moussa piloted Davidoff v.h. Trichelhof (Lord Leatherdale x Wall Street), a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Susan and Mohammed Moussa, through an expressive and eye-catching performance. Her high score of 71.324% initially earned first place, a standing that held strong through 12 riders’ performances before eventually dropping to second.

“I was really proud of Davidoff,” said Moussa. “The score was really exciting; it was a huge personal best for him, and I was happy with his rideablity and consistency. He was good, and everyone was so supportive and friendly.”

Rakeya Moussa of Edmonton, AB was the top placed Canadian in the Dressage Young Riders Team Competition, earning second place on a score of 71.323% with Davidoff v.h. Trichelhof, who is owned by Susan and Mohammed Moussa.
Photo Credit: © Cealy Tetley – www.tetleyphoto.com

Moussa continued, “It feels really special because [Carier Bergeron, Boucher and I] were all on the team together my first year as a Junior, and this is my last year at NAYC, so to be on the team with these girls again is really fun.”

While Moussa set up Team Quebec/Alberta with a strong start, it was Carier Bergeron who sealed the deal on their victory with a score of 70.353%. Riding Baldacci (Havidoff x Rubiquil), the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she co-owns with Gilles Bergeron, Carier Bergeron confidently danced her way to third place.

“I have no words,” said Carier Bergeron. “Thinking about all the progress my horse and I have made in a year and a half – to have a 70% at the championship is a dream come true. I was really happy with the canter, which I think was a highlight of my whole test. I’m very emotional when I speak about it because it’s all about what my horse and I have done.”

As the last rider to go for Team Quebec/Alberta, Carier Bergeron commented, “I tried to focus on myself, my horse, and our team and what we can do. I watched the other rides, but didn’t put the pressure of the other scores on myself.”

Boucher rounded out Team Quebec/Alberta’s winning performance aboard Delfiano, Gilles Bergeron’s 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding sired by Del Piero. The duo danced their way to seventh place on a score of 68.471%.

“It was really nice because they were a three-man team, so they had no throw-away score,” said Leslie Steele of Pitt Meadow, BC, Chef d’Équipe for Team Quebec/Alberta. “I have been the Chef for all of these girls before, so it’s nice to come back and watch them grow as riders. I’m very happy for them.”

Canada was also represented in the Dressage Young Riders Team Competition by Team Ontario, comprised of Ava MacCoubrey and Julie Barrett of Cobourg, ON, Vanessa Creech-Terauds of Caistor Centre, ON, and Allison Youngdale of Aurora, ON. Together they placed seventh on a score of 197.381. Creech-Terauds was the leading rider for Team Ontario, finishing 10th on a score of 67.706% riding Harley L (His Highness 2 x Expri), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Diane Creech and Louise Leatherdale.

More Chances for Canada on Day 2
The opportunities for Canadian success will continue on the second day of NAYC competition on Aug. 2, where the Dressage Team Competition will be tested by the Junior Riders. Additionally, the Canadian jumping teams will face their first challenges in the Individual Qualifying competitions for Children and Juniors, and in the Young Rider Individual Jumping Competition.

The full schedule for dressage and jumping at NAYC 2018 can be found here.
For full results from the Dressage Young Riders Team Competition, click here.
More information on NAYC 2018 can be found here.

Top 30 Canadian Results – NAYC 2018
Dressage Young Riders Team Competition
Placing / Team / Score
1st / Team Quebec/Alberta / 210.145
7th / Team Ontario / 197.381

Dressage Young Riders Team Competition – Individual Results
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Rakeya Moussa / Davidoff v.h. Trichelhof / Susan & Mohammed Moussa / 71.324%
3rd / Camille Carier Bergeron / Baldacci / Camille Carier Bergeron & Gilles Bergeron / 70.353%
7th / Beatrice Boucher / Delfiano / Gilles Bergeron / 68.471%
10th / Vanessa Creech-Terauds / Harley L / Diane Creech & Louise Leatherdale / 67.706%
12th / Ava MacCoubrey / Ritter Benno / Nicholas Hansen / 66.441%
22nd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima 201 / Allison Youngdale / 63.235%
25th / Julie Barrett / Rosamunde / Julie Barrett / 61.176%

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