The Tribune

SEVEN teams competed in the Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League (BIEL) show hosted by the LCIS Dragons at Mariposa Stables on Saturday.

It was an enjoyable experience for the junior equestrian athletes, who were back in the ring in competition for the first time since February 2020.

At the end of the day the CEC Sand Dollars, coached by Mrs Kimberly Johnson, were champions of the varsity (grades 9-12) team competition. The Mariposa Gold Drops, coached by Mrs Frances Doyle, won the futures team competition (grades 4-8).

BIEL horse shows are team-based competitions conducted under a collegiate riding format. Riders do not ride their own horses, but instead must ride horses assigned from a random draw.

The format of the show reflected BIEL’s new identity as a member region in the US-based Interscholastic Equestrian League (IEA). As a result of this partnership riders will have the opportunity to compete in IEA competitions abroad and have access to multiple college recruiting and scholarship opportunities.

The show was judged by Mr Woody Dykers of Georgia, USA. As a top-rated judge with the United States Equestrian Federation, a past president of the Georgia Hunter-Jumper Association, and a former equestrian coach of the University of Virginia with over 40 years of riding and coaching experience, Mr Dykers was impressed with the performance of all the riders. “It was a very successful show,” said Equestrian Federation president Cathy Ramsingh- Pierre. “Credit must go to all the riders and coaches who have worked so hard to maintain high standards while waiting for the opportunity to return to competition. It feels good to be back in the swing of things.”

Riders returned to the ring on Sunday for an instructional clinic with judge Dykers, who also took the time to answer questions from riders, coaches and parents about the keys to success in the show ring from a judge’s point of view.

Students asked questions about show procedure and listened intently as the judge emphasized the importance of form, balance and awareness.

The riders will have the opportunity to put into practice everything they learned when competition resumes in two weeks, this time at Camperdown Equestrian Centre’s Annual Horse Show which is scheduled for November 13-14.