New dressage chair targets more juniors
Strengthening connections with British Dressage and boosting junior participation are important focuses for the new chairwoman of the discipline in Guernsey.
While Guernsey Dressage Group chairwoman Claire Fox admitted that there are only a few committed junior riders in Guernsey, she would like to change that.
‘It’s not the thrills and spills of showjumping, so it’s not so much of an audience sport really, but all of the juniors that do it really enjoy it,’ she said.
‘Not everybody wants to jump fences, not everybody has a horse that’s capable of it, not everybody is brave enough to do it – it [dressage] is something that appeals to all ages.'
‘We’re a little bit short on juniors at the moment and my job – I’ve just taken over as chair – is really to promote the juniors. We’d really like to encourage lots of juniors to have a look at the sport and really give it a go.’
Multiple Olympic medallist Carl Hester has shown just what a Bailiwick competitor – who lived in Sark no less – can achieve, but the lack of a British Dressage youth development scheme has been an obstacle locally.
Fox feels greater collaboration with British Dressage in recent times could provide ‘really exciting opportunities’ for juniors.
Her daughter, Millie, is one junior who has found a love for dressage.
‘A lot of my friends do jumping,’ the youngster said.
‘I personally find dressage a lot safer, but also you have to think a lot more in it. It’s a lot more about what goes behind each movement rather than just riding at it.’
She would like to go further in the discipline, maybe even becoming a British senior dressage rider one day.
‘Hopefully one day – that’s one thing I’d really like to try and aim for.
‘It’s just this year trying to get him out there. I’ve never competed in the UK, so it’s trying to get known in the UK a bit more and then next year we’re going to try to join higher squads.’
The visiting Clare Diethrick, who fulfils various roles including southern region British Dressage representative, called Millie and mount Duffy a ‘promising combination’.
That duo will be competing at the Bicton Regionals later this month, but overall Diethrick has not seen many Channel Islanders competing in the UK.
‘I think it’s an area we need to try and grow a little bit if we can on the island and I think it’s making them aware of what opportunities there are for them,’ she said.
‘Otherwise, they register, but if they don’t have a set goal of where they’re going, there’s nothing to aim for, and that’s perhaps why people don’t register.’
