Local Riders Win a World Championship The big prize for the ladies was a Golden Spur awarded at the General Assembly in Paris, headquarters for Fegentri.
Photo by Hoofprints, Inc.
The lady riders: U.S. Skylar Mckenna, Great Britain Jessica Gillam, Czech Republic Tereza Grbavcicova, Italy Danila Cherio, Hungary Virginia Drexler and Don Yovanovich.
By Don Yovanovich
A
U.S. team of flat and steeplechase riders recently traveled to Oman, Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, Morocco and Mauritius for the Ladies Nations Team of the Amateur Riders Club of America. The four riders included Eilidh Grant of The Plains and Emme Fullilove of Round Hill along with Bethany Baumgardner and Erika Taylor from Maryland.
Photo by Hoofprints, Inc.
In the winner’s circle at Delaware Park: GeSponsored by Longines, the rard Galligan , trainer Ricky Hendriks, Bethany competition for ladies, gentlemen, Baumgardner, and Don Yovanovich. and teams is presented by the Federation Internationale des Gentlemen-Riders et des Cava lie res (Fegentri) formed in 1955 and based in France. The 26-member group aims to promote amateur riding, encourage camaraderie and share the passion of race riding. The U.S. women of the Amateur Riders Club of America (ARCA) competed in 14 races in ten countries of 26 races offered in 2019. They won four races in three countries, with four seconds and one fourth place finish leading up to the finals. These races are the equivalent to the Olympic Games for horse racing. Because there are few amateur races in America, the odds of the United States winning a World Championship is a long shot at best. But determination, skill, and smart decisions brought them victory. The trips to the foreign venues are remarkable, with opportunities for these young, aspiring riders, who could only dream of riding on some of the most famous and prestigious race courses in the world.
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Go Green Middleburg | Winter 2020
