The members of the Young Riders Academy of 2018 were welcomed to the FEI headquarters by President De Vos in Lausanne, before traveling to Geneva for the official graduation.
The 2018 team members included Harry Charles, GBR; Ventsislav Izov, BUL; Lisa Nooren, NED; Jenny Rankin, IRL; Lisa Ulven, NOR; Chloe Whinchester, GBR; Pieter Clemens, BEL; Guido Franchi, ITA; Matteo Leonardi, ITA; Dimme d´Haese, BEL; Christopher Kläsener, GER and Darragh Ryan, IRL.
Team member, Pieter Clemens, following the graduation ceremony commented:
I think this is a very motivating project where we, as young riders, receive a lot of support on the sport side. We have the chance to participate to the biggest events in the world and we get training from the best. Next to the riding part we are offered the educational session on key topics as veterinary, contamination and doping issues, legal aspects, economics; all very important subjects in our sport. I am very thankful to all the people that are standing behind YRA to make all this happen! “
The young Riders Academy is a program conceived for European talented young show jumpers, under the patronage of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF), with the cooperation of the International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC) and the support of Rolex.
Founded in 2014 by Athenaeum, a non-profit association, the program offers European talented riders, between the ages of 18 and 23 the chance to train for a long period at a well-known professional stable. In addition, professional education in communication, business and economics, veterinary and legal practice related to show jumping. The objective is to develop future champions as well as potential managers of this sport.
We have seen how training must be organized individually both in quality and quantity. We are so grateful to “our main trainers”; Jos Lansink, Franke Sloothaak, Marco Kutscher, Jean-Maurice Bonneau and Ben Schröder who share their experiences and deep knowledge not only on how to ride but also on how to manage the sport”.
declared Sven Holmberg as Sport Manager.
For more information on the Young Riders Academy, visit Riders Academy website
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.