Cayman Equestrians Named Champions in Jamaica

By Eve van den Bol

December has been a great month for Cayman's youth equestrians competing in Jamaica.

In early December, the Cayman team of Ava Law, Nadia Thompson and Madison Ameline were named Champions at the Dressage Invitational hosted by Caymanas Pony Club located near Kingston, Jamaica. Riders from Barbados also participated in the event.

The Cayman Team came out on top over Jamaica, with the Barbados team coming in third. Cayman had a number of "firsts" at the competition, including a win by Law in the C-test, a 3rd place finish by Ameline, who competed in a musical freestyle for the first time and a 3rd place finish for Thompson in the A-Test, at her very first horse show.

Last week Cayman's youth equestrians traveled again to Jamaica, this time for a show jumping competition sponsored by the Jamaican Equestrian Federation at Drax Hall Country Club in St. Ann Parish, near Ocho Rios. Olivia Ziemniak, representing Cayman in the .70 meter division, came in first and second in her two classes and was named the division's Champion. Megan Swartz and Leah Alberga competed in the .90 meter division, where Swartz took home 3rd and 4th place ribbons, and Alberga a 5th place. Riders from Costa Rica were also invited to this event.

"We are really pleased to see our youth perform so well while competing overseas on borrowed horses." said Eve van den Bol, President of the Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation (CIEF). "With limited local competition, we have been encouraging our youth members to participate in overseas events, especially those with borrowed horses." In addition to Jamaica, countries that host borrowed-horse competitions in which Caymanian riders have been invited to compete include the USA, Ecuador, Barbados, Suriname, Martinique, Costa Rica and Guatemala, among others.

For more information about the CIEF, please visit their website at ciefcay.com