Young equestrians from across North America are getting their first feel for what it’s like to compete at the highest level with the opening of competition on Tuesday 31 July in the 2007 CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships (NAJYRC), presented by Gotham North and Merial, the makers of UlcerGard, at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA. The Championships continue through Sunday, 5 August.

This year marks the third consecutive appearance in the mid-Atlantic region for the NAJYRC, the premier equestrian competition in North America for Juniors and Young Riders, age 14-21. Young equestrians come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean Islands to vie for team and individual medals in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing.

For many competitors, the NAJYRC is their first experience riding on a team, as well as their first time competing under FEI rules. At the CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships, more than 200 riders are slated to compete in one of the three distinct equestrian disciplines.

Tuesday marked the official start of this year’s Championships with horse inspections In Jumping and Dressage and opening day briefings. Actual mounted competitions begin on Wednesday, 1 August, for Jumping and Dressage, while Eventers will have their first horse inspection. Show jumpers will compete in warm-up rounds, and the team championship for Young Riders begins in Dressage and continues through Thursday.

In addition to the championship competition in Dressage, Jumping and Eventing, this year’s NAJYRC also features demonstrations of two other FEI disciplines—Vaulting and Reining.

The NAJYRC is the continuation of an annual competition that began in 1974 as an Eventing challenge between Canada and the United States. In the years since its inception, it has grown considerably with the addition of a Dressage Championship in 1981 and a Jumping Championship in 1982. The first complete Championships with all three Olympic disciplines was held in British Columbia, Canada in 1982.

Last year’s Championships saw the addition of officially-sanctioned championship divisions for Junior riders in the three Olympic disciplines for the first time.

For more information on the 2007 CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships, presented by Gotham North and UlcerGard, please call + 1 540 348-1152, email to vht@cfw.com, or visit www.youngriders.org.