By Sophie Asp Laursen / DWB
Photography: Sophie Asp Laursen and Ridehesten/Astrid Østergaard Sørensen
As a young teenager, or even as a child, it can be very intimidating to join your first training with a local young breeder’s association. You may have watched them perform at big events and auctions, where you’ve wondered how they can run so fast, show the horses so elegantly, and be in control of not only their own body but also a 600 kg animal only by the help of a pair of reins.
They may be a bit older than you, and they look to be having fun with each other while making the show go on. You might have questioned, how it would be possible for you to become part of that team. Luckily, the answer is quite straight forward; just show up!
The overall purpose of the association is to bring together young people interested in horses with a desire to learn and improve their horsemanship. It is not breed- or equitation-specific, as the elements learned and trained with the association can be applied into the everyday life of everyone working or simply enjoying the company of horses. The more we learn about horses, the better we can take care of them, and thereby uphold a higher standard of equine welfare.
To point out the more specific benefits of joining the young breeders, I have asked one of our talented members, Linnea Kampgaard Jansa, who has been active since 2017, when she participated in her first World Championships in Canada. Here she received a medal for scoring 100% in answering every question correctly in the Theory discipline and continued to do so in Austria 2019 as well as in Holland 2022. At the latest World Championship, she even managed to get placed in three out of four disciplines, finishing with a bronze in her favourite discipline: Judging of Athleticism (free jumping). Linnea states that “One of the best things about participating in Young Breeder events has got to be the large network of like-minded young people from different backgrounds. I really like how people here have a nerdier approach to the equestrian world, and that their knowledge and input to discussions about welfare, riding, breeding, and conformation actually has deeper roots than just ‘something they’ve heard at the barn’.”.. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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