Source: USEF

Gladstone, NJ - The results of the 2011 National Junior Dressage Championship remained unchanged as Kya Endreson and Pik L swept both the Team and Individual Tests to win Endreson's very first National Championship title.
 
Pik L is a very experienced 18-year-old Hanoverian stallion, who has been an incredible small-tour horse for nearly a decade. Endreson rode him to Team Gold at the 2011 Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North this summer, but took her first national title at Gladstone today.
 
"It was awesome," said the 16-year-old from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. "I feel so lucky to be able to ride such a great horse... he's just so awesome and he's helped me so much."
 
Pik L's son Pikko del Cerro HU contested the Intermediaire I National Dressage Championship this weekend, finishing eighth. Pik L's career includes two Pan American Games and scores of wins at the Intermediaire level. He is now happily showing Endreson the ropes and their two-day score of 70.612% rewarded the only combination to go over 70% in either test.
 
"I feel like it went pretty well," said Endreson. "He was a little strong at some points and he was a little tired from yesterday but he stayed with me."
 
Endreson is a full-time working student at Hassler Dressage.
 
Rachel Chowanec (Columbia, CT) rebounded from a less-than-ideal performance at the 2011 NAJYRC to claim Reserve National Championship honors five weeks later. She credits some back-to-basic lessons with Lendon Gray for restoring the confidence of both horse and rider. Chowanec rides Embrujado XI, a 13-year-old PRE gelding owned by Gray.
 
"I've spent the last week working with Lendon," said Chowanec. "We've been working to get everything as good as we possibly can. We just went back to basics to make sure he was confident in the work and so was I...I'm very happy with him."
 
The pair overcame some lack of collection coming into the ring, but Chowanec said that seeing the 50% on the board made her fight harder to get her score back to where it belonged. She scored 68.05% for a two-day combined score of 67.621%.
 
Rounding out the top three, Julia Burtt held her ground on Aaron VI to maintain her third-place position in her final competition of the season.
 
"I'm feeling pretty good," said Burtt. "We've had a pretty good season so far...to end the season with unbelievable atmosphere and such a cool show. It felt like it was a good ride."
 
Burtt lives 'around the corner' in Bedminster, NJ, and for the high school senior, riding at Gladstone was a dream fulfilled with her 15-year-old Hanoverian.
 
"We've been coming here honestly since I can remember," said Burtt. "It hasn't sunk in yet that I've actually shown here."
 
ENDS
 
For Video on Demand from throughout the competition please visit: http://usefnetwork.com/featured/2011FOC. 

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