October 2, 2009 — Three-time USEF National Champion and NAJYRC Gold Medalist Kassandra Barteau has topped the United States rankings for the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final for Young Riders and has earned an invitation to Frankfurt, Germany, for the 2009 Final, to be held December 17-20.
Twenty-one-year-old Barteau of Maple Park, Ill., and her mount GP Raymeister (a 10-year-old bay Holsteiner stallion owned by Ginna Frantz & Grand Prix Equestrian) averaged 73.375 percent in their two best efforts in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle Test in CDI-Y competitions during 2009. Thanks to the generosity of the event organizer and sponsor, horse transportation and rider accommodations are provided at no cost to the competitors.
“I am very honored and excited to have this opportunity to represent the United States in the Young Rider World Cup,” said Barteau. “I plan on putting my best efforts into preparing myself and ‘Ray’ for our first international experience. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped make this long-time dream come true.”
Barteau claimed the USEF National Young Rider Dressage Championship in both 2007 and 2008 with long-time partner Gabriella. In June, she won an unprecedented third National Championship title with GP Raymeister at the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, N.J.
A month later, this pair attended the FEI North American Young Rider Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park where they were part of the Region 2 Silver Medal-winning team and won the Individual Freestyle Gold Medal. Following this victory, the United States Dressage Federation awarded Barteau the Fiona Bann “Pursuit of Excellence” Memorial Trophy for earning the highest combined average score for all three tests (team, individual and freestyle).
Barteau is an assistant trainer at KYB Dressage, based at Grand Prix Equestrian Center in Maple Park, Ill.
