2006 Dressage at Devon

Leah Wilson Has her Luck at Devon

September 29, 2006

Canadian Young Rider Leah Wilson has two lovely Prix St Georges schoolmasters at her disposal -- Dostoevsky and Amusant -- but she's not having her luck. She qualified twice to compete at the North American Young Riders Championships but never got to go because her horses got injured each time. Her NAYRC dream has faded away and she did not even try for this year's Young Riders. However, when Devon comes around, Leah is lucky and her horses are fit for the Devon show which she considers her favorite.

Aboard Dostoevsky, Wilson won the Young Rider Team Championship today with 65.778% but faced strong competition especially from the top five riders who landed a place behind her with only a fraction less in points. "I'm surprised to have won," Wilson told Horsesdaily, " because it's tough competition here. There are lots of good riders here who were at the North American Young Riders Championships."

Her Russian bred Dostoevsky, which she imported from P.S.I. in Germany four years ago, did his first show with Wilson in a year. "He made no mistakes, but needs a first day to get going. He's one of those horses you can depend on. He's steady. If I am on top form and concentrated, I don't need to worry about the surroundings," Wilson said.

In 2004 Wilson won the Devon team test on Dostoevsky and in 2005 she was the winner with Amusant. "I always come to Devon; my horses are sound then. I have been left down so much, but this [winning at Devon] keeps you going; it's an incentive to keep trying."

Wilson is trained by Tom Dvorak but is a second year student at the Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Canadia, where she studies psychology. " I love psychology but I definitely want to pursue my riding. It's the biggest passion in my life."

Leah will try once more to go to the North American Young Riders Championships next year. " I just want to get in the ring there, I don't care how I do."

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