It’s going to be an extraordinary 11 days packed with a whole range of experiences for the 30 athletes taking part in the FEI Youth Equestrian Games 2022 which got underway in Aachen, Germany yesterday with the draw for horses. Competing with your peers on a horse with which you are familiar is challenging enough, but building a whole new partnership over the six days in the lead-up to the first round of the Team competition next Wednesday, June 29, takes it to another level.
The borrowed horses have been carefully selected for their jumping ability and temperament, and a training day tomorrow includes a session in the iconic Main Arena. That will be followed by a warm-up competition on Sunday and further training sessions during which the new horse/rider relationships will become well established over the next few days.
These Games, which will conclude with the battle for Individual medals on Saturday 2 July, have been devised to replace the Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) which were postponed to 2026. The YOG has featured Equestrian Jumping every four years since the inaugural edition in 2010.
