Reba McIver of Annan, ON, won the Individual Bronze Medal in the Junior Division of the 2007 CN North American Young Riders' Championship. Photo by Flashpoint Photography

August 6, 2007 – Lexington, Virginia – Ontario show jumping athlete Reba McIver of Annan, ON, won the Individual Bronze Medal on Sunday, August 5, at the 2007 CN North American Young Riders’ Championship, presented by Gotham North and UlcerGard, held July 31 to August 5 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA.

Competing in the Junior Division of the North American Young Riders' Championship, open to athletes aged 14 to 18, McIver was in a three-way tie for second place following competition on Thursday and Friday. In Sunday's Individual Final, McIver and her horse, Fileepe, jumped clear in the first round before incurring nine faults - eight jumping and one time fault - over the second round track set by American course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio. A three-day total of 17 faults gave McIver the Individual Bronze Medal behind winner Katherine Newman of USA Zone 3 riding Costa Sur and Quebec's David Arcand who took the Silver with a score of 16 faults riding Santo's Utopia.

"In the first round I was clear, and I had a really good time in the ring, it felt really good. In the second round, my horse was very tired and I was very tired. We had two rails but they were both my fault, my horse tried his heart out," said McIver of Fileepe, an 11-year-old bay Czechoslovakian Warmblood gelding.

McIver, 18, began riding at the age of six and, one year later, began training with her current coach, Jeanne Mervyn, at Crystalbrooke Farm in Owen Sound, ON.

In addition to making her debut at the North American Young Riders' Championship, the international competition also marked McIver's first time showing in the United States.

"It was a fantastic experience," said an elated McIver. "Everyone was so nice, and it was so cool to be part of a team and to represent your country. It was also my first time showing in the United States so it was a bit surreal, but amazing!"

Also representing Ontario as an individual in the junior division was Sarah Johnstone, 16, of Aurora, ON. With scores of zero and four, Johnstone was the winner of Sunday's Individual Final class, and when her scores over the three days of competition were added together, Johnstone finished in seventh place overall with a total score of 28 faults riding Starlet. A total of 30 horse-rider combinations contested the Junior Division.

In the Young Riders' Division, open to competitors' aged 16 to 21, Mark Leyton of Manotick, ON, was tied for second place individually coming into Sunday's Individual Final. On Friday, he had led the three-member Ontario Show Jumping Team to a fourth place finish among the nine teams competing.

In Sunday's Final, Leyton, 19, was clear in the first round to stay in medal contention, but an unfortunate fall from his mount, Sunday B, in the second round eliminated him from the competition. Leyton was the only Ontario Team member who had previously competed at the North American Young Riders' Championship winning Team Silver Medals in 2004 and 2005 in the Junior Division.

Leyton's team mates, Kathryn Lefebvre, 19, of Stittsville, ON, and Michelle Matthews, 21, of Athens, ON, both contested the Consolation Final held on Saturday. Lefebvre, riding her own Kilimandjaro, earned a score of four faults and one time fault for exceeding the 70-second time allowed to place fourth overall. Matthews and her own Hey Jude incurred 23 faults - 16 jumping and seven time faults - to place seventh.

"Our Ontario Team showed a lot of team spirit with many of the riders achieving their personal best, and Reba especially rode very well under pressure," noted Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill who acted as the chef d'equipe of the Ontario Show Jumping Team. "The North American Young Riders' Championship offers great international exposure to our riders, and they will benefit from that in the years ahead."

First established in 1974 as an eventing challenge between Canada and the U.S., the North American Young Riders’ Championship is considered a ‘mini-Olympics’ for riders competing in the three Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and show jumping. Teams and individuals representing Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. are compete in the annual event.