Team Spirit and Attitude a Pleasure to Experience

There is one area where Van Daele believes young European riders can learn something from their North American colleagues – attitude. “I prefer the attitude of the young riders here. In Europe, I understand all the stress coming from the parents. But here the riders are more open and I really enjoy their behavior. My colleagues have commented on that too.”

It’s the team attitude of the North American junior and young riders that Van Daele most enjoys and it’s a whole new experience for him. “Europe is more each rider for himself. It’s more about ‘my riding, my horse.’ Here, riders applaud one another and support one another. We don’t have that in Europe. The North Americans have all these colors and flags for their teams. I’ve not seen that. It’s nice. It’s like a festival, like a party.”

It’s so much like a party that Van Daele said if he’s ever invited back to the NAJYC to judge, he’ll come.