Lincoln teen and her horse excel in team sport

By Maureen Belt

Leah Drew and Jazzy.

Dressage is the perfect fusion of artistry, aesthetics, and athleticism between horse and rider that dates back to ancient Greece. The goal is for horse and rider to move in harmony while performing complex, rhythmic walking, cantering, and trotting routines within a 20-by-60-meter arena. A panel of judges rates different aspects of each performance from 0 to 10, with 10 being ideal and seldom achieved. 

The rider gives “aids,” or cues to their horse, communicating the next move. Aids are delivered through subtle movements of limbs, hands, feet, seating positions, balance, breathing, and with the exception of competitions, voice. The secret is for the rider to conceal the aids from everyone except the horse, a skill that takes time to perfect. Essentially, dressage is a meticulously choreographed discipline that requires years of commitment. 

It’s this level of commitment that earned Lincoln teen Leah Drew and her Hanoverian gelding Jazz Beat the top spot this summer at the North American Youth Championships, a continent-wide team event. Leah and Jazzy (as she affectionately calls her equine partner) represented Region 8, which included all competitors from New England and New York. 

Weeks later, Leah, 16, and Jazzy, 12, placed a respectable tenth in the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Dressage National Junior Championships for 14- to 18-year-olds. In addition to racking up ribbons, Leah cold-calls sponsors and manages fundraising and social media accounts for both the New England Dressage Association and her region of the U.S. Dressage Federations.

Leah took her first lesson at age 5, though she’s been on horseback since before she was able to walk. Riding is a passion she inherited from her grandmother, Roberta Berry, who owned the Berryfield Farm horse farm on Weston Road. It was at Berryfield Farm in 2019 that Leah first rode Jazzy.

“She loved horses,” Leah said of Roberta. “Neither of my parents are that big into horses, but I am.” Roberta Berry passed away last December and Berryfield Farm was sold this summer. About 18 months ago, Leah and Jazzy began training four days a week with Hope Cooper and Jane Karol at Bear Spot Farm in Concord, where Jazzy lives. 

Three of those four days begin with Jazzy being walked on a loose rein in an arena. As he warms up, he progresses to faster gaits. The team practices new moves required for upcoming competitions before he and Leah tune up their established moves. On the fourth day, which is usually a weekend, Leah and Jazzy walk in the great outdoors, stretching and strengthening muscles with uphill climbs and rides through fields. Getting Jazzy outside the arena is important, Leah said, because it keeps his mind fresh and entertained. 

To get ready for podium appearances, Leah’s day begins with strength training in the predawn hours four to six days a week. Like all elite athletes, she values the importance of being in shape. “I really noticed it’s helped me a lot,” she said of her weight-lifting regime. “I’m stronger and healthier. I eat well and I drink a lot of water. Before I began working out, I wasn’t strong. I could not sit deep in the saddle, and my legs would be flopping around so my aids weren’t effective.” 

The connection between Jazzy and Leah was not immediate. “Sometimes it takes a long time for the rider and horse to connect,” she said. “Jazzy and I have been riding together on and off for three years. It took a while and now our partnership is very solid. I know all the things he’s trying to tell me. But there are some people and horses that match really well only a month before competition.” 

Leah says her strength training and her increasing experience and confidence have helped solidify the partnership with Jazzy. Their first ride together, she said, was difficult and she doubted they would reach full potential. A week before their first show, they began riding seriously and it paid off. Leah and Jazzy had two good rides, and their scores continue to improve. 

The word “dressage” (pronounced “dress-AZH”) comes from the French and means “training.” Literally, dressage means the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility and balance while maintaining a calm and attentive disposition. The U.S. Equestrian Federation serves as the national governing body and the Fédération Equestre Internationale in Switzerland is the world headquarters. 

Leah’s favorite part of dressage is the subtlety of the aids between her and the horses she rides. Each horse has an interesting and unique personality and challenges. For example, Jazzy is an exceptionally tall and a long horse. For context, most horses stand between 15 and 17 hands, or around five feet eight inches from ground to shoulder. Jazzy is 18 hands (six feet) and weighs 1,800 to 1,900 pounds — and he’s also a high-energy horse. 

“It makes compacted movements more difficult,” Leah said, because Jazzy needs to compact his body and pay very close attention to her aids. On the flip side, Jazzy’s size gives them an edge in the big movements required in competitions. 

Leah credits her teammates, who are among her closest friends, and her trainer Hope’s sense of humor with helping to settle any nerves that rise before competitions. She also sticks to a routine of having a light breakfast, then listening to high-energy rock and roll. Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” is a favorite. She then goes over her routine on foot in the barn before focusing on Jazzy, helping him relax. Then Leah simply trusts. She trusts that she and Jazzy have put in all the work they need and that they will perform their best. 

Competing is one thing but getting to and from a competition is another, since dressage competitions are held all over the country. Wellington, Fla., is a frequent destination for Leah and Jazzy. The horse leaves first in a trailer with other show horses driven by Mark Choper, owner of Fairway Horse Transport. Leah packs his gear ahead of time and is usually in class at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School when Jazzy begins his journey. After school, Leah hops in the family car and they drive to the show.

Leah said she feels fortunate to be surrounded by such a supportive family — her father Jonathan, mother Rachel, and younger brother Aaron, as well as grandparents and uncles. If everyone can’t make the trip — which is often the case — Leah can always count on at least one parent being at her side. Rachel, despite not being too much into horses, calls herself the “human groom.”

“She makes sure everyone has food and water, and that we have a good place to go for dinner,” Leah said.

Leah plans to continue dressage through college and has an eye on international and Olympic competitions. Meanwhile, she maintains a strong GPA at L-S, where she’s a junior. Top grades are part of the deal she made with her parents when they agreed to back her serious commitment to dressage. 

While competing in New England, Leah treats show days as absences, but when she’s in Florida, she works with a tutoring company. “Before I leave, my teachers give me information on what the class will be learning while I’m gone, and it’s up to me and Palm Beach International Academy to stay on top of the workload,” she said. 

Besides being a champion in dressage, Leah is a champion for it. “I would recommend that anyone who wants to and can, to go into dressage. It’s a really, really beautiful sport and you meet some of the coolest people through it,” she said.

Her ambition has already given her at least one valuable life skill. “I have more patience,” she said. “It’s really hard work, but I’ve learned that if I keep at something, that it will come eventually. And dressage has definitely made me super mature because it’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of responsibility to take care of a horse.”

Last weekend, Leah and Jazzy performed at Mt. Holyoke College at the New England Dressage Association’s symposium featuring British dressage rider and five-time Olympian Carl Hester. Leah, who was the youngest performer at this event, was selected as a demo rider from a pool of more than 100 applicants (all other participants are adult professional riders). The pair will also compete for the first time at the Young Rider level at a future Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Florida.