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Fall Team Spotlight: Equestrians Excel at New England Equitation Championships

Chloe Fares ‘24

Pictured: Chloe Fares ’24 placed 12th in the USHJA Hunt Seat Medal Final out of 154 competitors at the New England Equitation Championships


Each week throughout the fall, we will highlight one of our nine teams that normally have a very traditional competition season. Due to coronavirus and our safety protocols and guidelines that we have implemented and are closely following, our competitions have been severely modified, and in most cases, eliminated. 

This fall, participating in equestrian has been a popular choice for our students, resulting in a total of 45 riders, either taking individual or group lessons, and some competing. Walker’s currently has a total of 23 school horses and 22 personal horses on campus, easily surpassing the most in recent history. 

Walker’s equestrians are fortunate enough to work with four different trainers and are surrounded by an incredible barn staff that includes five grooms and a barn manager. This fall’s advanced level group is led by captains Eva Mazzola ‘21 and Eliza Watson ‘22, with co-captains Janet Hedges ‘21 and Quinn Bailey ‘21.

Walker’s girls are able to safely participate in the sport through the strict IEA and regional show guidelines. Athletes are able to travel to and participate in several shows located in safe areas. This past weekend at the New England Equitation Championships, we had 10 students compete. All of Walker’s girls performed well, but two in particular stood out – Chloe Fares ‘24 and Grace Sappington ‘24. Trainer Linda Langmeier commented, “Grace has been building her relationship with her new horse all summer, culminating with a solid score last Sunday at the New England Equitation Championships. Making mistakes is how we learn, grow and mature, but following a plan is essential. Grace only made a few small mistakes this past weekend, but she followed the plan to a tee!”  

Linda continued, “Chloe has allowed her own horse to rest from an injury, therefore taking over the reins of our very own Blue Monday. They proved to be a force to be reckoned with as they provided one amazing round after another. Chloe has learned to trust the program and how to improve her mental game, both contributors to her success!” 

Additional results include:

Chloe Fares ‘24 – 12th place in the USHJA Hunt Seat Medal Final out of 154 competitors. She was also 4th out of 24 in the Open Equitation 14 & Under, and finished in the top 30 out of 208 competitors in the New England Equitation Championship.

Grace Sappington ‘24 – Improved her score each day, concluding the weekend with a score of 73 in the NEEC

Maddie Olvert ’21 – 5th in Section B of the Open Equitation 15-17

Janet Hedges ‘21 – 4th Section B of the Open Equitation 15-17

Ava Strohmeyer ‘21 – 9th Section D of the Open Equitation 15-17