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Last year, 2022, was the first year in twenty years that Stoneleigh-Burnham School (SBS) competed in Dressage at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) National Finals. In 2002, the organization was called the Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Equestrian Association, and team SBS won the National Championship. Fast forward to this year, 2023, and SBS is competing in the 2023 IEA National Finals in both Dressage and Hunt Seat.

At the IEA Regional Championships at Apple Knoll Farms in Millis, MA during March 25-26, 2023, the SBS Middle School IEA Team of Liza ’27, Eleanor ’27, and Mena ’28 won the IEA Middle School Regional Championship. The SBS Middle School IEA Team is headed to the IEA National Finals this week competing as a team. 

Also at Apple Knoll Farms, the SBS High School IEA Team was the IEA Reserve Regional Champion in a contest described as a “nail-biter” by Equestrian Center Director George Halkett, with only 4 points separating the Champion and Reserve Champion spots. Riding for the High School Team were Isabelle ’24, Ashe ’25, Amelia ’26, Maddie ’25, and Rose ’23. Ashe ’25, Amelia ’26, and Maddie ’25, all Regional Champions for High School, are headed to the IEA National Finals this week as individual competitors.

Additionally, SBS IEA Hunt Seat competitor Claire ’24 took first place at the IEA Hunt Seat Zone 1 final in the Open Equitation on the Flat on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA. Claire ’24 is also headed to the IEA National Finals as an individual competitor this week.

IEA Coach and Equestrian Center Director George Halkett remarked last year, "At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, a student wrote me a compelling letter to ask if we were able to start an IEA Dressage team. Along with IEA Assistant Coach Abby Milewski, I determined we could put together a competitive team. It was truly a team effort that includes all SBS Equestrian Center staff and instructors, as everyone plays a part in supporting and teaching our student riders." That 2021-2022 student-initiative has paid off with two back-to-back years of representation in the IEA National Finals. 

Our SBS riders will compete with the top riders from across the United States in the 2023 National Finals, a multi-day competition in Dressage and Hunt Seat, held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, North Carolina from April 26-30. Congratulations to all of our SBS riders, and great luck to those competing in North Carolina this week!

Learn more about riding at SBS at sbschool.org/equestrian.