South Dakota State rider earns her first Traverse City equitation challenge victory with new partner Griffin.
Adult amateurs had their first championship opportunity of the season on Sunday during Traverse City Spring III in the $10,000 Frank & Eileen 3’ Adult Equitation Challenge. Sydney Chmel topped the class aboard Griffin, earning a score of 87 in the jumping phase before delivering another strong performance on the flat to secure the victory.
Aboard Griffin, owned by Kyle and Carly Muckler, Chmel confidently tackled each of the various challenges presented on course, including areas to collect and extend the stride, a one-stride oxer to vertical combination, a double of verticals, plus rollbacks and bending lines. After the jumping round, the riders returned on the flat where they were asked to display their equitation skills once again.
“I thought they did a great job showing different challenges for every rider,” Chmel said about the course built for the occasion. “You got multiple different directions you could have taken to the first fence. And then the nice, bending six [strides] really allowed riders to open up and show the horse’s stride, and they had some nice hunter aspects through it. I think it just tested riders on how adjustable your horse was throughout the course.”
Though she primarily competes in the jumper ring, Chmel has embraced equitation through the South Dakota State University equestrian team. Her experience riding a variety of horses in that program has helped her to adjust on the fly and be able to execute a course plan well.
“I think that the equitation is nice in preparing you for jumpers, and vice versa,” she explained. “You really need to get your bending lines down and things like that. I also think the jumpers really help prepare you for the equitation.”
Her equestrian team background helped as well in the sense that she hadn’t known her winning mount, Griffin, for very long before taking to this class.
“He’s a new partnership,” she explained “I’ve only had him for about two or three weeks, so he’s really new to me, but we’re getting along well. I am only leasing him for the weekend, but maybe after this, I will continue leasing equitation horses.”
Coming into the summer with no expectation of a big win like this made the victory even more meaningful for Chmel and her team.
“It means a lot to me,” she said of Sunday’s win. “It’s my first equitation challenge here at Traverse City. And I didn’t have much thought going into it. I just knew I had to be confident in going into it, and otherwise I didn’t think too much about it. It’s definitely a big accomplishment. It’s really cool to win, it was cool that I was able to do it, and I really thank the people that allowed me to ride this horse. Kyle Muckler and Carly Muckler are the owners of Griffin, and Kyle Muckler’s also my trainer, along with Jane Schweiger. They all helped me get here.”
In second place was Lauren Gee, who scored an 86.5, and just behind for third was Sydney Mohrhardt on a score of 86.
Adult amateurs will have two more opportunities to compete in championship equitation classes this season: the $10,000 TCHS 3’ Adult Equitation Challenge during week six of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival and the $20,000 TCHS 3’ Adult Equitation Challenge, presented by Frank & Eileen during week three of September’s Tournament of Champions.
