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Taylor Kendall, a sixth grade student at Dover Sherborn Middle School, competed in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association Hunt Seat National Finals on April 21 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia. Taylor rides on the Middle School IEA team at August Farm in Holliston, coached by Dani White. This is Taylor’s first year riding on the IEA team.
To qualify for National finals, Taylor competed at local IEA shows throughout the season and had to earn enough points to make it to the Regional level. She then had to place in the top three riders to make it to the Zone level, where again she had to place in the top three to make it to the National level. Taylor was only one of 22 riders nationwide in her IEA division to earn the right to compete at Nationals and was only one of a handful of sixth graders in that group.
IEA is particularly challenging because riders do not supply their own horses or tack. Instead, riders compete on unfamiliar horses that they “draw” from the horses that are supplied by the barn hosting the competition.
Now that she has returned from Nationals, Taylor is excited to continue competing in horse shows on her horse, "Fitty."
