William Woods Equestrian students capture big victories in local competitions

Fulton, MO - The month of September yielded some impressive victories for students in the William Woods University (WWU) Equestrian Science (EQS) program, from some of the top local competitions in the industry.

"Our outstanding, nationally-renowned Equestrian Science program has been a source of pride for the William Woods community for decades," said Dr. Jeremy Moreland, President of William Woods University. "The EQS program is a prime example of the professions-oriented learning at The Woods, and congratulating our student equestrians on their hard work and competitive success never gets old."

At the Missouri Showdown, hosted by the Kavsinger Horse Show Circuit in Sedalia, Missouri (September 14-15), WWU students faced stiff competition with over 1,000 entries in the show. Winners from William Woods in the Western seat included:

Abby Burkhalter '25 (Fenton, Mo.) - with Huntin For Daisys, took 1^st Horsemanship, 2^nd Western Pleasure and 4^th Trail

Hannah White '25 (Rich Hill, Mo.) - with Promise I Will Be Good, 1^st Hunter Under Saddle, 1^st Jackpot Champion Hunter Under Saddle

Taylor Thompson '26 (Belton, Mo.) - with Hot Chic At The Party, 1^st Hunter Under Saddle Walk/Trot, 1^st Jackpot Champion Hunter Under Saddle Walk/Trot, 2^nd Equitation Walk/Trot

Miranda Vancil '26 (St. Louis, Mo.) - with Blue Jean Dream, 2nd Versatility Walk/Trot, 3rd Equitation Walk/Trot, 4th Hunter Under Saddle Walk/Trot, 6th Western Pleasure Walk/Trot, 6th Horsemanship Walk/Trot

On September 21, William Woods hosted a Fall Hunter/Jumper Schooling Show on campus. Winners from WWU included:

Sydney Kunz '28 (Davenport, Iowa): Champion Adult Cross Rails with Renegade

Lilly Haynes '27 (Eureka, Mo.): Reserve Champion Adult Cross Rails with Ardeo Porsche

Isabel Kole '26 (Fishers, Ind.): Champion Beginner Hunter Rider and Champion Hunter Rider 2'3" with Chin Chin

Kaitlyn Oberg '28(North Ridgeville, Ohio): Champion Limit Hunter Rider 2'6" with Cold Case

Zella Hekkert '26 (Las Vegas, Nev.): Reserve Champion Limit Hunter Rider 2'3" with Pacha de Nantuel

Theo Brisendine '26(Mesquite, Texas): Champion Puddle Jumpers with Renegade

Teagan Brown '28(Dover, N.H.): Reserve Champion Puddle Jumpers with Maveric

Alanna Bielawski Graduate Assistant (Milwaukee, Wis.): Champion 0.65m Jumpers and Champion 0.75m Jumpers with B That Way

On September 19-22, WWU students competed in Saddle Seat at the St. Louis Kickoff Show, hosted by the Lake St. Louis Missouri National Equestrian Center. Winners from WWU included:

Jillian Becker '25 (Fredonia, Wis.): Reserve champion and Reserve Grand Champion 5-Gaited Open with Mr. Park Avenue
Erin Mahoney '27 (Readington, N.J.): Champion and Grand Champion 5-Gaited Open with Pinekrest's Ruby Tuesday

Sam Foote '27 (Cape Elizabeth, Maine): Champion 5-Gaited Pleasure and Reserve Grand Champion 5-Gaited Pleasure with Ozark's Big Mac Reserve Grand Champion 3-Gaited Show Pleasure with Gridded Grand Guard

Amanda Rizzi '26 (Clinton, N.J.): Reserve Champion and Grand Champion 3-Gaited Park with Nut Job Reserve Champion 5-Gaited Pleasure with Johnny Drum

Hailey Mendenhall Juarez '27 (Kasson, Minn.): Reserve Champion 3-Gaited Show Pleasure with Bermuda Schwartz

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.