Equestrian is one of the most exhilarating experiences to participate in as an athlete. Three local horseback riders recently had a chance to display their passion for the sport when they competed at the 38th annual Connecticut Medal Finals, and each member of the trio turned in a great performance that resulted in them collecting a medal.

Kennedy Teasdale of Guilford, fellow Guilford resident Sasha Goetz, and Jane de Chabert of Madison—three high school students who are all good friends—each took a run with their horses at the 2022 Medal Finals. All three athletes have been involved in equestrian competitions for several years and have made a name for themselves among the state’s best horseback riders at their age level.

Teasdale, Goetz, and de Chabert rounded out the top three of the Junior Medal competition at the Medal Finals, which was sponsored by the Connecticut Hunter Jumper Association and took place at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport from Aug. 18 to 21. Teasdale won the gold medal, Goetz took home a silver medal, and de Chabert claimed the bronze medal.

The Medal Finals marked the first event of the postseason for more than 300 riders. During the regular season, the riders accumulated points by participating in competitions in order to qualify for the playoff stage at the finals.

The Junior Medal event is split up into three phases. In the first phase, the riders and their horses move through a course that features eight or more obstacles that are at least three feet tall. Horses and riders need to perform one combination of an oxer (a jump between two rails) and two changes of direction. After that, the judges select the top 12 riders to move on to the second phase, which consists of riders showing a walk, trot, and center on the flat course. The judges then select five riders to return for a final phase that features specific challenges over a hunt course.

When the three phases of the Junior Medal competition at the Medal Finals were complete, Teasdale and her horse, Tahoka, were awarded the gold medal for their first-place performance. Goetz and her horse, Victoria West, finished in second place to win the silver medal. de Chabert and her horse, Candetto, came in third place to take the bronze medal.

Teasdale, a junior at Guilford High School, has been riding with Tahoka since the beginning of the current season. Teadale’s first-place finish in the Junior Medal event demonstrated the type of care that she has for both her horses and her craft.

“I won a different class of that same final last year, so that was really amazing to do that two years in a row with a different horse, which is really cool and special,” Teasdale said. “He just totally stepped up to the plate.”

Teasdale has had a passion for horseback riding ever since she had her birthday party at a farm when she turned five. Since then, she has grown up learning about the fundamentals of equestrian and its competitions. Teasdale has received a lot of support from teammates who have become her friends and inspirational trainers that have become her closest allies. Teasdale’s current trainer, Kristi Smith of Cedar Brook Farm in Madison, has proved an integral part of her progression.

“She’s been really amazing. I was lucky enough to have great trainers before her, too, so I never really had bad experiences,” said Teasdale. “She’s super calm, and she’s big on the fundamentals of riding. She’s been amazing to work with.”

de Chabert also trains under the guidance of Smith at Cedar Brook Farm. A freshman at Daniel Hand High School, de Chabert started horseback riding when she was eight and has achieved a lot of success in her career thus far. de Chabert’s skills led her to earning a third-place finish in her first Junior Medal competition at this year’s Medal Finals.

“I just spent a lot of time at the barn riding, and it taught me a lot of responsibility. It’s a big commitment,” de Chabert said. “It was my first Junior Medal, and it’s hard in this year in particular, because I skipped a couple of levels, and I jumped from a level that wasn’t as hard and went up to the Junior Medal. That was a cool experience.”

The day before the Junior Medal competition, de Chabert finished as the Reserve Champion with a second-place showing at the Children’s Hunter Classic. de Chabert has worked her way up to become one of the top riders in her age group during the past few years. She feels that she’s found the perfect fit with Candetto as her horse.

“He has a lot more ability than the other horses I’ve had,” said de Chabert. “He’s the first real horse that I’ve felt can take me to the next level and I can learn and grow on.”

Goetz, a sophomore at Guilford High School, remembers how she fell in love with horseback riding and appreciates how the sport has helped her make new friends. After living in New York City throughout her childhood, Goetz and her family moved to Guilford when she was nine. She went to various barns around the state and became friends with Teasdale at one of her stops. Then, when Goetz settled in with trainer Diana King three years ago and began competing in the grand stage, she met de Chabert.

Goetz finished second at the Junior Medal event while riding her new horse, Victoria West. Goetz has been working with the horse for four months and viewed the competition as both a challenge and a learning experience for each of them.

“I wasn’t expecting anything of it. She is still growing as herself, and she’s still learning, as well as I am,” Goetz said. “We were just taking her to this event as an opportunity to get out there. To be able to place as high as we did was really great. It was a great experience, especially having Kennedy and Jane out there with me.”

On the heels of the Medal Finals, there are a variety of equestrian competitions being held around the country, including the New England Finals in Massachusetts, the Capital Challenge Final in Washington D.C., and the National Horse Show Final in Kentucky. While there is little room for error in these types of events, winning isn’t the biggest thing for Teasdale, de Chabert, and Goetz. They all feel grateful for the opportunity to compete in the postseason and know that the never could have made it this far without the relationships they’ve formed, their extensive work with their horses, and the memorable experiences that they’ve shared.

“At the end of the day, you’re always going to have that relationship with your animal and your friends that you’ve made. It’s not really winning,” said Goetz. “It’s a sport that matures you a lot, so it’s rewarding just to have the experiences.”