The Tribune

EQUESTRIAN Bahamas recorded another historic milestone for the programme and Bahamian sport with their success at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association International Invitational.

Peyton Wong, Elle O'Brien, Mila Sands, Maya Tilberg and Nicholas Astwood competed at the inaugural event hosted last weekend in Conyers, Georgia.

The team of five riders placed in seven out of the eight classes competed in, with results as follows:

Open Equitation Over Fences - Elle O'Brien - 6th place

Intermediate Equitation Under Saddle - Peyton Wong - 1st place

Intermediate Equitation Over Fences - Peyton Wong - 3rd place

Novice Equitation Over Fences - Mila Sands - 1st place

Novice Equitation Under Saddle - Mila Sands - 2nd place

Junior Varsity Beginner Equitation Walk, Trot, Canter - Maya Tilberg - 1st place

Junior Varsity Beginner Equitation Walk, Trot - Nicholas Astwood - 1st place

In addition, Sands was the recipient of a full scholarship to a week-long summer camp programme at Chatham Hall school, a prestigious boarding school in Virginia.

The team was coached by Kimberley Johnson with Erika Adderley-Coello as the trainer.

Equestrian Bahamas thanked parents, friends and family members who travelled to support the team with Bahamian flags on display.

"Congratulations again to the riders and coaches on their achievements. Stay tuned for developments as we continue to develop our partnership with the IEA. The best is yet to come!"

The international invitational was held in conjunction with the IEA Zone 4/Region 1 finals at the Georgia International Horse Park.

Team Bahamas was selected based on their performances at the (IEA) along with Bahamas Interschool Equestrian League (BIEL) Hunt Seat Invitational and Selection Trials hosted last December.

In addition to conducting regular rated horse shows, Equestrian Bahamas, a recently ratified member of Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), is in their 3rd year of developing BIEL - a team-oriented riding programme using a draw-based competition format similar to IEA.

In November 2019, Equestrian Bahamas gained International Federation Status with the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the governing body for international equestrian sport. The official ratification took place at the FEI General Assembly in Moscow, Russia.

The Bahamas joined Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, United States and US Virgin Islands as members of Group IV of the FEI, which in total is comprised of 137 national federations.