Culver Girls Academy students earn international, state equestrian honors

 

Two Culver Girls Academy juniors spent their summer earning honors in equestrian competitions, with Sienna Jones representing the Bahamas in an international show jumping championship in France and Natasha Kanach winning multiple titles at the Indiana Dressage Festival.

Jones was part of a four-girl team competing at the Fédération Française d'Équitation World Club Championships in France, helping her team place fourth among 13 teams in the invitational show jumping competition. She also traveled to Denmark for an international sailing regatta. Meanwhile, Kanach won competitions in consecutive days at the Indiana Dressage Festival while competing with her home team, Legacy Farm Dressage.

Jones, a native of the Bahamas, said the international competition marked her third time representing the island nation southeast of Florida in equestrian events. The World Club Championships brought together invited teams from around the world for a three-round team competition. The trip was sponsored by the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

Although the Bahamian team finished fourth, one place lower than the previous year, Jones said the team members were pleased by their performance.

“Everyone on our team performed better personally,” she said. “The competition this year was just a lot more competitive.”

Riders were assigned horses rather than riding their own mounts, a challenge that requires adapting quickly to an unfamiliar partner. Jones had an advantage because she rode the same horse, Gadget, she rode during the previous year's competition.

 

 

 

The event featured jumps measuring about 1 meter in height. Jones said the mental aspect of competition can be as challenging as the riding.

“If you have a bad first round, you can't get too down on it because you have two more rounds to go and you have to be ready for it,” she said.

She said jumping is her favorite discipline.

“I really enjoy going fast and making sure all the jumps stay up,” she said. “I enjoy having a connection with the horse.”

Jones said coaches have played a significant role in her development as a rider. At Culver, she is coached Honor Beeler, Ragan Morehouse and Capt. Sean “Skip” Nicholls, Culver Academies director of horsemanship. She was coached by Raishun Burch in France and trains under Erika Adderley is the Bahamas.

She also represented the Bahamas in another sport this summer, competing in an international sailing regatta in Denmark. Racing in an ILCA dinghy, Jones competed against an estimated 150 to 200 sailors as part of the Bahamian team.

“I really enjoy just being on my own, getting out on the water and having a connection with the environment,” she said.

Jones said Culver attracted her because it offers strong programs in both sailing and horsemanship.

“I was looking at boarding schools that had both,” she said. “Culver was one of the distinct options that had both at a strong level.”

She said because the two sports sometimes conflict, she’s needed coaches in both sports to be understanding.

“It's a little challenging, but they've allowed me to compromise and manage both,” she said.

 

 

While Jones competed internationally, Kanach was collecting blue ribbons closer to home.

The Carmel, Indiana, student earned first-place finishes in Training Level Test 3 and Intro Test C at the Indiana Dressage Festival I and II. She won both tests on consecutive days during the competition.

Kanach competed as an individual representing Legacy Farm Dressage, based in Noblesville. Riding her horse, Alin Azul Adalina, known around the barn as Adalina, she continued a string of successful performances that began before arriving at Culver.

Adelina is a rescued thoroughbred that Kanach has owned for about a year.

Although Kanach began riding horses when she was young, she did not discover dressage until arriving at Culver as a freshman.

“I fell in love with it,” she said.

She found herself drawn to the precision and atmosphere of dressage.

“I like dressage because I like to compete with a team and it helps me be very connected to my horse,” she said. “We just are very relaxed and calm. It's a really fun environment to be in.”

Within two years she went from a beginner in dressage to winning competitions.

Dressage riders perform predetermined tests before judges, memorizing patterns and movements that showcase communication between horse and rider. Kanach said one of the sport's biggest challenges is remembering the test sequence.

“I worry about making sure I know my tests,” she said. “Because if you go off course, you get three warnings, and then you're disqualified.”

At Culver, Kanach is involved in multiple riding programs, including dressage, polo and the Equestriennes, a mounted drill team and honor organization. She currently competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association's junior varsity division and hopes to earn enough points this season to move up to varsity competition.

She credits both Culver coaches, Jill Strange and Honor Beeler, and her private trainer, Ken Levy, for helping her develop as a rider.

“They’ve helped me improve my riding so much,” Kanach said.

Kanach's successful summer has carried into the fall. She has qualified for the Indiana Dressage Society Championships in October at Hoosier Horse Park and is in contention for Novice Rider of the Year honors. Adelina is also in the running for Horse of the Year.

Both riders said they hope to continue improving this year while balancing demanding schedules at Culver.

For Jones, that means pursuing opportunities in both sailing and show jumping. For Kanach, it means building on her recent success and continuing her push toward varsity dressage competition.

Both riders spent the summer proving they can compete successfully beyond Culver’s campus and working to get better to compete for Culver.