USHJA Executive Director Whitney Allen, Chair of the EAP committee Amy Center, Champion at the 2026 MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session at Midway University Reese Dorsey, EAP Stable Manager Clinician Colleen Reed and EAP Stable Manager Clinician Jennifer Fessler. Photo by Rachel Milewski/USHJA
Edited USHJA press releases
Gladys, Va. – Nov. 9, 2026 – Members of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) earned top honors at two of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s (USHJA) national education programs, both held at Midway University in Midway, Kentucky. Reese Dorsey of Midway University was named champion of the 2026 MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program (EAP) National Training Session, held Nov. 5-8, and Taya Wykert of High Point University won the 2026 USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, presented by East West Equine Sports Medicine, held Nov. 6-8.
MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session
Dorsey, of Parkton, Maryland, is a team captain for Midway University’s IHSA hunter seat team and won the 2025 IHSA National Championship in Limit Flat. She also works as a groom at Spy Coast Farm.
Throughout the week, the EAP Committee evaluated riders on their riding, horsemanship, sportsmanship, stable management, professionalism and interactions with their horses. The session combined riding instruction with lead clinician Joe Fargis, stable management sessions, educational presentations and a modified Nations Cup team competition. It concluded with a final test, in which Dorsey rode a different horse than the one she had ridden all week.
Reese Dorsey, Champion at the 2026 MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session at Midway University. Photo by Rachel Milewski/USHJA
“Being in this program is such a privilege, and it feels amazing to finally win it,” Dorsey said. “Honestly, there’s so much to learn. Every time you attend a session, I learn something new from a different clinician.”
“The test, to me, made Reese rise to the top,” said Amy Center, chair of the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program Committee. “She adapted to that horse quickly, efficiently and with finesse. That was just perfect.”
As champion, Dorsey received a $3,000 advanced training grant, Parlanti paddock boots, a YETI Roadie cooler and a keepsake tray. She also rode for Team Dinan, which earned the silver medal in the modified Nations Cup.
IHSA member Clara D’Amico of Newtown, Connecticut, who rides for Miami University (Ohio), also competed at the National Training Session as a member of Team Kraut, which placed fourth in the modified Nations Cup.
Dorsey’s advice for other riders applies in the saddle and on the ground. “Always support your horse. Regardless of the horse that you think you have or want, you always have to ride the horse that’s underneath of you,” she said. “You have to listen to your horse and go from there.”
Competitors in the 2026 MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session. Photos by Rachel Milewski/USHJA
USHJA Executive Director Whitney Allen, Winner of the 2026 USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals presented by East West Equine Sports Medicine Taya Wykert and Chair of the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge and IHSA Board Member Cricket Stone Morris. Photo by Rachel Milewski/USHJA
USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals
Wykert, of Thousand Oaks, California, rides on High Point University’s IHSA team. She was one of 20 competitors, where participants were scored on a written exam, an identification room exam and a hands-on practicum, with finalists also taking part in interviews. In addition to the overall title, Wykert won the horsemanship and identification exam, placed third in the practicum and fourth on the written exam. Her prizes included a $2,000 education grant, a SmartPak certificate and an internship at Spy Coast Farm.
Wykert won the title in her seventh year of competing in the program. “Winning the [USHJA] Horsemanship Quiz Challenge has been a goal of mine since I was 13 years old,” she said.
“Taya’s been coming for a couple of years, and she just keeps getting better and better and better,” said Cricket Morris, chair of the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Committee and a member of the IHSA board of directors executive committee. “Her confidence this year was high, and I think she was really prepared.”
Three additional IHSA members earned honors at Nationals. Savannah College of Art and Design teammates Emily Arriaga (Bahama, North Carolina) and Olivia D’Apolito (Niwot, Colorado) placed second and third, respectively, on the written exam, and Arriaga also received a travel grant from the USHJA Foundation and East West Equine Sports Medicine. Zoe Santilli (West Hartford, Connecticut), who rides for Wesleyan University, received the Sportsmanship Award.
“It makes us proud to see IHSA members consistently finish at the top of these USHJA educational programs,” said IHSA Executive Director Peter Cashman. “Their success reflects the horsemanship, adaptability and dedication of collegiate riding and the role it plays in developing the next generation of equestrians.”