W. SPRINGFIELD, MA, November 12, 2023 — Sponsored by Boot Barn, the very first annual Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge took place at Equine Affaire in Massachusetts on Saturday, November 11. Equestrians of all ages enjoyed competing in the GEFC — or cheering on for their friends and barnmates — while equestrian fitness coach, Ifa Simmonds, coached and announced the three parts of the competition.

Participants could sign up for the Barn Chores Marathon, the Bouncy Pony Race, or the Horse Nugget Relay. The Barn Chores Marathon consisted of a challenging obstacle course filled with common — but challenging — horse care tasks, like hauling hay, carrying full water buckets, tying up a full hay net, moving bags of feed, and more. The Bouncy Pony Race featured a good old fashioned race on inflatable bouncy ponies. The Horse Nugget Relay — a teams event — consisted of teams racing to pick up as many horse nuggets as possible with a manure picker and filling a wheelbarrow.

FULL 2023 COMPETITION RESULTS – THE BARN CHORES MARATHON

1. Lydia Bajus – 2:24:80
2. Amy Thompson – 2:32:90
3. Owen Gay – 2:41:83
4. Dawn Brown – 2:43:14
5. Sheila Jones – 2:43:19
6. Amanda Damour – 2:50:25
7. Tracy Wood – 2:56:74
8. Emma Gooden – 3:16:30
9. Tatyanna Warschel – 3:23:09
10. Heather Worshel – 3:46:87
11. David Lawrence – 7:01:00
12. Brandon Price – 3:21:55 (penalized for bucket spill)

FULL 2023 COMPETITION RESULTS – THE BOUNCY PONY RACE #1

1. Elsa Lately
2. Meghan Foster
3. Alexis McCauley
4. Harleigh Nealon

FULL 2023 COMPETITION RESULTS – THE BOUNCY PONY RACE #2

1. Dylan McCoskery
2. Susan Barrows
3. Aeva Snyder
4. Shyanne Thomas

FULL 2023 COMPETITION RESULTS – HORSE NUGGET RELAY #1

1. Chaos Acres: Nicole Czarnecki and Kasey Czarnecki
2. Mucking Maniacs: Dana and Steph Smolyn
3. Horse Moms: Christina Snyder and Karla Barrows
4. Thrall Farm Thunder: Dylan Sharp and Angela Lent

FULL 2023 COMPETITION RESULTS – HORSE NUGGET RELAY #2

1. Blossoms Team: Miriam Slate and Sarah Slate
2. The Paints: Nicki Pakkala and Kaija Pakkala
3. Mucking Maniacs #2: Kelly Benedeth and Ella Shattuck

Thank you all for helping to make the first Great Equestrian Fitness Challenge such a success! And start training for next year… you could be our next GEFC Champion!