London, OH, October 16, 2017–Welcome to the first of several segments highlighting this fall’s 2017 Versatile Horse & Rider Competition competitors. The following highlights some of the individuals and their horses who will convene on Friday, November 10 at Equine Affaire for the ultimate test of horsemanship.

First up, meet Erin Gendreau, of Guilford, VT, who has been partnered with her 7-year-old QH mare Dunitgoodtobeapepto for the past year. In that time, they have competed in barrel racing, pole bending, and cow sorting events. In barrel racing, they have qualified for the Open 1D and 2D World Championships. They won the AQHA Region 6 Level 1 barrel racing and pole bending classes, and have qualified for AQHA Worlds in all levels of barrel racing and pole bending.

Next we have Ariana Gunderson, of Meredith, NH, who has been partnered with her 17-year-old Mustang gelding, Shadow, for six years. The pair has competed in cowboy mounted shooting and western dressage. Recently, they won Adult Overall Champion at the 2017 Kaitlyne Wadman Mustang Makeover.

Katie Bogaert, of Meriden, MA has been riding her 4-year-old QH gelding Mowgli for almost year. Katie found him at auction and bought him with the intention of reselling him. However, Mowgli soon fell seriously ill and over the course of three months of recovery, Katie and Mowgli grew a very strong bond. Now that Mowgli is back to full health, the pair have been dabbling in dressage and western training.

Last in this installment is Kristin Sweeney, of Berlin, MA, who bought her 14-year-old Norwegian Fjord mare, Fergie, six years ago as a birthday present to herself. Since then, they have competed in numerous events at the beginner novice and advanced elementary level. The pair has also recently gotten into obstacle and versatility training.

Stay tuned to meet more of our competitors soon!

And in the meantime, purchase tickets to Equine Affaire to be sure you don’t miss the action: https://equineaffaire.com/events/massachusetts/mass-attend/mass-tickets/