After achieving their goal to compete at State on May 8-11 at Lynden and earning a bronze medal in the drill team event as well as individual honors, the Equestrian team will head to regionals on June 27-29.

Sophomore Grace Vejvoda placed fourth in the saddle seat at state. Junior Michaela Lantzy from Eastmont High School placed second in steer daubing. Sophomore Bethany Symonds placed fifth in driving.

“It is difficult to get all of the 11 girls and horses together for a practice,” Coach Thera Judd said. “A lot of it was individual work, but we pulled it off.”

The team is integrated with 11 girls from Wenatchee High School, EHS, and the River Academy. Four of them will compete in at the regional competition.

In order to qualify for State, the girls had to compete at three meets. Judges took the two best times from the meets to decide State competitors.

“We had a great team this year,” Judd said. “We all had the goal to make it to the State competition and it was great to get all the girls to State.”

Vejvoda, freshman Sasha Regan from the River Academy, Lantzy, and WHS senior Breanna Andrew are the four headed off to Regionals at Redmond to compete for the gold buckle— the first-place winner trophy — at Regionals . This regional competition will be the first of its kind. The competition was created by a coalition between Washington State High School Equestrian Teams and Oregon State High School Equestrian Teams associations.

The members were surprised to learn they will move on, Judd said. Canadian Flags Team and the Drill Team will travel to Redmond.

 “We were very lucky to get into Regionals,” Judd said. “It [Regionals] is a total bonus. It wasn’t even in our mind as we went to the State competition. They exceeded expectations.”