About Sydney

He shared with me how important it was to pave the way for Para-Equestrians because the sport was emerging and growing. Seeing the Para-equestrians that day, literally changed my life forever. I realized just how wrong forgetting my goal of riding at the High Performance level for our country was possible. Sure, I had all these crazy orthopedic devices strapped to me, I walked differently than most, I looked different - heck, I used my teeth now as my second hand, but I was a horse fanatic with the desire to succeed! Watching those riders made me feel like I was capable of far more than the medical professionals indicated.  I knew I had to become one of these riders -and nothing was going to stand in my way!

In 2012, my family and I made a difficult decision in furtherence of my goals .  This decision required me to leave my family and friends in Ann Arbor to train with Wes Dunham in Millbrook, NY. My family came together in ways that might seem impossible to others to help my dreams come true. My Grandparents sold their home in North Carolina and moved to Michigan to help care for my two younger brothers so my Mom could live with me in NY while I trained and competed. Ever since my family and I made this commitment, I have worked tirelessly with my team and sponsors to achieve incredible success.

At age 16, I earned a spot on The US Para Dressage team and was the youngest competitor at the 2014 WEG in France. At age 18, I won the 2016 US Para-dressage National Championships and became the youngest member in the equestrian portion of the 2016 Paralympics in Rio as a part of Team USA. I placed 7th overall in the highly competitive para-dressage grade 1B.

I have dedicated my life to service and I maintain a busy schedule combining athletic, equestrian training, guest speaking, volunteering, babysitting, and giving riding demonstrations at a variety of events. College is also a big part of my life. I am attending DeVry University on an Olympic Scholarship, majoring in communication. Alongside these activities, I continue training to earn a place on 2020 Tokoyo Para-dressage  Team and help the USA stand on the medal podium.