2025 The Hamel Foundation NHS 3’3″ Equitation Championship Crowned
Sydney Mohrhardt Takes The Win in The Hamel Foundation National Horse Show 3’3″ Equitation Championship
Junior Equitation competitors closed out Week 1 at the 142nd National Horse Show with the Hamel Foundation NHS 3’3″ Equitation Championship. Of the 172 riders in the field, one pair stood out, holding the highest-scoring rounds of the day.
After three phases of competition, the title of Champion in the Hamel Foundation National Horse Show 3’3″ Equitation Championship went to Sydney Mohrhardt of Boca Raton, Florida. Riding Saint Louis, a Zangersheide gelding owned by Clear 4 Takeoff, LLC, Mohrhardt impressed the judges, earning two of only four 90+ rounds. Trained by Jacob Pope, she scored 91.50 in Round 1, leading the group, and followed with an 87.25 in Round 2, which came after the flat phase.
The third and final test required the top five competitors to ride the Round 2 course again—this time without stirrups. Mohrhardt secured the championship title with her highest-scoring performance of the day, achieving the overall high score of 93.25.
This marks Mohrhardt’s final show as a junior competitor—a meaningful milestone to end on such a high note. “I never thought I would ever be doing the equitation, especially on this horse,” Mohrhardt said. “It’s just been incredible that we not only get to compete but to qualify for these finals and get in the ribbons—it’s amazing.”
Her partnership with Saint Louis, known as “Junior” in the barn, began in 2021 when the horse was purchased for her older sister as a jumper. “She showed him in the jumpers for a couple of years, and then we brought him back to Florida to sell him,” Mohrhardt explained. “I started riding him and fell in love with him. I tried the equitation because I’d never done it before. It’s all new to us, but it’s been super fun getting to learn it together.”
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