West Liberty-Salem graduate Rachel Davis earned national champion honors at the recent Youth Equestrian Development National Championship at the Tri-State Exhibition Center in Cleveland, Tenn.
The top Western riders in the United States who qualified after 10 previous competitions were selected to go head-to-head in the event. As the returning 2019 national champion in Western Horsemanship Pattern, Davis had her sights on this year’s Western Horsemanship Pattern and Rail competition. There were 64 riders competing for the championship belt buckle and ribbon along with $5,500 worth of college scholarships. Of that group, 19 advanced to the nationals.
Davis earned a spot in the top eight to move on to the championship round. There, she was awarded first by both judges to unanimously win the title.
In addition, Davis was awarded the $2,000 Ross Environmental Senior Student Rider scholarship by the YEDA founders. Her winning video submission, titled “What it means to be an equestrian – A girl with a dream,” can be viewed at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8iP75S0a64I&feature=youtu.be
Davis will be attending the University of Tennessee in Martin, Tenn., this August and will be riding on their NCEA Division I Western team in the Horsemanship discipline. She will be majoring in animal science with a minor in marketing.