Schuyler Dayner Dominates in North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championships

Riders and horses returned to the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, on Thursday, September 24, 2026, to contend the second day of competition at the 2026 Capital Challenge Horse Show (CCHS) Equitation Showcase, presented by BIGEQ.com. All eyes were on the adult equitation riders at the conclusion of the day as Schuyler Dayner of Odessa, FL, led the victory gallop in the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championships.

Forty duos contested the course designed by Joseph Carnicom before the top 10 pairings advanced to the second round. The top two riders were then asked by the judges to return for a ride-off test. Dayner bested her first round score of 86 with an impressive second-round performance of 90 and found herself heading under the CCHS arch one final time alongside Xavier Gomez to vie for the winning spot.

Schuyler Dayner used her experience to guide her new partner, Bozzic, to the win.
Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography

No stranger to an equitation win, Dayner navigated one final successful test for the win aboard Bozzic, Wood View LLC’s 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding.

“He marched right around and jumped like he had done this his whole life even though, to my knowledge, this is his first equitation final,” she remarked.

Dayner, who is a D1 athlete on the equestrian team at Southern Methodist University (SMU), has already crafted a successful career in the equitation, often while catch riding.

Schuyler Dayner celebrates a victorious performance with her team. 
Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography

“I showed him for the first time today and only rode him for the first time yesterday,” commented Dayner. “I got to know him a little bit in the Adult Equitation division earlier today where we were champions, so I felt very confident going into the first round.

“Augusta [Iwasaki] and I went to school together at SMU, and she offered that I could come compete this week if I wanted,” she continued of the new partnership. “She arranged this with his owner Chrissy Kear, which I am very grateful for. This is my first equitation final as an adult, so I was very excited about that.”

Xavier Gomez moved up from his 2025 placing and accepted the second-place award with Fortis Equine’s Pynnock van Horst. Lanie Walkenbach rounded out the top three with Walkenbach Equestrian LLC’s Let’s Go.

Hear from winner Schuyler Dayner about her experience winning at Capital Challenge Horse Show.