HORSEPLAY: Sequim wins Small Teams district championship
Published 1:30 am Saturday, April 11, 2026
LIGHTS, CAMERA AND action were in play earlier this month for the Washington State Equestrian Team’s third competition held at the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds indoor arena in Elma.
“Our whole season’s been full of fun, teamwork and success,” coach Katie Newton said, “with our riders collecting many medals among them.”
Graduating senior Katelynn Sharpe won the Performance Versatility High Point Buckle, seven medals, three first places in individual events and two first places in team events, and freshman Lucas Seelye won the Outstanding Athlete Award, three medals and first place in Flags.
Asha Swanberg won seven medals, two first places in individual events and three in team events.
Kenzi Winters won three medals and a first place. Lila Torey two medals. Paisley Morris two medals. Way to go Sequim Equestrian Team!
“Even more exciting than medals for me was our Small Teams district championship that the whole team worked together to earn,” coach Katie Newton said. “It’s been amazing to see the growth that everyone on the team showed in their riding this year, too.”
She also lauds assistant coaches Cori Youngblood, Misty Gilbertson and Bettina Hoesel for “helping to coach our team to success. I couldn’t do it without them.”
I’d like to praise all four coaches for volunteering their time, energy and even their own money to travel to the events with the team.
Meet results, Grays Harbor Fairgrounds, April 2-5:
Dressage — Katelynn Sharpe, first; Lila Torey, sixth.
Huntseat Equitation — Torey, fifth; Paisley Morris, ninth.
In-Hand Obstacle Relay — Kaija Johnson, Paisley Morris, Kenzi Winters, Torey, fourth.
In-Hand Trail — Winters, first; Morris, sixth.
Reining — Morris, sixth; Swanberg, sixth; Torey, eighth; Sharpe, 12th.
Saddleseat Equitation — Sharpe, first; Torey, third; Winters, fourth.
Showmanship — Morris, sixth; Winters, seventh; Sharpe, 10th.
Stockseat Equitation — Torey, fourth; Morris, 10th.
Team Versatility — Swanber, Johnson, Morris, Torey, eighth.
Working Pairs — Sharpe and Swanberg, first; Winters and Seelye, second; Johnson and Morris, fifth.
Working Rancher — Swanberg, first.
Drill Freestyle 4’s — Sharpe, Swanberg, Morris and Torey, second.
Barrels — Swanberg, fourth; Johnson, eighth; Seelye, 17th.
Figure 8 — Johnson, 12th; Swanberg, 15th; Winters, 20th; Seelye, 22nd.
Individual Flags — Seelye, first; Johnson, fifth; Swanberg, sixth.
Keyhole — Sharpe, first; Johnson, fifth; Winters, 11th.
Pole Bending — Johnson, eighth; Seelye, 11th.
Team Canadian Flags — Sharpe, Swanberg, Winters, Seelye, third.
Two Man Birangle — Swanberg and Johnson, first; Sharpe and Seelye, fourth.
Steer Daubing — Swanberg, first; Sharpe, second; Seelye, 10th.
Team Sorting — Sharpe and Swanberg, third.
Breakaway Roping — Seelye, fourth.
Three meets make up the season. Cumulative high points from all three competitions qualify a rider to win either a gold, silver or bronze medal from each event, and to be eligible to compete among the top 10 riders for the event at May’s state finals.
District 4 awards and state qualifiers
Sharpe — Gold medal Dressage, Saddleseat Equitation, Working Pairs, Team Sorting; silver medal Drill Freestyle 4’s; bronze medal Team Canadian Flags, Steer Daubing.
Torey — Silver medal Huntseat Equitation, Drill Freestyle 4’s.
Morris — Silver medal In-Hand Trail, Drill Freestyle 4’s.
Swanberg — Gold medal Working Pairs, Working Rancher, Team Sorting; silver medal Drill Freestyle 4’s, Steer Daubing; bronze medal Reining and Team Canadian Flags.
Winters — Silver medal Saddleseat Equitation, Working Pairs; bronze medal Team Canadian Flags
Seelye — Gold medal Individual Flags; silver medal Working Pairs, bronze medal Team Canadian Flags.
The State Finals are May 14-17 in Moses Lake. To live stream events in the Adell Arena, go to https://vimeo.com/event/1651620 or https://vimeo.com/event/1651622.
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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears the second and fourth Saturday of each month.
If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also call her at 360-460-6299.
