Warwick Valley Middle School sixth grader Mila Chan recently achieved an outstanding personal goal related to her hobby, the sport of equitation. Mila also has great experiences to share as both a world traveler and a world champion! But first, what is equitation? Thanks for asking!
Equestrian associations define equitation as the art of horse riding, emphasizing the rider’s skill, knowledge, and position over the horse’s performance. At competitions, riders are judged on their ability to maintain a correct and balanced posture while communicating effectively with the horse using legs, seat, and hands.
“You’re judged on things like how you’re positioned and how well you handle your horse,” Mila said. “Because, however you control the horse, is how the horse will react. You have to turn the horse at exactly the perfect amount; there are different pacing, like cantering, trotting, walking, and galloping.”
Mila was named Reserve Champion in Modified Junior Equitation (Crossrails) for the entire 2025 show season of the Western Hudson Valley Professional Horseman’s Association. A little perspective on that: Mila competed in a field of about two dozen riders to earn her title, which recognizes the second-place overall finisher in an equestrian competition. She rode in eight shows throughout the season, collecting an impressive 151.0 points.
“So, for the whole year, there’s a bunch of shows, and the more you compete, the more ribbons you can get,” she said. “Every ribbon I got, I got another point. By the end of the year, I was in second place. I actually got a giant ribbon for that!”
Mila was also selected to receive the organization’s Child Equine Education Scholarship for her dedication to the sport of equitation. She started training when she was just 6 years old and began showing at 8, when she was a third grader at Sanfordville Elementary School. Her fellow competitors are riders from different training facilities around the area. Mila and other riders who are Warwick Valley students, train at Crystal Water Farms in Warwick, with Christie Barricella.
Something Mila appreciates about her hobby is the ongoing discovery. It’s easy to learn from losses when you love what you’re doing, and that’s been Mila’s approach to honing her skills.
Mila’s favorite subject is science because she enjoys discovering new things and because, she said, she actually “loves all the note-taking!” Her mom is the family’s adventurous leader in planning their travels. It’s been an interest and activity her family has shared for pretty much her whole life. So far, her mom’s itineraries have led the Chans through Paris, Costa Rica, Japan, Turks and Caicos, and even Cape May.
What’s her favorite destination so far?
“Probably Japan,” she said. “Oh... Alaska! That’s another one.”
In school, another of Mila’s passions is Odyssey of the Mind, the international performative problem-solving league that combines all things STEAM. Warwick Valley has a long tradition of enthusiastic Odyssey involvement - and great success. It is encouraged as early as elementary school.
In fifth grade last year, Mila was a member of the world champion WVMS team that won first place at the 2025 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. They competed against 45 teams from around the world at Michigan State University.
She’s also excited that this year’s Odyssey odyssey is already underway.
“We already had auditions, and I made it,” she said. “It’s pretty much our same team as last year, and we’re doing Problem 2 again. But it’s going to be a challenge. We’re in a way harder division this time – there’s going to be seventh and eighth graders!”