Brooksten Fors, 14, of Pittsfield, a freshman at Tidioute Community Charter School, took second place — reserve national champion — in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Hunt Seat National Championships in the junior, novice over cross-rails division.

Fors has been competing in IEA with team Lake Effect out of Edinboro for coaches Lindsay Filley and Lori Hermann for three years. Lake Effect hosted a regional tournament in Fairview. Fors moved on from there to the Zones tournament in Gettysburg in March.

The top two riders in each division out of each zone qualify for nationals.

IEA Zone 11 includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia.

Photo submitted to Times Observer Brooksten Fors of Pittsfield competes at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association Hunt Seat National Championships last month in Perry, Ga. Fors finished in second place - reserve national champion - in the junior, novice over cross-rails division.

About 400 riders out of the 11,000 in the IEA qualified for nationals last month in at the Georgia State Fair Complex, in Perry, Ga.

Two Lake Effect riders made it — Fors and Chloe Anthony.

After the junior novice finals, the top three riders were called back for a re-ride, according to Brooksten’s mother, Ivorie, who runs Boulder Ridge Stables in Pittsfield. “It was that close.”

In IEA competition, riders do not ride their own horses.

Fors and the other competitors drew lots to determine which horses they would be riding. For the re-ride, they drew again.

Following that extra ride, Fors was declared reserve national champion.

Brooksten has only been competing in IEA for a few years, but “she’s be riding forever,” Ivorie Fors said. “She’s been riding since she could sit up.”

Hunt seat is not her primary event.

“Brooksten shows a different style of riding,” Ivorie Fors said. “She rides saddle seat. She does this to keep herself legged up – to keep in shape.”

That it wasn’t her main event may have helped her succeed. “She was so relaxed,” Ivorie Fors said. “She doesn’t get stressed out about anything.”

With the second-place finish, Brooksten can no longer compete in junior, novice over cross-rails. “She will be a varsity rider over fences,” Ivorie Fors said.

At TCCS, Brooksten competes in every sport she can – volleyball, basketball, and softball.

And, she will be working hard in the classroom and in the community.

“With every barn, we really promote good grades, sportsmanship, we do a lot of community service,” Ivorie Fors said. “For Lake Effect, we got a lot of donations for the ANNA Shelter of Erie. These kids are very privileged to be doing this. They give back.”