Just six years after taking up the sport, 17-year-old El Dorado Hills equestrian Payton Fullmore is headed to three prestigious championship competitions this summer after earning national recognition and securing a commitment to compete at the NCAA level.
Payton, a Ponderosa High School student, has been gaining national attention in the equestrian world. Halfway through her junior year, she was contacted by several colleges interested in recruiting her to compete on NCAA Equesestrian teams. After thoughtfully weighing the academic and athletic demands of the different divisions, Payton committed to Bridgewater College in Virginia, where she will join the school’s NCAA equestrian team beginning in the fall of 2027.
On July 15, Payton and her horse, Dubio, a 9-year-old German Warmblood, will head to Southern California to compete in two prestigious national equitation championships. She qualified for both events by earning points in regional competitions throughout Northern California.
Their first stop will be Rancho Viejo Riding Park, also known as The Oaks, in San Juan Capistrano, where Payton and Dubio will compete in the California Professional Horsemen’s Association Foundation Equitation Finals. The respected year-end championship for junior and amateur riders tests not only a rider’s ability to successfully navigate a 3-foot-3 course, but also precision, style, control and horsemanship.
From there, the pair will travel to HITS Del Mar for the prestigious West Coast Finals of the United States Hunter Jumper Association Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic. Payton will be judged over a demanding 3-foot-6 course that combines precision, skill and style.
After returning home, Payton will compete in the NorCal Hunter Jumper Junior Medal 3-foot-6 Finals at the Murieta Equestrian Center in Rancho Murieta. She is one of only 18 riders to qualify for the elite competition so far, according to the NorCal Hunter Jumper Association.
Payton, who began riding in 2020, currently trains with Aimee Hanson Benvenuti and Riley De Sousa at Riverbend Equestrian in Wilton. Her rapid rise through the sport, combined with qualifying for three championship events and earning an NCAA commitment before her senior year of high school, marks a remarkable milestone for the young equestrian as she prepares for one of the biggest competitive stretches of her career.
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