‘Strong as Steel, Pretty as Roses’: Walnut’s Ryley Egan rides to National Equestrian championship

Many knew Ryley Egan at Bureau Valley High School as the manager that took care of the football team and as a member for the Storm girls basketball team.

You can add national champion to her title.

Egan, 18, rode to the National Equestrian Championship at the Arabian Youth Nationals in Oklahoma City this summer.

A decorated rider, Egan has previously celebrated in the winner’s circle with six Reserve National Championships. Five of those came on her horse “Elly” in the Half Arabian English Pleasure division, with the sixth coming in Half Arabian Saddle Seat Equitation.

But the National Equestrian Championship trophy seemed to always be just out of reach.

“When I was younger I always dreamt of becoming a National Champion, and after many years of going to Arabian Youth Nationals, and being so close so many times, and then having my off years of barely placing in class, I began to give up hope on winning at Nationals,” said Ryley, now a freshman at Colorado State University. “It was always in the back of my mind, and always what I was working towards during every class. I began to face reality that most people in my age bracket and with me being an Elite rider, that the chances of me winning were becoming slimmer and slimmer.

“It does feel amazing that I am now a National Champion, as I have been Reserve six times in past years, and finally being able to make it out on top is a huge accomplishment. Although I helped guide my horse to our National Title, ‘Steel The Gold’ is the one who really gained this title.”

To make the most of the 2024 season, Ryley and her family committed to showing three horses at the national level, with three different training barns, and two completely different disciplines.

Her season started off very strong with Champion honors at the prestigious Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in the Arabian Country English Pleasure division riding with Liberty Meadows Training Center in Bucyrus, Kan.

In June, she hit the peak of the season, and brought home four regional championships including a repeat in the Arabian Country English Pleasure, a very competitive 15 horse Saddle Seat Equitation class with John White Stables in Woodstock, Ill., and her first ever Regional level class in Half Arabian Western Pleasure with Randy Sullivan Training Center in Dawson, Ill.

It was the last combination that the Egans put together that delivered the ultimate payoff.

They reached out to long time family friend and rural Walnut native Angie (Rogers) Sullivan at the Randy Sullivan Training Center near Springfield to see if the long time Saddle Seat rider could try her hand at presenting a Western horse this season. Sullivan and husband Randy came up with a plan, and asked for Ryley to come take a lesson to see what might fit.

Rick Tosch of Georgetown, Kent. was in the barn that day and what he and the Sullivans saw when Ryley rode his gelding, “Steel the Gold,” left them all excited for what might come. This combination got a late start, but everyone worked to make up the time. The young horse, the always consistent trainer, and the determined rider had an undefeated season. They took home top honors at NIAHC and the Region XI championship. And off they went to Youth Nationals with a dream and a plan.

That plan turned into the first National Championship, and the icing on the cake to an amazing 8-year career for the young rider.

“After having an amazing Region 11 show, wining four of six Championship classes, I had a feeling that this year’s Nationals would be one I would never forget,” Egan said. “But as life goes, not all things work out, and my Nationals was a huge up and down rollercoaster, but throughout all of that all of my western lessons that week had been going amazing, and it really helped give me hope.

“During the warm-up for my HA Western Pleasure JTR Select 15-18 class, everything was going perfect between Steel and I, and gave me high hope for this class. As soon as we entered the Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, I knew we were going to come out at Top Honors.”

Ryley said this would not be possible without everyone that has helped her along the way during her journey. From the first Academy show in a grass lot, to the many miles traveled for lessons, to the untold hours spent on horseback working with instructors and trainers, to the joy of early success, and the pain of failures along the way, she has always had a great support system in the industry and within her family.

And in 2024, she was supported by local businesses and families who jumped on as sponsors for her last full season of youth riding. This included two gold level supporters, Gripp Farms and Michlig Energy, along with many others from near and far.

Ryley is studying Equine Science on a pre-vet path at Colorado State and also competing on the schools Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team in the Western division this school year.

Kevin Hieronymus has been the BCR Sports Editor since 1986. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com