International eventer Sydney Elliott had a relatively quiet start to the 2025 competition season while she recuperated from foot surgery, but she showed she was back in top form this summer and fall. She tallied several top-five finishes at the FEI level with her horses, including a win at The Event at TerraNova CCI4*-L in November with her longtime partner QC Diamantaire. For their efforts, Elliott and “Q” were named to the 2026 USEF Eventing Elite Program. Membership in the program allows them to attend training sessions and receive additional support as they eye the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany.

Elliott has been at the top level of evening for several years and has continued to gain notoriety. She competed in her first five-star event at the 2016 Kentucky Three-Day Event with Cisko A and made her U.S. team debut two years later at the Great Meadow International Nations Cup. She has made numerous Nations Cup appearances with QC Diamantaire, including earning team silver in Aachen, Germany, in 2021 and in Boekelo, the Netherlands, that same year. In 2023, the pair competed in the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, claiming the team silver medal. Last year, they were the traveling reserve pair for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In addition to Elliott’s success on the international stage, she runs Elliott Eventing, a training business, based in Benton, Louisiana, and Hoffman, North Carolina.

Below is an excerpt from a past Practical Horseman Podcast episode with Elliott (Episode 118, released November 28, 2025). She talks about why she enjoys working with horses, her training philosophy and more.

Being Grounded Yet Thriving Under Pressure

PH: What do you think it is about horses that have kept you involved with the sport?

SE: I think for me it’s the therapy side that they offer. They’re just so wonderful about grounding you and keeping you level from day to day—no matter what happens. If you have some difficult areas in your life that are going on, they’re always the constant. And if you need to go on a long hack and cry it out, they’re always there. They’re wonderful animals.

PH: You were on the silver medal-winning team at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, and then also the traveling reserve for the 2024 Paris Olympics. What were those experiences like being on a team and representing your country?

SE: I love representing our country, the atmosphere of the team and the pressure-cooker experience of it. I don’t know if I find it more rewarding than riding for yourself individually. I just find my competitive side really comes out when I’m on a team, and it is just the best feeling. Traveling with so much support makes all the difference between vets, farriers, physios, the coaches, all the USEF staff. Everyone’s just so amazing, and they give it 110%, so that always makes you feel good.

Training Horses and Coaching Students

PH: How would you describe your training philosophy?

SE: For me, it’s less is more. I want to always make sure the horses are happy. If that means they stay and are lifers with me, then that’s one thing, or maybe they’re happy doing a different discipline. I really like to see horses thrive and I’m not always the answer.

I like to have happy horses from day to day training and competing. I like to see them hauling, traveling abroad, everything should be an overall happy horse. And even the lessons and the people we work with. I know we have to put pressure on these top horses, but it’s knowing when to take it off and when to apply it. I want to keep them enjoying their jobs. Every horse is a little bit different, so I’m not afraid to alter the program. It’s not one size fits all. We’ve had some really wonderful horses come through the program, but I mean, say whatever works for QC Diamantaire doesn’t necessarily work for the next horse. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s making modifications to it.

PH: How would you describe your teaching style with your students?

SE: I would say the feedback that I get is I’m very positive. If you can keep a clear head, whether it’s your students or your horses, that’s ideal. If anyone’s emotional—horses or humans—you’re not learning or processing. I try to keep the pressure down. Every now and then, I sneak some things in with the students if they’re worried about something. Just make it black and white, and make it easy for them. Because what we do isn’t rocket science.

The Challenges of Equestrian Sport

PH: In equestrian sport, things don’t always go as planned. How do you handle some of those disappointments?

SE: For me, I let life direct me where I’m supposed to go. I think most of the time things happen in life for a reason, so I have to try to remember that. Or if we have a performance that isn’t quite as good as I would’ve hoped, I just go back to the drawing board and say, “Look, what am I doing wrong? What needs to change? Do I have the right horses for what I’m trying to get done?” And then sometimes, I don’t overthink it and just move forward. Things happen and it’s OK; you just move on.

PH: Do you get nervous when you compete? And if so, how do you handle your nerves?

SE: I’ve had some people tell me that I hardly have a pulse when I’m competing, which on the inside, I would say I do actually get nervous. I feel like we all get nerves. But I guess it’s just how you handle things. And it’s funny, because like going into Kentucky, it always manifests in everyone differently. I always have a feeling like some piece of tack is going to break or I always think a horse is unsound, so that’s my nerves coming out. Also, I take a lot of walks. Like before I get ready to go cross country at Kentucky, I’ll tell my grooms, “Girls, I’m going to take a walk around the barn.” And they know what that means.

But for the most part, I feel like I do try to keep my nerves in check because, at the end of the day, if you have a horse who can do the job, you’ve done the training, you’ve checked all the boxes, you would hate for the mental side of things to get in your way. That is something we can control, so I really try my hardest to just keep a clear head and say, “Look, this is not the end of the world if something doesn’t go well but give it your best shot.”

Over the years, it’s having the right people around you, whether it’s the energy or just the support or whatever. It makes a huge difference who you have in your immediate circle at these events.

PH: What would you say the hardest part of the sport is for you?

SE: There are so many hard parts of the sport. It’s showing up day to day when things aren’t going well. If you count the minutes that you’re actually in the show ring, there’s so few. With managing everything in the barn from the soundness of the horses and trying to get three phases of training done all the time, you kind of run out of hours in the day. That’s hard to navigate, but obviously people do it and we get it done.

And then there’s the emotional side to it. Emotions are not our friends with the horses. And I think sometimes we get caught up with our own goals, and these horses couldn’t care less what our goals are that we have set for ourselves. So, it’s remembering that whatever they do for us is a bonus; first and foremost is the priority of their health and happiness. If our goals get set aside, then so be it. It’s not the end of the world. That’s hard to remember sometimes when we get caught up in making this team or that team or having to run this event for a qualification. At the end of the day, it does matter, but it’s not the end all be all.

Fore More:

Don’t miss our Practical Horseman Podcast with Sydney Elliot. Listen here!