Allison Doares-Sykora

Allison Sykora, owner and business manager of Elhanan Equestrian, is a breeder of quality sport horses and ponies & returning rider continuing her riding education.

Sandra Bussey Turner

Sandra Bussey Turner has been a professional dressage rider and trainer for 25+ years and during this time has trained horses and riders from introductory level through and including the FEI ranks. Her students have successfully ridden to the team silver medal on the area 3 NAJRYC eventing team, the US FEI Pony Rider national Champion, USPC Carolina regional dressage champion and numerous top finishes nationally in the USEF Dressage Seat Medal finals. For the 2019 show season students qualified multiple horses from training through forth level making the regional championship line up each time. Riders also qualified for regional dressage seat medal championship and upon winning the regional championships have Qualified for the festival of Champions in Chicago. Sandra’s Students have ranked at the top of the National Dressage Pony Cup standings with year end average scores in the 70’s at Third and Fourth levels.
Sandra has a strong classical background in all aspects of horsemanship. She has studied with Georg Heyser, Kaye Norment-Smarslick, Sue Madden Mandas, Hilda Gurney, and Charlie Musco among others.
In the last two seasons while not out competing, our young horses have competed with High Point Hanoverians. Kinderwelt J earned the national reserve championship in the 4 year old dressage prospects and our yearling Freudenshaft finished 8 th in the overall yearlings and second in the dressage yearlings. We are really looking forward to developing these young horses.

Sandra studied political science and sociology at the College of Charleston. She is a Christian and loves the relationships God provides through equestrian involvement.

McKenna Sykora

McKenna is our resident rider and young horse “crash dummy” at Elhanan. She began riding as a small child, but didn’t began her training career in earnest until late 2021 when she began private dressage lessons with Sandra Bussey at the age of 13. 2022 had some setbacks when McKenna’s hopeful FEI Children’s pony, the Connemara mare, Century Hills Taylor Maide, was unfortunately not able to stay sound. Still, she enjoyed Year End Awards with SCDCTA.

In 2023 McKenna debuted with 2 new horses - Samira, her 16.1h Westphalian mare by Sure Hit, bred by Andrea Sieg at Westphalians for USA and Poptart, her 14.1h GRP mare by Popeye out of our own Die Chanel, bred by Ilona English. Sandy coached McKenna and her horses all the way to Regionals at Training & First Level on both horses! 2023 GAIG/USDF Region 3 Championships saw McKenna in the ribbons with Wildcard scores to qualify both horses for USDF Finals. Unfortunately we were unable to attend Finals that year, but McKenna dazzled in the Dressage Seat Medals 14-18 to win a coveted spot to Chicago for 2024!

2024 was an amazing year! The USEF Festival of Champions at Lamplight in Chicago is an elite performance show of the best of the best. It was completely awe inspiring! McKenna marks the 10th young rider Sandy has coached to Festival, and in her first appearance at the Festival of Champions, McKenna made the line up in the TOP 10 in the NATION! At the 2024 GIAG/USDF Region 3 Championships McKenna won 3rd place in Second Level Juniors and qualified for USDF Dressage Finals in Kentucky. For her very first USDF Dressage Finals, McKenna again came out in the TOP 10 in the US!

2025 started with a bang as McKenna and Samira debuted with the double bridle and McKenna won her USDF Bronze Medal at Stable View in March. What an amazing achievement! 2025 also has seen some changes as McKenna started with a new mount, Westbrook, affectionately called “Sully”, a 16.3h Hanoverian gelding by Wamberto, bred by Peggy Minnich. McKenna and Sully have made a very good team and have already qualified for Regionals at Third Level in her first shadbelly.

McKenna has been fortunate enough to train with many outstanding clinicians including: Lilo Fore, Bent Jenson, Kristi Wysocki, Richard Malmgren, Adam Lastowka, Jeremy Steinberg, Stephen Hayes, Kassie Barteau, and many others. With Sandy’s expert guidance, McKenna continues to pursue the high performance track for young riders in the US. Her current goal is FEI Juniors in the hopes of securing a spot on the team in 2026.