ANDRE, trainer. Andre climbed the ranks of the equestrian world through sheer determination and skill, instead of financial means, and has built himself an elite training empire. Meet Andre now.

FRANK, trainer. Frank is the prestigious trainer and owner of the Beacon Hill Show Stables. He rose to become one of the top riders, then top trainers in the United States. He built Beacon Hill Show Stables, a 21-acre horse farm in New Jersey, from the ground up. Meet Frank now.

BRIANNE, 17. As a young girl living in swanky Manhattan, Brianne breathes and dreams horses. She owns five horses, but her Maclay partner will be her beloved Logan, a 9-year-old Dutch warmblood she’s owned for three years. Meet Brianne now.

CHELSEA, 15. Chelsea is a new rider at Beacon Hill and one of the youngest riders to compete this year. Chelsea will rely on 9-year-old Onatello, a Dutch warmblood she’s owned for almost two years. Meet Chelsea now.

LINDSAY, 17. Lindsay hails from rural Maryland, where she lives on a farm that has been in her family for five generations. L.V., a 10-year-old Hanoverian, has been with her for three years and is a bona fide member of the family. Meet Lindsay now.

MAGGIE, 16. Maggie’s mother, Susan, knew she had a horse-riding prodigy when her toddler expressed delight (at age 18 months) at a horse show they happened to be attending. Maggie will take her equitation horse, Peter Pan, an 8-year-old bay warmblood, to Maclay. Meet Maggie now.

MARIA, 16. Maria's horse Whimsey, an 11-year-old Dutch warmblood, is recovering from an injury. Maria is planning to borrow a 12-year-old Rheinlander named Amigo from Frank, her trainer, to ride during the Maclay finals. But Amigo is for sale, and she could lose him at any moment. Meet Maria now.

NATALIE, 19. Beginning the season as an 18-year-old, it is the final year Natalie can attempt to win the Maclay Medal. Natalie has six horses of her own, but it will be Chagall, a 13-year-old seal bay Holsteiner gelding, that she hopes will carry her to Maclay gold. Meet Natalie now.

NIKKO, 17, is one of a handful of males to compete at the elite junior equitation level, and is one of the best junior riders in the country. He attends a computer magnet school and plans to pursue computer science in college on the West Coast before he returns to Florida to run the family business, Seabreeze Farm. Meet Nikko now.