Sylvana is an active hunter/ jumper/event rider and trainer who competes at USCTA horse trials with her homebred sporthorses, and starts youngsters of all breeds for other owners/ breeders. In the last four years, three of her mounts have captured four NCDCTA Horse-of-the-Year awards and the Eastern U.S. Adult Team Championship in eventing, the equestrian equivalent of triathlon. Sylvana developed her journalism skills in graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has been a professional journalist and marketing communications writer for 21 years—producing books, brochures, executive speeches, and trade journal articles.