Hi all! A dear friend of mine is moving, and I would appreciate some help in the search of a new barn for them. I have looked online and have a few choices already, but was wondering if anyone had any specific recommendations or anything. Looking for suggestions for equitation trainers in Northern Virginia. No set budget and no confirmed location, would just like to know what is in the general area. Ideally, they are looking for a barn that has a coach who has experience with the BigEq and bringing riders up the levels in the Eq. They have their own horse, and would probably be on a training board of some sort. Apologies if this is bland, but I am simply wondering what is in the area for their riding goals.
I appreciate the help,
Thank you 
Frankly Northern Virginia is hunter land… there are certainly kids who do the equitation but you will not really find an “equitation trainer” here. Kim Williams in Maryland is really the only eq specialist around. I can certainly recommend some generalist trainers who have had kids doing the BigEq if you’d like to PM. My daughter is just aging out but has grown up here and while she is a hunter rider, she has done some medals so i am familiar with the competition.
Elizabeth Gregg at Heritage Farm in Great Falls has a lot of experience training up kids in Eq. I could put you in contact if you’re interested. I think they have a Facebook page too. I’m not involved in eq at all but I used to board my mare at her place.
I see you don’t accept PMs. Some suggestions are Jonelle Mullen in Middleburg, Jenny Graham in Sterling, Peter Foley in Aldie, Denise DeRisio Perry in Middleburg. Tom Brennan in Round Hill. Again these are all hunter trainers but they have recently had successful equitation riders and have sent kids to the Medal and Maclay finals.
Pam Baker in Bealeton.
Honestly most Zone 3 kids in the past few years who want to do the Big Eq seriously ended up going to Val Renihan at Findley’s Ridge and traveling to her/shows. There is just not a lot of serious equitation in this zone (i.e. most kids use the medals as warm ups for their hunter rounds). However, any of the good trainers in the NoVa area are certainly capable of helping kids do the Eq.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions, I greatly appreciate it! It does look like NoVa is quite the hunter land, so I am grateful for everyone’s knowledge. And I did not realize that my PMs were closed, but they are open now; thanks for letting me know!
I grew up in Great Falls, and Pam was who all the “serious” kids I knew trailered out to for lessons or help at shows when I was a teenager (which was a looooooong time ago). She’s the real deal.
Pam is great but not exactly known for producing equitation kids? Honestly the riders in Zone 3 who seriously want to do the Big Eq go elsewhere to get the training and experience they need.
Can highly recommend Kitty Barker (Eight Oaks) in Middleburg, or her former student, Sloan Coles (Springledge) in The Plains.
THIS. She has one kid doing the eq right now but she is known as a hunter trainer. There really are not eq specialists here other than Kim Williams.
Re: Pam. Good to know. I know a kid with her now that’s doing the eq and the hunters and doing very well. I wasn’t aware that she didn’t have a lot of benchstrength in the eq among her clients. Back in the day, when I was showing, she was considered a Big Name in the Eq regionally.
I agree as a long time Z3-er that Pam isn’t one that comes to Mind for a big eq rider. 3’-3’6 hunters? Absolutely. She has an incredible reputation. I second (or third?) Kim Williams as the equitation go-to in this zone. I think a few other VA trainers can get it done (ie have a kid in the eq that does well and goes to finals, but not like they have 3-4 every year) but not like Kim. I think it depends on what your friends kid wants. Go to indoors and all the finals multiple years? Or, do well in Va and Md state 3’6 medals and respective finals and have a shot at others like USEF, maybe USHJA 3’3 at cap challenge etc. any of the recommendations here are strong ones.
I agree with all the other posts. Are they currently competing in the “Big Eq” or is this something they want to do when they move to the area. Frankly I’d say Zone 3 is not only hunter/jumper land but also has a very strong eventing community.
Pam is great, and has a good connection w/Heritage for the eq specialists. There have been many kids through the years who have ridden w/her while based in nova and met Andre at the shows/FL, gone with him for a few weeks or a summer. Yes, Pam is known for being a hunter trainer, but don’t under estimate her ability to get someone to real eq finals, or work in conjunction with another trainer.
Kim Williams is also very good, as well as Kitty Barker. Pam and Kim would have the most junior-oriented programs.
Not sure if this is a relevant point, but isn’t it true that most kids winning in the finals (even the regional ones) are not just good riders in their respective circles, but rather kids who ride or own many horses, compete also in the jumpers and hunters, and catch ride? Just seems very difficult to be even remotely competitive at the top regional levels, let alone the finals.
Sloane Coles. Was a great EQ rider herself placing in pretty much every Big EQ finals she entered between 2004-06. Rode with many good people. Now does the Grand Prix and has a nice business. Great family and a really good girl. Most of the trainers that have the skills to make a child competitive in the Big EQ go to FL for the winter, so she may want to be prepared for that.
The biggest key to success at either the regional or national level is simply time in the saddle – there isn’t a set recipe for getting that time, but there isn’t really a substitute either. Plenty of hardworking and dedicated kids are getting that time without owning multiple horses. In fact, there is a “famous” eq kid from zone 3 that never owned a horse or pony as junior (and may still not own a horse), and I think there is another upcoming young talent in zone 3 that may not own one either. These kids ride whatever they can, whenever they can, and bust their butts for opportunities. These types of kids are successful because riding is all that they do outside of school.
It is very difficult to be competitive at the national level – and it should be! (Otherwise everyone would do it… 🙄). Is there anything that can be done competitively at the national level that’s easy?
As others have noted, most of the kids from Virginia train with “hunter trainers”. Some then train during their last winter in Florida with an eq specialist and others just meet the eq specialists for lessons or at a handful of shows. Val Renihan does seem to have a special connection to the Virginia kids, though I know some others that have ridden with Don Stewart.
I watched most of trips in the Medal and Maclay last year. Almost half the kids in each final had major misses to at least one fence. So if a kid can find 10-12 spots, they should be able to finish in the top 50% at an eq final. The top juniors in the hunter ring in zone 3 can all regularly find a distance…
There are other programs in the Virginia/Maryland area producing top juniors that I’m surprised haven’t been mentioned:
Patty Foster & Mary Lisa Lefler (Rolling Acres)
Tom & Tracy Brennan (Vineyard Haven Farm)
Alan Lohman
Stacey Weiss/Samantha Schaeffer
Ben & Keri Guanciale
Street Moore (McDonogh)
Chris Wynne/Glenn Moody (not quite NoVA)
I also will mention Peter Foley/Dale Crittenberger who played a major role in training my daughters.
Some of these trainers weren’t mentioned because the OP stated Northern Virginia. Rolling Acres, Alan Lohman, Sam Schaeffer (Westminster?), Ben & Keri Guanciale, Street Moore(Baltimore) are all in Maryland. Alan Lohmna and Guanciales would be doable from NoVa but the others would be quite a trek.
As mentioned previously it would be helpful if the OP or their friend would provide more info as to location and what their equitation goals are.
Yes, that’s why I said “Virginia/Maryland”. Considering that folks are mentioning Pam and Kim, do you really think that any of these are really that far out of line? :no:
