Hi all, my 14 year old has been taking horse-riding lessons for 3 years now and has shown serious inclination towards show jumping. We live in the Frisco area of Dallas, Texas. Are there any reputable trainers around who can train her for shows ? She dreams to be on an equestrian team one day.
Thank you !
There are but you would most likely need your own horse.
How involved are you in the DFW show jumping world, especially at the Grand Prix level? There are some significant participants in the area. However, quite frankly you need some insider information in order to evaluate how you want to approach and choose trainers.
With due respect, for this I don’t recommend COTH or the internet for any but superficial leads. Rather, word of mouth among those who are involved will be much more important. I understand that it can be hard at first to find and establish connections. But the more you develop your network, the better your experience will be.
Follow up on some of the big shows in the area. See who the top riders are and where they are located, looking for those that are in your area, of course. Talk to other people who can give personal accounts of working with them, as well as directly to them.
Just be aware that puff articles celebrating the winners are far from the whole story of working with them. Developing your own network of information and advice will be important. Good luck! 
Very sweet of you to try and find a path for your daughter! Before anyone can point you in the right direction, I think we need to have a realistic conversation of what it takes to pursue show jumping…so you can deliberate whether you’re up for it…
In today’s equestrian world, lesson horses have become a rarity. If you’re lucky enough to find a farm/trainer that has lesson horses, they:
A. Probably won’t let her jump anything over 2’
B. Probably won’t give her a lot of showing opportunities on a lesson horse
So, if you’re serious about this, you’ll need to consider the possibility of buying or leasing a horse for your daughter. Not to scare you, but realistically, even leasing something safe and qualified is going to cost you more than $10,000 a year (plus board, lessons, shoes, vet, insurance, tack, showing costs, and a few other things). This is a very conservative estimate.
If that does not scare you, then definitely do go on the hunt for a trainer! I have contacts in the DFW area, so please feel free to message me privately. You’ll want the trainer to help you get started and find the right horse (don’t try to do that part on your own).
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