70 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Marissa L. Quigley
The name Kelley Farmer has become synonymous with the
winners circle in the hunter rings so it doesn’t come as a surprise
that Kelley was named the Leading Hunter Rider at every major
indoor show in the fall of 2013. She earned the title at the Alltech
National, the Washington International Horse Show, Harrisburg
and Capital Challenge, and is the first rider to join the USHJA
Million Dollar Club.
For Kelley, the hunter ring has always been a natural fit. She
said that while she enjoys an occasional visit to jumper land, she
has always been drawn to the hunters and felt that she could be
successful there. Kelley is probably most known for her repeated
success in the increasingly popular hunter derbies, where, for
example, in the fall of 2013 she claimed four of the top six spots at
the $50,000 USHJA Hunter Derby in Chicago.
This success is no dumb luck, but rather the product of a solid
foundation. Thanks in large part to the support from her mom,
Bibby Farmer (who was interviewed in the June 2013 issue of
Sidelines)
, Kelley grew up riding and was trained by the top
names in the business – including Don Stewart, Bill Cooney and
Frank Madden. Kelley said, “Without my mother I would not be
here. She’s done everything in her power – and then some – for
me to be able to ride, and has given me nothing but unbelievable
support.”
Today, Kelley is surrounded by a team of individuals at Larry
Glefke’s Lane Change Farm, based out of Keswick, Virginia, where
she has ridden since 1999. Kelley calls Larry a “true horseman”
and attributes her achievements to him and the rest of the Lane
Change staff. “It’s a team effort, every day, all day,” Kelley said.
“They have my back all the time. I couldn’t do anything without all
the people who stand behind me.”
Kelley’s training philosophy is, in her own words, “quite simple.”
e
The Secret to Kelley Farmer’s
Success? Keep it Simple!
Rather than overcomplicate matters, the team at Lane Change
believes that “less is better.” This means starting with good
horses, and finding out what each horse wants to do. Kelley tries
not to overdo, which means starting the youngsters off right,
getting them acclimated to life on the circuit with only a couple of
early shows and, for her more seasoned mounts, trying her best
to stay out of their way. She says that horses like consistency, so
she tries not to change too much simply because it’s a new ring
or a new day. While Kelley knows
not every rider would subscribe to
this simple plan, she insists most
horses would agree with her!
She also attributes her
consistent success to a string of
really talented horses. As with
anything else, Kelley recognizes
that success takes practice,
which means having a routine
of being in the ring, competing
at the top levels, all the time.
Having multiple horses isn’t just
a numbers game though. We all
know that horses have great days
and bad days, and some courses
or challenges lend themselves
more to the strengths of certain
horses over others. Kelley
explains, “With multiple entries in
every big class, there’s never too
much pressure on one horse or
Kelly is all smiles during the presentation in which she became
the first hunter rider to surpass one-million dollars in earnings
through the USHJA Rider Lifetime Money Won leaderboard.
Photo by Larry Glefke
Kelly jumps her way to another victory.
Photo by The Book LLC
Continued on page 80
