28 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Laura Cardon
Being a professional
rider was Jennifer Bliss’
dream as a young
equestrian. Horses were
in her blood; her father
trained racehorses and
her mother had regularly
competed in the hunter
and jumper divisions. She
enjoyed a successful junior
career with achievements
including USEF Pony Finals
championships, national
championships in the pony
and junior hunter divisions,
and top 15 placings in all
the major equitation finals.
After aging out of the junior
divisions, Jennifer turned
professional and has been
climbing the ranks ever
since.
Jennifer,
now
29,
has been picking up
momentum over the past
year. She finished in
the top four of the World
Championship
Hunter
Rider (WCHR) Developing
Professionals Challenge
last fall at the Capital
Challenge Horse Show in
Upper Marlboro, Maryland,
after topping the Northeast
Regional standings for the
Developing Professionals
Division.
She
opened
2014
by earning the WCHR
Developing Professional
High Score at the FTI
Consulting
Winter
Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, and, as of August, sat at
the top of the WCHR Developing Professional National rankings.
A Chestnut Gelding
While Jennifer’s hard work and dedication have played a large
role in her recent success, it wouldn’t have been possible without
a certain chestnut gelding. Poker Face, named by Bliss for his
unique facial markings, is coming into his own as a 9 year-old
after nearly five years under Jennifer’s tutelage. In addition to
their WCHR success, Poker Face has brought home nine division
tricolors for Jennifer this year alone as well as top 10 hunter derby
placings against some of the country’s best riders and horses.
Even with plenty of memorable finishes to pick from, Jennifer
e
Playing Her Cards Right:
Jennifer Bliss and Poker Face
can’t narrow down her
favorite. Many of her most
recent career highlights
have been achieved on
Poker Face, whom she
bought as a talented but
quirky 4-year-old. Jennifer
has been the only rider to
compete the gelding and,
after five years of hard
work, she is thrilled to
see how her efforts have
started to pay off.
“This is the first year that I
showed at the Devon Horse
Show as a professional,
and Poker Face got a
90 in the stake class,”
said Jennifer. “That was
a really special moment
for me. He has afforded
me the opportunity to be
competitive at the top horse
shows, like I had been as a
junior. I feel like I’m starting
to reach that point as a
professional as well, which
is really exciting.”
Jennifer acknowledged
that turning professional
meant starting at the
bottom of the pecking
order, regardless of her
wins as a junior. In Poker
Face, she has found a solid
partner she can always
count on.
Working Her Way Up
“You have to work your
way up, and it’s hard
getting those top horses
and competing against
those top riders,” Jennifer
explained. “I’ve been chipping away at it for a number of years
now, and I feel like I finally have a group of horses, particularly
with Poker Face, that can really be competitive on that level.”
In addition to Poker Face, Jennifer has two young horses in
the barn that she’s bringing up through the ranks — Sugarman,
a 7-year-old gelding, and Cooperstown, a gelding just turning 5.
Poker Face is a clear testament to Jennifer’s aptitude for bringing
along green horses, and it’s no accident that she’s brought two
more into the barn.
“I’ve always really enjoyed working on the green ones,” Jennifer
smiled. “I get so much fulfillment and joy out of seeing them come
along and develop. As a kid, I always had green ponies and
brought them along. Now, as a professional, I still love the young
Jennifer Bliss and Poker Face, affectionately known as Pokey in the barn.
Photo by Lexey Hall
