By Summer Grace
Portraits by Kacy Brown
All it took was a single weekend—a single clinic with a passionate and knowledgeable trainer, and Jaxon Hoshaw was officially hooked. At the age of 14, Jaxon attended his first Emerging Athletes Program clinic with Jeff Cook. Alongside a handful of up-and-coming talent, Jaxon became completely immersed in all facets of riding, training, caretaking and stable management, but it was Jeff’s dedication and enthusiasm for this next generation that lit the fire in Jaxon to continue with the sport. For many young equestrians, the Emerging Athletes Program (EAP) is a stepping stone into the next phase of their riding career, but for Jaxon it was the defining moment he felt the pull to pursue horses as a career.
As a first-generation equestrian, Jaxon’s path forward in the industry was not always as clear-cut as many Juniors born into the sport. Jaxon’s time in the saddle started as a family bonding exercise when his mother signed him up for riding camp alongside his sister. As a 12-year-old boy, Jaxon didn’t immediately see the appeal in riding that other team and contact sports had, but following his first competition, Jaxon’s interest grew. At a local schooling show on a spirited chestnut, Jaxon earned his horse show ribbons and the competitive, energetic atmosphere brought out a different side to the sport he thought he knew.
Fast forward several short years and Jaxon, now 17-years-old and a resident of Clermont, Florida, can now be seen competing across all hunter and jumper disciplines at various shows in Florida and beyond. A self-proclaimed ‘will show anything’ guy, he is often in the saddle at the Junior hunter and jumper rings on catch mounts. While he one day envisions moving up to the more elite and bigger jumper divisions, Jaxon’s heart lies in the thrill and excitement of the competition air, no matter the division.
“I’m honestly happy as long as I’m showing,” Jaxon said. “I will pretty much show anything. I love being around all the people, making new friends in the sport while simultaneously being able to watch some of the best riders in the world compete, and of course to be able to put in a good ride for the horse I’m on and the person I’m riding for. It’s really just the atmosphere as a whole that I find so appealing.”
Having quickly moved from the local barn where he first began his training to a more serious competition barn with Kyle Dewar, Jaxon’s love for the horse show has only continued to grow alongside his experience and knowledge. Now under the tutelage of Will Baker out of Ocala, Florida, Jaxon has had the opportunity to show frequently at the World Equestrian Center, and the venue has created a year-round environment for Jaxon to thrive.
Combining Passions
As Jaxon began to climb the ranks, he wondered what he could do out of the saddle to further improve his riding. Having been a younger boy in many other sports, Jaxon knew there was often much that was done outside of a game to make a player better. Weight lifting sessions, cardio, stretching and more were all part of the routines he performed in his short time as a team sports player, so why not as an equestrian?
He began to look further into how top riders spent their time out of the saddle, and found inspiration in the social media of none other than FEI World Number One show jumper Kent Farrington. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kent was posting a lot of workout videos and training videos, and I just figured, ‘Well, he’s one of the best in the world, so there must be something to this,’” Jaxon said.
Jaxon said he noticed an immediate difference in his riding, and has since worked to find what he enjoys most and incorporate it into his daily routine. While strength and cardiovascular training both play an important role in his lifestyle, Jaxon said that slower, more deliberate practices like yoga and stretching have become crucial to his body’s recovery process. “In most other sports, you can just drill and drill but this is the only sport you have to worry about two different creatures,” he said. “So, as the rider, you have to try to do other things to get better without exhausting your partner or partners.”
One of Jaxon’s biggest career highlights came with the addition of a new mount that was his very own to train and bring up the ranks. Feeling like he was ready for an integral part of the professional equestrian process, he and his family imported ES Kyoto, a young and talented 6-year-old gelding for Jaxon to compete in the equitation ring. During a trip to Sweden, Jaxon’s then-trainer, Kyle Dewar, spotted the young horse in a sales barn and knew immediately that he would make the perfect equitation star once developed.
With only a year partnership under their belts, the duo has earned spots in some of the top equitation competitions in the country, including the Dover/USEF Medal Final and the prestigious ASPCA Maclay Final taking place at the iconic National Horse Show. “Sometimes I forget ES Kyoto has only been doing this job for a little over a year, because he just handles himself so well, especially at these really challenging and chaotic big finals,” Jaxon said. “Don’t get me wrong, we worked hard to get him, and myself, to where we are, but he’s been so game the entire time.”
Having successfully piloted the young gelding through his first indoor season, Jaxon’s love for competing, as well as developing talented mounts, has only grown, and, while still having time left, he began to consider his life in the horse industry following his high school career. Despite the challenges that come with being a professional equestrian, the partnership built with ES Kyoto and the success they had together reignited the passion that Jaxon first felt several years prior during his time in the EAP. With his mind made up, Jaxon began to pursue the passion in earnest, breaking the news to his family that horses were undoubtedly where his future lay, and that he planned to jump in full time post-graduation. Luckily for him, the family has come to love and respect the sport he’s decided to dedicate his life to and jumped in to help make those dreams come true.
Upward Momentum and Taking Chances
With his impending graduation from Real Life Christian Academy moving steadily closer, Jaxon realized he would need to begin making moves toward his professional career sooner rather than later, and it was in this time that his biggest break came to fruition. Although still finishing out his final high school year, Jaxon jumped at the opportunity when a friend mentioned to him that Grand Prix show jumper Will Baker was in search of a dedicated working student.
“I knew in order to continue to get better, I needed to ride more horses,” Jaxon said, “and to have that chance, I knew I would probably need to start working for someone. When I heard about Will, it just sounded like the perfect situation for me.”
Despite not living local to the area, Jaxon makes the commute at every chance he gets, and looks forward to making a permanent move to Will’s Ocala base following graduation. “I think Will is one of the most important people I’ve met in my riding career so far,” he said. “I’ve only known him for about a year, but he has given me so many opportunities and he really took a chance on me.”
In a sport where careers can quite literally be made by one single chance, Jaxon has learned to seize whatever comes his way, with hopes that this new partnership and an eventual move to Ocala will propel him further up the ranks and to the elite level of sport.
Follow Jaxon on Instagram @jaxonhoshaw and on Facebook at Jaxon Hoshaw
Photos by Kacy Brown, kacybrownphotography.com
