For Naomi Sedgwick, the decision to make the film “JUMPERS” was personal. A former competitive show jumper, Sedgwick stepped away from the sport as a teenager after the financial realities of competing became too much. Years later, after finding her way back to horses, she began wondering what it would have been like to keep chasing her own dreams.
That question eventually led her to Skylar Wireman, a young show jumper working toward the highest levels of the sport. “JUMPERS” follows Skylar’s journey while also looking beyond the competition ring to the people, sacrifices and determination that make pursuing an equestrian dream possible.
Naomi spoke about her own journey with horses, what brought her back to riding and why Skylar’s story was one she knew she wanted to tell.
Like a lot of 5-year-olds, I really wanted a pony, and I was lucky enough that my parents gave me the opportunity to start riding. But that eventually turned into something more serious.
As I got older, I began competing more seriously and was part of the West Coast Active Riders team, founded by Richard Spooner, a program that is no longer active but took me to Spruce Meadows in 2004 and 2005. I also competed at the German Friendships a couple of times. I eventually stepped away from the sport before finishing my junior year of high school because of how expensive it became, but returned to riding 15 years later with a completely new outlook and appreciation of the sport.
I think I kind of blocked out that whole experience. I really didn’t think about riding for almost 15 years. It would occasionally come up with friends, and a friend actually bought me a riding lesson for my birthday once when I was in college. I remember getting on and having the biggest smile on my face, and thought it was hilarious how out of shape I was trying to get over a crossrail. But I was living in Manhattan at the time, where riding isn’t exactly accessible—especially when you don’t have a car—so I never really pursued it again.
It wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles after living in New York for 10 years that I realized how much I had missed it and how much I needed horses in my life. This whole experience kind of inspired the film and inspired me to tell Skylar’s story.
When you returned to riding, what made you start thinking about what could have been if you had continued pursuing the sport?
When I came back to riding, I was just doing it for fun. I had studied film in college and ended up going from one very expensive dream to another. As I started spending more time around horses again, I became curious about what it actually takes to pursue the sport at the highest level. I was reflecting back on my own experiences and wondering what it would have been like if I had just tried to keep going.
I wanted to find someone who was at that same crossroads and still chasing the dream. When I first started the project, a lot of people told me that Skylar wasn’t accomplished enough yet to make a film about her, but that was exactly the story I wanted to tell. I wasn’t interested in looking back at someone who had already achieved everything; I wanted to follow someone who was still in the middle of trying to make their dreams come true, without knowing whether or not they actually would.
Through West Coast Active Riders, I had gotten to know Kathy Hobstetter, and years later, when I started thinking seriously about making this film, Kathy introduced me to Skylar. She ultimately became an executive producer on “JUMPERS” and helped to find the film funding.
Once I met Skylar and learned more about her story, I knew Skylar’s story was the one I wanted to tell. Making a film isn’t easy, especially one that follows an athlete over a multi-year journey, so I knew that whatever story I chose, it had to be one I believed in enough to stand behind for a long time.
What really drew me to Skylar’s story wasn’t only Skylar but the people around her—especially her mom, Shayne. The more I got to know them, the more I realized how much Shayne had given and sacrificed to help Skylar pursue this dream—and I have never once heard her complain.
That kind of sacrifice for your child can often go unnoticed because all of the attention is naturally on the athlete. It made me realize that someone doesn’t really reach their dreams alone. It’s about the people around them who believe in them enough to help someone else achieve their dreams.
Shayne’s selflessness to dedicate so much of her life to her daughter’s dream is what really moved me. It’s not only a film of what it takes to pursue the sport at the highest level, but also what it takes of everyone around you.
Of course I would love to be riding more actively, but I think sometimes it’s about finding new ways to access the things you love. I spent so many years thinking that horses just weren’t going to be part of my life anymore, so it’s really cool to be around the sport again even if it’s in a completely unexpected way. Through making the film, I’ve gotten to learn about and experience so much of the sport that I probably never would have otherwise.
When I was younger, I knew how to ride but I don’t think I understood nearly as much about the technical side of the sport or the care of the horses. Coming back to it as an adult, those have actually become some of the things that interest me the most, and I think that’s probably part of why I was drawn to Skylar’s story.
For example, I couldn’t tell you what feed my horses got, what supplements they were on, what kind of shoes they had or why I was using one bit over another. I knew how to ride, but I didn’t necessarily understand all of the decisions being made behind the scenes or why they were being made.
I definitely don’t know it all now, but through making the film, I’ve gotten to learn so much more about the sport than I ever knew when I was riding as a junior. That’s honestly been one of my favorite parts of the experience.
The response has been really exciting! We had our festival premiere at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, which is an Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying festival, and it was so amazing getting to share it with an international audience. We’ve also had the opportunity to screen “JUMPERS” at horse shows and within the equestrian community, but I think what has meant the most to me is seeing the film connect with people who know nothing about horses.
Most recently, we sold out a screening at the Bridgehampton Museum during the Hampton Classic Horse Show, and there were people in the audience who had never been exposed to the sport before. Getting to see audiences who don’t know about the sport connect with it has been the most rewarding experience. To me it shows there’s a much larger story here that can resonate with a wider audience.
I hope people come away understanding that “JUMPERS” isn’t only a story about horses: It’s about the courage to dream big, and go after those big dreams. With Skylar, you see her talent and hard work, but it’s also all of the people around her who believe in that dream too. It takes an entire network of people to help make a dream like hers possible.
I hope there’s something in Skylar’s story that makes you think about your own dreams, and the people who helped you pursue them.
Follow Naomi on Instagram @naomisedgwick and “JUMPERS” @jumpersfilm
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