By Summer Grace
Photos by Melissa Fuller
As Victoria “Tory” Ketchum pulled back into the driveway of Copperline Farm LLC after a successful trip to the World Equestrian Center, she couldn’t help but revel in the feelings of excitement, hopefulness and happiness that came from another great horse show with her team. That team, consisting of her Copperline team and Olympian Alberto Michan, proved to be the ultimate difference between success and failure for Tory, who, eight months prior, had been at the same venue for what she thought may have been the final time. She was an Amateur considering retirement from the sport.
Instead, a chance phone call put her on a new path and in the summer of 2023, she officially declared her professional status. While having been a lifelong competitive show jumper and the owner/operator of Copperline Farm, LLC, Tory had maintained her Amateur status throughout, but as she carefully surveyed the issues emerging, she decided the only way to change things was to make the full leap.
“Just declaring yourself a professional doesn’t mean much of anything, but to me it felt like I was taking back some control, which was very important to my future participation in the sport,” Tory said. “This sport can already be so hard. I had to take a step back and remember why I was doing this, and ultimately it was the love of horses, as it always should be.”
The decision to go pro was not an easy one, and not one she made in search of professional cash flow. Instead, Tory hoped that by taking control of her status, she would also have a great impact on the direction of her program and the people involved in it.
Barn Rat Beginnings
Tory’s time with horses began like any other storybook horse passion: being placed in the saddle at a Wyoming ranch when she was 6 years old led to a love affair that had her begging for lessons upon her return home to New York City. Her parents obliged, and soon Tory found herself under the tutelage of Robin Greenwood at the historic Old Salem Farm. From there on out, Tory was put into a program that led to a serious show schedule, despite initial reservations about the canter.
“I was really slow to canter—Robin used to offer me $20 to convince me to canter,” Tory said, laughing. “It took me about a year but then I finally did it, and two days after that I started jumping.”
In a time when going to the barn meant spending a full day in the tack and learning the ins and outs of horse care, Tory became a true barn rat. With her first pony, Espresso, she was incredibly successful, but it was on the backs of the more difficult ponies Robin insisted she ride that Tory honed her skills for navigating a variety of issues.
“When I was growing up, we would get dropped off on weekends at 8:30 a.m. and stay until 4 p.m. to ride as many horses as possible,” Tory said. “Robin was a strong believer in riding as many horses as possible to become as good as you could, and she also insisted that you had to ride as many challenging horses as good ones. Needless to say, I was mounted on some pretty difficult ponies.”
While rigorous, Robin’s program catapulted Tory into the throes of multiple pony championships and pony medals, but more importantly, it allowed her to harness skills of development and problem solving that would prove crucial to her career.
Life Changes and Finding the Way Back
At the age of 15, Tory took her first official “break” from the sport. The pressure of chasing endless points and missing out on much of everyday young adult life took its toll and, in an effort to be more well-rounded, she put it aside and turned her focus towards team sports. However, that break was short lived as she found herself commuting from her boarding school to another riding facility during her senior year. Following graduation, Tory packed her things and headed for Europe and her first initiation into show jumping.
“I was given a very impromptu opportunity to go to Europe, stayed for two months, and did my first-ever jumper show there,” Tory said. “When I came back, I decided that was the direction I wanted to go in and I rode all through my college years with Eliza Lehrman.”
As often happens in any aspect of life, Tory was forced to put horses once more on the back burner as she pursued other opportunities, including a master’s degree in pastry from culinary school as well as nonprofit work, before finally deciding that horses were her home. Tory opened up her own Copperline Farm LLC and quickly grew her string of horses, led by her trusted four-legged partner Isaac, who would take her into her first Grand Prix and FEI-level events. She found her niche in young horses with the purchase of Patience Van Den Dries, aka Molly, as a 5-year-old, and found that she appreciated the parallels in young horse training to the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
“Young horses are very much an ebb and flow, like life,” Tory said. “I try very hard to set goals that are attainable and not get too far into the future. Anything can happen in this sport and young horses, especially, remind you of that. Results are a part of it and it can bum you out when you have a hard season, but it should only be a part of it. For me, when I show, my goal is to ride well and have the horses jump well. If I get a ribbon, that’s icing on the cake.”
A Brighter Outlook
Now completing her first professional year, Tory has overcome burnout and looks forward to the future more than she ever has before. She credits the difference now to the people in her circle as well as the opportunity to set her own goals. Copperline Farm’s green grass and natural tranquility act as a place of peace where Tory is able to live out every horse girl fantasy. She shares space, both at the farm and in the equine world, with her husband of eight years, Ben Ketchum, who, despite never having ridden, picked up a polo mallet shortly after the two were wed. Copperline Farm’s name now extends onto the polo fields of Wellington as the team—consisting of Ben, Lucas Escobar, Nico Escobar and Felipe Vercellino—continues to capture win after win in multiple 16-goal tournaments.
When she’s not in the saddle, Tory is typically seen being closely followed by all five of her dogs, four of which were rescues and many that are well into their senior years. Tory’s desire to rescue started with Gator, a shepherd mix that Tory took home 12 years ago when she saw him and ‘just knew’ he was meant to be. Since that fateful day, Beau, Jackson and Stella have all joined the mix and Tory has become an active supporter and soon-to-be board member of Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue based in New York.
In addition to saving the lives of dogs, Tory is equally active in horse rescue. “A while back, I was really searching for a way to give back to horses after all they’ve done for me,” she shared. “I met a woman named Cait Oponski with Lucky Break Rescue and we really clicked; she’s on the front lines of the horse slaughter crisis, which is truly a massive crisis that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Working with these women has been such an amazing journey for me, and I’m so honored to play a small role in saving these precious lives.”
Two of the lives Tory saved, horses by the names of Hank and Rosie, have a permanent home in her care and live alongside her retired horses on the rolling hills of Kentucky. Tory feels strongly that giving back to the equine and canine communities is essential to her happiness in and out of the saddle. “These animals, both the horses and the dogs, do so much for us,” she said. “Being able to do anything for them that will bring them some of the happiness they’ve brought me is beyond worth it. They are an essential part of the team, and your team makes all the difference.”
That is something Tory knows firsthand. “Burnout is real, but it’s a phase and you have to remember that you’re going to get through it,” she said. “My grooms, my husband, my trainer—they are all always genuinely happy to see me and these horses succeed. From the people who work at the farm to our vet, farrier, bodywork person and sponsors, everyone that is involved now is incredibly supportive and it’s brought the joy back.”
Follow Tory on Instagram @copperlinefarmllc
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
