SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Sidelines Caps
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Stallions
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Classifieds
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Sunday, August 15 2021 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Finding and Developing Hunter-Jumpers

By Vasco Flores

What are some important things you learned about running a barn while you were working for Georgina Bloomberg? 

We live in a fast-moving world that demands extreme organization and planning. At Gotham Enterprises, I was extremely fortunate to learn from the best in our industry. Our sport requires multiple horses to constantly compete at the highest level. Georgina and her team showcase that looking into the future and being the most prepared will bring all the success inside the show ring. 

What’s the key to developing a successful show jumper? 

Understanding each horse’s purpose. Not all horses are equipped to be five-star winners. It’s our responsibility as professionals to identify what level and what rider would work best for each horse. When that question is answered, the development of the horse evolves in harmony.

Patience and simplicity are big in my book. Horses are creatures of habit, so by repetition you can achieve great things with a horse. At the same time, we can give them comfort throughout the process and a sense of accomplishment that they will grow from and become better competitors.

What should a rider look for in a horse when looking to purchase a jumper?

These days the calendar year requires so much from horse and rider that good to excellent conformation is key. A well-built horse will surpass the test of time more likely than not. 

Quality of stride is another important factor. For us as riders, having a classical-strided horse makes walking most courses a fairly simple task in coming up with the correct game plan.

Desire to compete is probably the strongest factor, in my opinion. You see horses that have their own way of doing it but still manage to find a way to get the job done. Their track record speaks for itself — that shows character and that’s what champions are made of.

What characteristics do you look for in a horse when marketing it for juniors and/or amateurs? What stands out in recognizing a horse and rider as a great match? 

Experience, experience and experience! At the junior and amateur level, you want the horse to exude the highest level of security for its rider.

Junior and amateur riders are at a point in their careers where they’re looking to transition into bigger goals, so giving them the best experiences possible will promote that. A horse with experience will be a helpful tool throughout this important step.

In my opinion, great matchups are when the rider and horse complement each other.  Some riders thrive on horses that take the lead and show the way for softer, lighter riders, while some cases are the opposite. No matter what level, a great matchup will do well at any show and deliver great consistency throughout the year.

BIO

Vasco was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and began riding at the age of 12. After graduating from college, Vasco was invited to participate in a clinic held at the Centro Ecuestre de Puerto Rico with esteemed show jumping trainer Jimmy Doyle. As the most outstanding rider of the clinic, Vasco was invited to a three-day visit at Georgina Bloomberg’s Gotham Enterprises in Wellington, Florida, where he later got a job in 2012.

For the next seven years, Vasco worked at Gotham Enterprises under the guidance of Jimmy Doyle, where he had the opportunity to compete with their homebred young horses. In a span of three years, Vasco went from jumping his first 1.20m course to competing in five-star 1.60m classes.

In 2018, Vasco represented Puerto Rico at the Central American and Caribbean Games where he finished first among Puerto Rican riders and 12th overall, thus securing a spot at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Perú.          

Early in 2019, Vasco left Gotham Enterprises to launch his own business: Highport Stables, a full-service show jumping stable focusing on sales, scouting and training of top level horses and riders.

Photos by Four Oaks Creative

Double D Trailers Info

Share this page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Tagged under: horse shopping, horse training, hunter-jumper

What you can read next

Vicki Lowell: From Horse Crazy Kid to Marketing Genius
Deborah Ettenger: A Special Horse Changes Lives
Nancy Smyth: Bringing Horses & Art Together

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
Jessica West always rode any horse that was availa Jessica West always rode any horse that was available to her throughout her Junior career, so she knew she had an advantage when she decided she wanted to ride on an NCAA team in college. Now a senior at @@auburnu and majoring in psychology, Jessica has enjoyed everything about the equestrian team and is ready to move on to her next adventure. 

Read more about Jessica at the link in our bio!

#ncea #ncaa #equestrian #collegiateequestrian #huntseatequitation #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #collegelife #showjumper #hunterhorse #horseshow #sidelinesmagazine
In the unique and challenging sport of combined dr In the unique and challenging sport of combined driving, Jacob Arnold has proven himself to be a bona fide star. It’s been said that success develops from a recipe based on hard work, perseverance, learning and sacrifice, paired with a love of what one is doing. Since the time he was a boy, Jacob has had the right combination of all of those ingredients, which have culminated in a meteoric rise to stardom.

Beginning his career as a Junior, Jacob earned the coveted @usequestrian Junior Equestrian of the Year award in 2011. Since then, he has taken the combined driving world by storm, competing successfully in four @fei_global World Championships. He also won the USEF Advanced Pair Horse National Championship in 2020 and 2021, among other victories—all before the age of 28, in a sport that has historically been dominated by older drivers. Last September, he placed 12th—the highest of any American driver—at the 2021 FEI Driving World Championship for Pairs in a field of over 100 top-level drivers.

Read more about @jacobarnoldcombineddriving at the link in our bio!

@alex.banks.photography #combineddriving #drivendressage #dressage #driving #carriage #horsedriving #equestrianstyle #equestrianlife #horselover #drivinghorse #carriagehorse #showhorse #sidelinesmagazine
@rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the f @rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the first equestrian Major of 2022, winning the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters. In doing so he also claimed an additional bonus for non-consecutive Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping wins, following his victory at CHIO Aachen last year. The German champion’s outstanding performance riding his trusted partner Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z once again makes him the live contender for the coveted Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.

Catch up on all the action and watch the free highlights video on the Sidelines Show World blog (link in bio!)

#showjumping #rolex #grandslam #rolexgrandslam #showjumper #dutch #netherlands #dutchwarmbloods #equestrianlife #hunterhorse #hunterjumper #equestrianstyle #showhorses #showjumpersofinstagram #jumpinghorse #grandprixjumer #grandprixhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 ac Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 acres in Jupiter Farms, Florida.

Jupiter Farms is an equestrian community with a trail system and a sand riding arena at the park. Charming home features vaulted ceilings, custom trim, custom lighting in master bedroom that changes color with a remote. Granite countertops in kitchen and laundry room. New 2022 stackable washer/dryer. Privacy fenced backyard with beautiful tall pines for shade, many palm trees also on property.

Secure fenced  25’ x 25’ pen with wood fencing , for a horse, dogs or a garden.  Wonderful property in desirable Jupiter Farms. 45 minutes to Wellington, 25 minutes to Jupiter Dog Beach. Perfect oasis for dog and horse lovers, close to everything in South Florida. MLS# 10778333, Agents welcome.

$655,000
Contact 561-246-9317
Load More... Follow on Instagram

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • Isabel Kurek Photography
    Award-Winning Photographer Isabel J. Kurek Available for Private Shoots PUBLICATIONS & PRESS: • American Express Black Ink • Sidelines Magazine • In and Around Horse Country • Chronicle of the Horse • The Equiery People Magazine • Horse of the Delaware Valley • Virginia Gold Cup • Maryland Hunt Cup • Maryland Steeplechase • Washington International • Puissance Magazine • Equestrian Life • USEF Network • The Irish Field Magazine • Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred • Virginia Thoroughbred CATALOGUES,

    [Read more]

  • Horizon Structures, LLC ~ PENNSYLVANIA ~
    Delivered Fully Assembled and Ready for Immediate Use 888-447-4337 info@horizonstructures.com www.horizonstructures.com

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • A Paris Horse Adventure: Saut Hermes 2022
  • Better Business with Malvern Bank: Michael Meller’s Secrets to Success
  • Third Annual Painted Ponies Art Walk takes over Southern Pines, NC!

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • Jung Ends as He Began — On Top — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™
  • ROLEX TESTIMONEE DANIEL DEUSSER WINS ROLEX GRAND PRIX AT 2022 DUTCH MASTERS
  • STABLE VIEW IN AIKEN POSTPONING ‘A’ RATED $400,000 H/J CHALLENGE SERIES DUE TO RESTRICTIVE MILEAGE RULE

Category

Recent Posts

  • Hope Cooper: Dressage and Education Run in the Family

    By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller Hope ...
  • Bailey Robinson: Ponies on Her Mind

    By Britney Grover Portraits by Kristie Scholten...
  • The Impact of Thoughts

    By Margie Sugarman I fell off at a big show I q...
  • Believing in the Horse Nobody Believed In: Cooley Quicksilver

    By Liz Halliday-Sharp I have had many young hor...
  • Unbridled With Steve Stephens

    By Britney Grover Steve Stephens knows a good j...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!