By Beth Rasin
Portraits by Shawna Whitty
Some of Vivian Yowan’s earliest memories involve being placed into the arms of her father. But unlike most children, she wasn’t lifted onto his shoulders or hips, but settled in front of him on the saddle.
The Yowan family lived across from Ox Ridge Hunt Club, where her father, Dave Yowan, kept a horse. Her mother, Cynthia Yowan, also a rider, was on a hiatus from horses while raising Vivian and her four brothers. “Every day, my father would ride by the barn after he was done riding, and I’d get on with him, and we’d go on a little trail ride,” Vivian said, “and that’s how I started.”
Before long, Vivian wanted her own lessons, and a neighbor encouraged the family to contact Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, Connecticut, where the legendary Emerson Burr was teaching at the time. “I did a lesson with him, and he told my mom, ‘She may be too young now, but bring her back in a year, and she should start riding seriously,’” Vivian said.
Although Emerson passed away before Vivian began her lessons, she quickly found a home at Fairfield, competing in the pony hunters under the tutelage of Jenny Martin. “Fairfield Hunt Club was the most incredible place to grow up,” Vivian said. “I basically lived there. I got to take care of my own pony, hung out with friends; it was such a great experience. I learned so much and got to spend so much time with horses. I got really attached to them.”
A Stellar Junior Career
From her earliest years with horses, Vivian learned not only how to ride but also how to care for her mounts, tacking up her own ponies and tending to them after her lessons. “I was able to learn a lot about the care of ponies and not just riding,” Vivian said. “It gave me a different outlook on how these ponies and horses perform and how we take care of them; it’s not just getting on them and riding them. It gave me a better appreciation of what goes into making it all happen.”
Those horse care lessons she began as a pony rider would serve her well as she developed into her Junior and professional careers. When Vivian outgrew Fairfield’s program, Jenny introduced her to Tim and Kelly Goguen of Boggs Hill, based in Lexington, Kentucky, and Wellington, Florida. “Jenny set me up with Tim and Kelly because she was close with them—Kelly grew up riding at Fairfield as well,” Vivian said. “That was when I realized I wanted to take that next step, and the next step was to move on to a new program.”
Vivian, who was completing eighth grade at the time, told her parents she wanted to go all in on the horses. “I said, ‘I want to do this, and I want to do it in the biggest way possible,’” she said. “So I ended up doing online school all four years of high school. I lived with Tim and Kelly, traveled across the country and did every show with them. They taught me everything I know now.”
The years spent at Boggs Hill resulted in uncountable major wins and memorable horses. One milestone that stands out in particular for Vivian is her individual gold medal at the 2015 FEI North American Youth Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, aboard Vornado Van Den Hoendrik, a Belgian Warmblood by Darco. “I never really thought I’d jump at that level, and he was kind of the only horse who could make that happen. He was absolutely incredible,” Vivian said.
She also earned a grand championship at the 2015 Capital Challenge Horse Show in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, aboard a Dutch Warmblood named Ransom. And she names Whatever, one of her first Junior hunters and her ride for the win at the 2012 USEF Junior Hunter Championships, as an especially meaningful partner. “He was the horse that put me on map,” she said. “Without him, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today, and I always think of him.”
But her experiences were about more than the trophies and coolers she took home. “I experienced it in such a way that I don’t think a lot of kids get to—I experienced the every-day, behind the scenes, what goes on,” Vivian said. “When you want to be a professional, just knowing what it takes, how to prepare the horses and how to care for them is so important, and I really enjoyed that part. I really enjoyed spending time at the barn, and obviously the success that comes with that really made me want to do it.”
Four Years as a Mustang
In the midst of a thriving Junior career, Vivian was a bit reluctant to leave for college, and she took a gap year before heading to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. “I didn’t really want to go to college, but everyone kept telling me to do so, so I went, and honestly it turned out to be the best four years,” she said. “It was very beneficial to take a step back from the horses. I was on the equestrian team there, so I still got a taste of it, but honestly it helped me want to come back and do this even more.”
Vivian rode on the NCAA team all four years, earning All-American national titles for the SMU Mustangs. She said the experience of riding different horses in a catch-ride environment added to her overall horsemanship. “We all took it very seriously,” she said. “Being able to adapt and get on different horses was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed it.”
But it was enough of a departure from the horse show circuit to refresh and remotivate. “This sport is so rigorous. Especially as a Junior you can feel burnt out when you’ve spent every day doing this,” she said. “Being at school made me realize I wanted to go back to it, and this is what I wanted to do with my life.”
Hanging Out Her Shingle
After graduating with a business degree in 2020, Vivian returned to the horse show world, this time as a professional. As she launched her career, she often leaned on friend and fellow professional Geoffrey Hesslink, whom she’d known since their Junior careers. “I’ve been really, incredibly lucky that I have a very good support system, and I’ve been friends with Geoffrey and Brendan Williams for many, many years,” she said. “They are the ones who’ve encouraged me, and they’ve helped me along the way, which has been incredible.”
Geoffrey has been eyes on the ground and moral support for Vivian as she begins her own business. “As a young professional, I think it’s very important to have people on the ground, and I’m still learning, so it’s nice to have young professionals I can relate to but who also have been doing this long enough that I can learn from them, and they can help me out when I need it,” she said.
She still works closely with Geoffrey and Brendan, although they have their separate businesses now, each hanging their own curtains at shows. “We both lean on each other: I ask her what it looks like and what she thinks and vice versa,” Geoffrey said. “It’s honestly a team effort. Through her watching me grow my business and my success, she’s felt comfortable enough, with my push, to be able to do it herself. Our plan is to continue to do that. Even though it’s her branching off on her own business, we’re still going to be very tight colleagues. She’s a little bit of a quiet person by nature, so I like to give her the confidence and remind her she can really do this.”
Based at her own Saddle Ridge LLC in Sherman, Connecticut, and Wellington, Florida, Vivian, now 26, teaches clients—with a special soft spot for the Junior ring she knows so well—and has several sales projects, and she’s continuing to learn and grow as a professional. “It’s a whole different perspective,” she said. “As a Junior, you can be on top of the world, and all of a sudden you become a professional, and these professionals are so amazing and so talented. It’s really rewarding when you do well because you feel like you’ve finally made it, but it’s for sure hard to compete with these professionals who’ve been doing it for so many years.”
She and Geoffrey both thought that taking the time for college—while important for clarifying her goals—made the transition into a professional career more challenging. “It’s definitely easier for professionals that go from their Junior career directly into a professional career,” Vivian said. “It was a little harder for me to make that adjustment just because I had gone to college and took four years off from it. But supporting young professionals is such a big thing. We are what the sport is going to look like in the years to come, so it’s important we get the chance to compete.”
Some of Vivian’s recent wins include the 3’6” performance tricolor at Capital Challenge aboard Partridge Hill Equestrian’s Knowingly. She also earned the Derbydown Trophy for the best hunter performance in a professional division, scoring a 92.
And clients are noticing Vivian’s record and talent, sending her more of those rides. “She is one of most the beautiful, stylish riders there are,” Geoffrey said. “She’s so soft on the horses yet very clear with what she wants. I think a lot of horses perform well for her, which is quite a strength. She’s won a lot as a Junior and a professional. Her whole demeanor, she’s very soft, softspoken, humble, and horses read her energy. She’s a very good horsewoman, very good with the young ones, very relaxed, and they tend to learn good habits.”
Aside from occasionally skiing when visiting her parents, who now live in Vermont, Vivian said she devotes 24/7 to the horses, which are the reason for her passion. “I have so much respect for what they do for us, how they can perform for us,” she said. “Yes, the success is great, but I love being able to find young, talented horses, bring them up and see them succeed, as well as seeing my clients succeed.”
Geoffrey will continue to be one of her biggest supporters as Vivian’s career takes off. “She’s a very up-and-coming professional that we’re going to see a lot of success from,” he said.
Clothes from The Farm Stand/Ella Rue and breeches by Weather or Not. Styling by Shawna Whitty.
Follow Vivian on Instagram @vivianyowan and @saddleridgellc
Photos by Shawna Whitty/SAS Equestrian
