Jumper Nation is excited to share the first video in our new series called “Go Jumping With _____” with top riders from around the world. The basic model is that juniors and amateurs submit a show video and then top trainers record a voice-over with commentary on their round. It is a sort of variation on the Practical Horseman column that George Morris used to write, except that it will be in video and audio form.
We are thrilled to have four amazing trainers already on board– Erynn Ballard, Doug Payne, Sloane Coles, and Jimmy Wofford– to do these video reviews, and we are looking forward to adding more great trainers to the lineup in the coming weeks.
Our first video review comes from Sloane Coles, which you can watch below:
About Sloane:
Sloane Coles grew up in The Plains, Virginia, immersed in all things equestrian. Her father, John, is a former steeplechase jockey and currently Joint Master of Orange County Hounds while her mother, Julie, is an accomplished hunter and jumper competitor. There was little doubt that their third and youngest child, Sloane, would follow in her parents’ footsteps.
Sloane enjoyed a successful career as a junior, winning equitation, hunter, and show jumping titles at the country’s top horse shows. She has trained with some of the best in the sport including John and Beezie Madden and Johnny and Kitty Barker, as well as Andre Dignelli’s Heritage Farm, Mark Leone’s Ri-Arm Farm, and Stacia Madden’s Beacon Hill Show Stables.
Now a professional rider and trainer in her own right, Sloane has claimed victories across North America including at the Hampton Classic (New York); HITS Saugerties (New York); HITS Culpeper (Virginia); and the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (Michigan).
Riding Chippendale’s Boy DZ, Sloane caught the eye of United States show jumping team selectors and made her Nations’ Cup debut at the prestigious CSIO5* Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ tournament in Calgary, Canada, in 2019. She is currently developing Coldplay and Pembrey Condors Diamond for the top levels of the sport.
Sloane graduated from Drew University (New Jersey) in 2011, having majored in sociology and business, and now owns and operates Spring Ledge LLC, a top-class hunter/jumper facility located in the heart of Virginia’s hunt country. In addition to developing horses and riders for the show ring, Sloane and her family also operate a retirement program caring for over 50 horses. To learn more about Spring Ledge, click here, and be sure to follow along with the farm on Facebook and Instagram.
We are still taking submissions for videos. Would you like Erynn or Sloane to review your show rounds? Do you want Doug or Jimmy to give you constructive criticism on your position and style? This is a wonderful (and free!) opportunity to get feedback, and also to help educate others who will get to watch your video with a voiceover on our site.
If you’re interested, please submit your videos here. Any format is fine, but please be sure the quality is clear and you are jumping a full round (hunters, equitation, jumpers, or even an eventing show jumping round is fine). If your video is selected for review, we will notify you via email.
Go Jumping!