Show jumping professional Susie Hutchison is known for her more than 80 career grand prix wins, as well as representing Team USA at six World Cup Finals and the 1994 World Equestrian Games. Today, Hutchison is a sought-after clinician and coach based in Temecula, Calif., and is dedicated to developing the next generation of riders and horses.

This August, Hutchison filled in as Chef D’Equipe for Zone 10 at the FEI North American Youth Championships, presented by USHJA, in Traverse City, Mich. A week before the championships began, Chef D’Equipe Michael Endicott fell ill, and Hutchison flew directly from a clinic in Seattle to Traverse City to lend a hand.

“It was fantastic,” said Hutchison, who led the Children’s team to a gold medal finish and the Pre-Children’s team to bronze. “They’re great kids and great horses, and their trainers really know them, so my job was to oversee, to help where I could, and be supportive.” Hutchison’s many decades of experience in high-pressure competition served her well when adverse weather struck the horse show. ”We had a tornado, literally, the first night,” she said. “By midday of the next day, the horses were ready to go.”

Moving forward, Hutchison will serve as Technical Delegate to the team, and already has her first order of business planned, noting that some riders had difficulty with the open water. “Had we been able to avoid our water faults, I think we would have been on the podium a little bit more,” she noted.

Hutchison has recently reorganized her business, scaling down her training operation and relocating within Temecula from her long-time home base to Galway Downs. “It’s terrific,” she said of her new direction. “I'm doing sales with Jonelle Ramsey, freelancing at the horse shows by helping people that need help, and doing a couple of clinics per month. I like to be busy. I like to be at the shows about two weeks out of each month. Fifty years in the business and still enjoying every bit of it!”

Get your hands on a USHJA Trainer Certification Manual for a special discount! A comprehensive resource and must-have for riders and trainers, the manual includes a history of the American Hunter/Jumper Forward Riding System, stable management, equine conformation, all things riding theory and so much more.

The Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association (LAHJA) was proud to host several of its 2021 medal finals at the West Palms Events LA Labor Day Classic (Sept. 1-5) at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Congratulations to all the medal finalists who competed and put their equitation skills to the test. Best of luck to our members who will be competing at the LA National (Oct. 13-17) at the LAEC in the LAHJA Junior Hunter Seat Medal Final presented by LEGISequine.com and the LAHJA Senior Hunter Seat Medal Final presented by Hansen Dam Horse Park.

ANRC Educational Grants

The Forward Riding Program offers riders a pathway to cash grant opportunities to assist them in their pursuit of a higher level of horsemanship. A rider who earns an ANRC Forward Riding Proficiency Certificate at any level may apply for a Captain Vladimir S. Littauer Continuing Education Grant. Grant Awards range from $500-$1,500.

More information can be found at anrc.org.

October 18, 7 p.m. ET

Dr. Rebecca Husted from Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue discusses everything you need to know for barn fire safety and prevention.

November 2, 7 p.m. ET

Dr. Rebecca Husted from Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue returns to discuss all aspects of trailer safety.

Thank you to our current Zone Committee Members for their service and dedication to the sport. New/returning Committee Members will be seated November 1. Stay tuned to learn about the new committee.

Photos: Shawn McMillen Photography, Phelps Media Group, McCool Photography, Andrew Ryback Photography, US Equestrian, Tricia Booker, Louise Taylor, Terisé Cole, Jump Media, ESI Photography, EQ Media, Kristin Rover and Rachel Sowinski.