Sponsored Riders
MARK WATRING
Show Jumper
Two time Olympian. Individual gold medalist 2003 Pan Am Games in show jumping. Mark has earned 8 international championship medals thus far in his career.
Born in 1963 in Puerto Rico to American parents, Mark Watring began riding hunter/jumper at age 10 and by 16 was named Missouri's Junior Horseman of the Year. In 1979, Mark moved to England to begin 3-day eventing training with Lars Sederholm at the Waterstock Horse Training Centre near Oxford. Mark finished this three-year program by becoming the highest placed American rider in the 1982 Burghley 3-day eventing competition. At 19, Mark was invited to be the alternate for the U.S. equestrian team at the 1982 World Championships in Ilumulen, German. In 1984, Mark was selected to complete in the Los Angeles Olympic Games for his birth country, Puerto Rico.
After the Olympics, Mark remained in Southern California to continue training and teaching, first at the Foxfield Riding Club and later at his own Mark Watring Stables. In 2001, on his new mount Sapphire, he was named the American Grand Prix Association's "Rookie of the Year". In addition to competing in the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens, Mark rode in the 2002 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, El Salvador (two individual golds and a silver), the 2003 Pan Am Games, Greece, (individual gold medal), and the 2006 CAC Games, Colombia, (two individual golds and a silver), along with numerous local and national Grand Prix wins.
Mark continues to train students across Southern California and to compete internationally. Sapphire, now retired, was successfully cloned in 2010. His colt, Sapphir, lives at the Watring Stables.
HUGH GRAHAM
Show Jumper
Hugh Graham is one of Canada’s most successful show jumping competitors. His comprehensive resume includes being named to two Olympic teams and three Pan American Games teams, as well as representing Canada on 23 Nations Cup teams, in four World Cup Finals and at the 1990 World Equestrian Games.
Hard work and determination has brought Hugh enormous success. At the 1984 Olympic, he had the only clear round to solidify Canada’s 4th place finish. At the 1987 Pan America Games, he clinched the gold medal for Canada with a final clear round that defeated the favoured U.S. team. He has been Canadian Show Jumping Champion two times, in addition to numerous championships and victories. Among his distinctions, Hugh was twice named Equestrian of the Year. Other performance highlights include back to back victories with the KingRidge stallion, Money Talks, in the prestigious $100,000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows.
Hugh also has an excellent reputation as a trainer of young horses as well as a very effective coach of riders. “I really enjoy seeing a young horse learn and develop,” says Hugh, a testament to his great feel for bringing out the best in young horses. Added to his extensive experience, this makes for the best possible background for the development of KingRidge’s young warmbloods.
Hugh has been associated with KingRidge since the late 1980’s and has played a key role not only in competition, but also in the development of their breeding program as well as in the acquisition of their mares and stallions. He spends the winter at the Florida farm where he has the opportunity to train and compete with the young horses as well as to assess the newest foal crops and develop future breeding plans.
ALLIE KNOWLES
Eventer
Alexandra “Allie” Knowles has established herself as one of America’s most promising Three-Day Event riders. Allie is a Pony Club “A” graduate and Level 3 ICP certified trainer. Her tremendous work ethic and competitive edge have gained her the attention of her peers and the U.S. Team Selection Committee in recent years. In 2013, Allie added a number of wins to her record and competed at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* event for the first time. She was as the highest placed American after the dressage phase in her first 4* competition! She continues to earn numerous wins and titles with the goal of representing her country at the Olympic Games. Photo Credit: Callie Heroux
SABINE SCHUT-KERY
Dressage
Sabine Schut-Kery is an elite dressage rider and trainer who competes internationally and also delights audiences with extraordinary equestrian exhibitions. Sabine is originally from Krefeld, Germany, where she was classically trained and in 2005, after working for seven years as Head Trainer at Proud Meadows in Texas, Sabine moved to California. She has won numerous In 2017 she was awarded the Carol Lavelle Advanced Dressage Training Grant, which allowed her to travel to Europe for focused training & competition with her Grand Prix partner, Sanceo. After a year off recovering from an injury, Sanceo returned to CDI competition in 2019. Sabine continues to advance her own education under the brilliant eye of Olympian Christine Traurig. Sabine operates her boutique dressage training business out of Thousand Oaks, California.
LAINE ASHKER
Eventer
Laine Ashker has since represented the United States in the Junior Olympics where she was awarded the Silver Medal twice and the Bronze Medal three times. She was also part of the test event in Hong Kong in 2007 on her horse, Anthony Patch.
Anthony Patch is an off the track Thoroughbred, bred and trained by Tom Swales of Tee-N-Jay Farm in New Jersey. Lainey purchased “Al” from Lauren and Paul Tjaden as a four year old, lightly raced project while in college. Fast forward twelve years, Laine and Al have become a formidable pair in the sport of eventing. Together they have competed at Rolex CCI**** four times with their best placing in 2010 when they took home an 8th place ribbon in addition to the highest placed owner and rider award. Most recently, Laine and Al were reserve Advanced national champions at the AECs in 2012 and 2014 and were the national Advanced Champions when they brought home the win at the AECs in 2013 held in Tyler, Texas.
JENNIFER WILLIAMS
Dressage
Jennifer Williams has more than 20 years of experience with equestrian sales. She has ridden to the International Grand Prix level and has competed at the USET Festival of Champions in Gladstone, NJ at the Intermediate and Grand Prix levels, along with competing at the inaugural Brentina Cup in 2006.
Jennifer has brought along several young horses, has been invited and participated in the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Championships, and participated in several USEF Elite and developing rider clinics. She also was the recipient of the Dressage Foundation's Foundation’s $25,000 Anne Barlow Ramsay Grant in 2010 that allowed her to take an American bred horse (HS Wistar) to train in Germany.
Pictured here is Jennifer and Millione, aka Mickey, who is her most recent up-and-coming mount. It is Jennifer’s dream to one day represent the USA at the the Olympic games or at the World Equestrian Games.
SARAH LOCKMAN
Dressage
Sarah Lockman is a professional dressage rider and trainer based out of Orange County, California. She began her riding career in eventing, finishing third in her first CCI** at just 15 years of age. In 2004, she shifted her focus to dressage and went on to acquire USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medals as well as multiple championships.
Sarah currently trains out of Orange County, California where she has built a reputation for preparing many horses for successful starts in FEI 4, 5, and 6 year old young horse classes. She coaches many successful Amateur and Junior clients, from Training level through Grand Prix.
MAVIS SPENCER
Show Jumper
At the age of five years old, Californian equestrian Mavis Spencer declared that she would be a professional rider. As soon as she could join the workforce, Spencer signed on as a groom and manager, and worked for American show jumper Kent Farrington, Irishman Darragh Kenny and Neil Jones Equestrian in Belgium. After five years mostly on the ground, she got back in the saddle when the top rider at NJE was sidelined with an injury. The temporary riding arrangement evolved into a permanent one. Now, she not only manages the sport horse sales for NJE-America and her own Gallop Apace, LLC, Spencer is a doing quite well in the Grand Prix ring. Literally successful from the ground up, Spencer exudes an admirable work ethic and tenacity. These traits along with her winning smile, outgoing personality and strong social media skills make for a rising show jumping star.
KRISTIN HARDIN
Show Jumper
Kristin Hardin is a professional Horse Trainer based out of Santa Barbara County California. After a successful Junior career including winning the first WCE medal finals, Kristin turned professional at the age of 18. Kristin is one of the highest ranked Grand Prix riders on the West Coast, earning leading Grand Prix horse circuit titles from Thermal to Texas and back to Sonoma.
Kristin is an avid clinician, teaching clinics throughout California, Colorado, Mexico and the East Coast. She still finds time to train her own children, including her daughter Tyler who was victorious at the 2016 International Invitational Children's Jumper Championships held in Bogata, Columbia.
BRIANNA ZWILLING
Dressage
Brianna Zwilling is a professional dressage rider and trainer based out of St. Louis, Missouri. Some of her career highlights include representing Region 4 at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, and winning two regional championship titles at the Young Rider Prix St. Georges and 4th level with her Oldenburg gelding DiMaggio.
In 2013 she competed at the US Dressage Finals where she and her Oldenburg gelding, Opie, placed 6th in the nation at First Level. In 2015 the pair went on to earn the National Champion title for Third Level Freestyle. In 2016, Opie showed his first season of Prix St. Georges and the pair have their sights set on Grand Prix in a few years. Brianna enjoys training horses at all levels, but is especially interested in working with young horses to patiently build strong basic skills.
DEMI STIEGLER
Hunter-Jumper, Equitation
As a junior, Demi won multiple awards and medals, and in 2011 was Reserve Champion in the ASPCA Maclay National Medal Final in Kentucky. She was also awarded the CPHA Foundation Achievement and Foundation Sportsmanship awards, and was the first equitation rider to receive the USEF Equestrian of the Year Award. After graduating from Auburn University in Alabama, where she competed on their NCEA riding team. Demi returned to California to work as a trainer with her mom at their boutique show barn, Citrus Hill Farm in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
Demi says "I absolutely love teaching and feel as if every one of our girls are my little sisters. They are all amazing riders and watching them progress in their riding and grow as young women is the greatest thing, and I feel so lucky." Demi is looking forward to competing in the 6-year-old Young Jumper Championship at the Blenheim International Jumping Festival in September with her 6 Year Old Jumper, Flip De Hus Z (Aka:Bruce).