Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Sanoja.
Rebecca, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started riding at the age of 2 because my mother did not like pushing me in a Pram (Stroller). She loved hiking and the perfect solution was to stick me on a pony so she could walk through the countryside and the forests in the National Park in England where we lived. This was the beginning of my life long journey with horses. They are my passion and my passion propelled me into making it a business. Horses have shaped my life and have much to say about the person I am today.
I grew up riding and hunting in Yorkshire England. I did not like school and spent most of my time there looking out of the window imagining that I was galloping through the countryside on my pony. I learnt to jump horses jumping over gates and stone walls to start with. Out in the hunting field. After that my father decided that I was very keen on jumping and bought me a couple of good jumping ponies .My parents sent me for 2-3 years every summer when I was very young to a Training center for eventing and showjumping. The instructor there was good but very strict he was an ex Swiss army capitan and made us tow the line. He trained high level event riders as well as showjumpers. I was quite successful with the ponies and so when I out grew them my father bought my nice horse which really was the best teacher. He taught me patience and how to ride distances because he did not want to jump if you did not ride him correctly. This horse took me twice to the Junior European Championships in St Moritz Switzerland and Hickstead England. Winning the bronze medal at Hickstead. That gave me also opportunities representing England in Championships in Mexico ,Puerto Rico and Colombia .In those competitions the competitors had to ride horses that we had never ridden before that belonged to riders of the host nations. I won the championship in Mexico.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At the age of 17 my father become seriously ill and he could no longer afford for me to continue on the show circuit. I remembered that when competing in an International showjumping competition in London 5 time German Olympic showjumping gold medalist Hans Gunter Winkler asked me if I ever wanted to jump in Germany I could contact him. Well I wrote to him a year later and asked if I could still go. Of course I received no reply. I knew he was going to the horse of the Year show in London and decided to pack my bags and travel down from my home in Yorkshire to London. I arrived there and found Hans. He could not remember what he had told me the year before! Anyway I was very persistent and eventually he gave in and said I could travel with his horses back to Germany. I stayed for just over a year and was so lucky to ride and compete on his second string of horses in International Competitions in Germany. Italy and Switzerland .After that I worked for a year for Georg Ahlmann father of Christian Ahlmann German Olympic showjumper.
When I was 20 I came back to England and met and eventually married my husband of 39 years Carlos who is from Venezuela. I started teaching at my home to students that trailered to me we moved from the UK to Venezuela in 1981 with our Baby daughter. It was a very hard move for me as I had to leave my family and friends behind.
I landed a job as an Instructor to train horses and students at a very exclusive country club. It was hard as at the time I did not know Spanish and some of my students did not speak English. My husband left for the USA to be trained as a Gas Turbine specialist and was gone for 6 Months training. That was hard, I was left in Caracas Venezuela with a small child and very alone. I continued to work in the Country clubs training and teaching until we came to the Dallas area in 1991 after my husband applied for a job here in Dallas. The political unrest in Venezuela was escalating and it was becoming even more dangerous to live there. That was a hard move for us all. We arrived here with again no family and no one knew me so it was hard to get my foot in the door with the horse business.
Please tell us about Bryherstone Farm.
I specialize in the preparation of horse and riders for Hunter/Jumper competitions. I am a certified United States Hunter Jumper trainer and also have a British Horse society certificate in Instruction.
I have 40 years of training students and caring for horses and riders from intermediate to advanced level. Bryherstone farm is a small personalized barn with emphasis on horse care and welfare. I have programs to fit each rider’s needs, depending on if their goals are just to have fun with their horse and improve their riding or attend the USEF recognized horse shows.
I also prepare students for the USHJA Emerging Athlete program and have prepared students for National and International competitions.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Galloping bareback up and down the hills across the English countryside. Going out hunting on cold frosty days. Getting up early to go to the horse shows was so much faster than when I was going to school.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4060 Avion Dr
- Website: www.bryherstonefarm.com
- Phone: 9722076740
- Email: becky@bryherstonefarm.com
- Facebook: bryherstone farm
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