Vancouver and His People: How One West Coast Horse Became a Big Eq Star at Indoors

When Meg O’Mara won the USEF/Pessoa Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals in Pennsylvania on Sunday, October 15th, a resounding cheer went up all the way across the country in California.

The cheer was for O’Mara, but it was especially for the horse she rode in on, the 7-year-old KWPN gelding Vancouver. Every horse has a team behind it that reaches back to its trainer, its former riders, its support crew and grooms. For some horses, that team stretches back to include the barn that took part in its ascent to the spotlight, and for Vancouver, that place is Elvenstar Farm in Westlake Village.

O'Mara and Vancouver winning the USEF/Pessoa Hunter Seat Equitation Finals on October 15th. Photo ©Al Cook

Elvenstar head trainer Jim Hagman imported the eye-catching grey gelding from Europe in 2010 as an equitation prospect. Since the 1980s, Hagman has built Elvenstar into an established Southern California training institution that offers everything from instruction to first time riders, to A-circuit training for top competition in the hunter and equitation rings.

So, while the arrival of Vancouver to the tree lined pathways of Elvenstar Farm wasn’t especially unusual, Hagman knew the gelding had the potential to be something special.

“He came over from Europe as a four year old, and we just let him play and enjoy himself,” Hagman remembers. “In the ring he’s got incredible presence now because he was always so curious about everything, wanting to check things out with his ears forward. He’s like a person who’s always in a good mood. He was gawky as a baby, but had real legitimate, engaged gaits even from the start.”

Hagman soon paired Vancouver with Elvenstar working student Henly Adkins, who was then 14 years old. With a moderate budget and the desire to gain miles in the show ring, Adkins, who worked at the barn in exchange for lessons and shows, jumped at the chance to show Vancouver on the local A-circuit. Together, they began winning equitation classes immediately.

Adkins and Vancouver at this year's CPHA Junior Medal Finals in Los Angeles. Photo via Elvenstar

“In 2011, Henly showed him at the Flintridge Children’s Show, and walked in and won all five classes she entered at 3’6”,” Hagman recounts. “Someone at that show told Don Stewart about him, and by the end of the show I had Don on the phone to me asking about my grey equitation horse.”

While Hagman and Stewart, who runs the legendary Don Stewart Stables out of Ocala FL, are close friends and colleagues, Hagman wasn’t ready to send his young horse away to another trainer just yet. Adkins continued to show him on the Southern California circuit, placing well in West Coast medal finals.

“Henly trained him,” Hagman asserts. “She gave him great show miles. If he wasn’t ridden well in the ring, and hadn’t gotten all the positive experiences he got with her, he wouldn’t have been able to handle a new rider getting on him. We didn’t give him his special gift, but we did teach him the mental and physical habits that made him capable of winning a big national equitation title.

"Some horses just get it," Hagman adds. "From the start, Vancouver got it.”

And overshowing was not a needed, nor wanted part of the game plan. With less than ten shows under his belt, Vancouver qualified for the 2011 Maclay Finals on the merit of his West Coast performances with Adkins, and traveled with the Elvenstar group to Indoors 2011. He was leased to another rider for one show, and then Adkins flew out to contest the Maclay Finals with him. 

It was there that O’Mara saw him for the first time.

“At the time, he was only six and was so incredibly brave and talented,” says O’Mara. “When Jim had him over on the East Coast last year for finals, I watched him and loved him all along.”

O’Mara wouldn’t leave Hagman alone until he promised to lease Vancouver to her for the 2012 Indoor season, which was to be her last junior year. Fast forward to this fall, and Hagman kept that promise.

“When he went East, I didn’t want him showing too much, or traveling more than necessary,” says Hagman. “So Don and I worked it out for Vancouver to meet them in New York in September, and the next week he was winning with Meg at Saugerties.”

Even though O’Mara had made a quick trip out to California in August to try Vancouver and take a few lessons with Don, she still had to put in some serious “getting to know you” time in the lead up to Indoors.

“It took me some time to get used to his blood, or lack thereof!” says O’Mara. “I am used to a hot horse and he is not, so I had to get used to him getting in front of my leg. But other than that we have not had many difficulties as partners. His personality is wonderful and calm and he is always happy to work.”

And so, the new team arrived at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show on October 12th to take on 257 others over three pressure-packed equitation rounds in the USET/Pessoa Final.

The rest is history – O’Mara handled the course with confidence, and rode her way to victory in one of the country’s most prestigious Big Eq medal finals.

She’ll keep the ride on Vancouver through the fall season, and then Hagman plans to bring him home to California.

“I really, really love this horse,” Hagman adds. “I really enjoy having him around, and it’s fun for our community to him in the barn, everyone is so excited. We hope that for every year in future years he’ll be this competitive."

Vancouver isn't for sale, as Hagman admits that it would take a lot to keep him from coming home to the people that raised him. What's more, Hagman is looking forward to returning him to Adkin’s capable hands for next season. Horses can travel from coast to coast and barn to barn easily these days, but for Vancouver, California and Elvenstar Farm is home.