Young Hunters Put the Work in With Emily Belin

[[ad|nids=3946]]We all have that friend on Facebook who posts beautiful pictures of jaw-dropping horses with the little ‘For Sale’ tag that sets off a familiar thought process. “How could I live without this horse?”

“I really need this horse.
It is a young one- I could make it up ‘my way.’
Can I afford this horse??”

I am almost brought back to reality; I really don’t need another horse, until I flip to the picture of the horse in the Dixon Oval with his blue ribbon and silver plate. And that’s when it is clear to me- if I did buy this young horse, the only thing that would do it justice would be to keep it in training with Emily Belin. 

Belin, the 29-year-old trainer and owner of Magic Hill Farm, LLC, added to her already incredible list of hunter breeding honors this past week when she earned the Leading Pony Handler Award and Best Young Pony with Three Royal Cheers at The Devon Horse Show. 

Of the 13 classes and awards on Pony Hunter Breeding Day, Belin was first or second place in eight of them. Three Royal Cheers, a two year-old filly owned by Denise Hankinson, is by *Telynau Royal Charter, the sire of many of Belin’s winners on the line including Farmore American Idol (now showing as Hollister) and Farmore Crown Jewel. “I have had so many babies [by *Telynau Royal Charter] and they have been such awesome ponies,” she says. “I have loved every single one.” 

Belin with Three Royal Cheers, owned by Denise Hankinson, at Devon

And she’s coming in just as strong this Thursday in the Dixon Oval, bringing 18 horses for horse Hunter Breeding day. “I’m even more excited about my horses. I have a dynamite group of horses this year,” Belin says with a smile. In Hunter Breeding divisions, Belin is always the first person you notice, with her signature brightly colored tops and big belts and a horse that gleams sunshine even on the rainiest days of Devon.

The Hunter Breeding divisions showcase young horses through in-hand classes from yearlings through three-year-olds and goes right up to the Young Hunter Under Saddle classes, which are under five years old. It offers an opportunity for a youngster to go to horse shows, learn the manners and discipline required of them, and become acclimated to their show life. It also provides owners and breeders recognition, which otherwise would not come until 5 or 6 years into the breeding process, when the horse gets to the baby green division.

For pony and conformation hunters, the posing and jogging skills they learn will be used for the rest of their lives. Additionally, for pony stallions and stallion prospects, who are often in limbo as they cannot be shown by children and cannot be shown by adults, this is one of the few opportunities for them to gain recognition for their own show career.

Not a Princess Sport
It is a tough profession to break into, as many top handlers have literally been showing in the Dixon Oval since before Belin was born. She is one of the few women at the top of the game and her being in her 20s stands out much more dramatically in this crowd than Reed Kessler or Tori Colvin do in theirs. Without a sport coat and tie or a baseball cap, Belin sticks to her own style of pink collared tops, oversize belt buckles, and sunglasses.

“I have watched the top people doing this and they have been the utmost professionals- they have been very good to me. I’m never afraid to ask for help if I need advice. You need to feel comfortable to look at the people who are successful, watch what they do and ask what they do and hopefully they are willing to share with you and mentor you a little too.”

Whether she fits in or stands out from the lineup, it’s clear that Belin is one of the most hard-working horse people around. “This is not a princess sport. You can’t be afraid to work hard, get a little dirty, and do the work,” she says with a smile. “You get there on your own merit. It is a good thing to have help along the way, but you have to be willing to put in the time, the effort, in order to do this well in a quality manner and in a manner that you would be proud of.”

And she backs up those statements. She emailed me early one morning (so early that most people would argue it was still night) saying that she would love to talk to me when she got a chance; the a chance that didn’t come up until she took a breather (but was still at the horse show) after 10 pm that night. 

“You have to give yourself a little extra time with these babies and a have little extra patience when you come to work. For a big horse show like Devon, we ship in the day before and stable overnight and get them acclimated, prepared. Walk around the show grounds so they are ready to do their job. It is no different than preparing a hunter or jumper or any other horse for their discipline. You have to get them in, get them settled- it just takes a little more work,” she explains.

From the Ground Up
With fiancé Marcus Sadler, Belin built Magic Hill Farm from humble beginnings to a state of the art facility in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. While Sadler has literally built much of the farm, including the indoor arena, Belin has built the business from the ground up as breeders, amateurs, and investors sent her babies to show on the line or start under saddle and she has brought out the potential of each one. 

As many are investment projects for their owners, horses are usually sold to a performance show barn after they ‘graduate’ from the hunter breeding divisions, generally with several Pennsylvania and USEF year-end awards in both in-hand and under saddle classes. While a competitive program, Belin always sees the long-term success of her ‘graduates’ first. 

“In my program, first and foremost is the well-being of the animal. We raise them and develop them for longevity, that’s the most important thing. Ribbons are great, year-end awards are fabulous, but I will not sacrifice a horse to get a year-end award for an owner. We raise them to be happy and healthy and like their job for their whole life. It is very important to find a good balance where enough-is-enough and you don’t over-do just because you get a little overzealous with the ribbons. That is very important to keep in mind whether you are on their back or having them in hand- you have to do it in a quality over quantity manner. You have to listen to the animals.”

Increasing Participation
An admirable multitasker who is dedicated to future of hunter breeding, Belin is President of the Pennsylvania Hunter Breeders’ Futurity and Vice President of the Pennsylvania Horse Show Association (PHSA). She also runs her own horse shows at Magic Hill Farm. 

Instead of losing business due to the economy, Belin has seen the opposite effect as amateurs look to create more of an investment in their mounts. “We have a lot of people that have taken an interest in [hunter breeding],” explain she says. “I do a lot of sales and we are selling young horses now more than ever. Most people want to invest in a very fancy young horse, an amateur prospect and add some show miles, has all the right pieces and a good brain to go with it, instead of buying a six-figure amateur horse right off the bat or stretching to buy that six-figure amateur horse. They would rather buy a quality youngster and put the time and the money in and make it that six-figure horse."

For the long-term benefit of the breeding divisions, Belin wants to continue to increase participation. “I would love to see a way to make this more affordable for people to participate. I don’t want people to feel that you have to have your horse professionally prepared to compete at Devon. I wish more people would learn to do it themselves and learn to do it well. I would like to see more people come out and join us and compete well.” Belin believes more people would come out if they could be educated to do more themselves (and therefore cut costs) and making the entries and nominating fees more affordable. 

The shows at Magic Hill Farm have become that accessible first stop (braiding is optional, for example) for many starting breeders and handlers. “We’ve seen a handful of people that come to the Futurity Horse Show for their first show (at Magic Hill Farm) and they needed a little help, we offered a little help and the next year we see them get a great ribbon at Devon or one of the big horse shows. They did a lot of it on their own, but they weren’t afraid to ask for help and put the time in. Those are the people that I take my hat off to because they are doing the right thing for their babies.”

A sport that has struggled with a reputation for being too political (or at least antiquated and male-dominated) has been stood up to by Belin’s youth, work ethic, talent, and quintessential sportsmanlike attitude. 

“There’s going to be days that you get gifts, there will be days that you get robbed, but you walk out of the ring with a smile whether it is with a blue ribbon or no ribbon. You have to be a good sport to win,” Belin says optimistically. “Always congratulate the person who is on top today, if it’s not you, because it could definitely turn around at any point in time.”

Belin’s preparation has already paid off this Devon Horse Show with Three Royal Cheers, a pony she was sent in March with much of her groundwork started. “She just learned how to pose and jog a little more. She is a natural born show pony, she’s very easy. She is very much a professional- she is very easy to deal with, she knows her job, and she absolutely loves to please. I think she’s going to be a super kid’s pony.”

As Belin looks forward to another banner day for the horses of Magic Hill Farm, you can’t help but cross your fingers for this standout in the ring. “I love Devon because out of the three major horse shows for hunter breeding (Devon, Upperville, and Warrenton), this is our hometown horse show. Devon is very special with a lot of history and tradition. It’s almost like a homecoming.”