Sarah Pinney

With 40 years riding experience and 25 years as a professional, Sarah Pinney has truly made her passion for horses a lifetime commitment. Classically educated in Portugal, Great Britain and the States, she emphasizes a classical dressage foundation for both horse and rider. She believes that with such a foundation, you and your horse can pursue any equestrian discipline. Her training abilities and techniques have been shaped by such world-renowned trainers as Joao Olivieria, Jean-Claude Racinet, and Maestre Luis Valenca.

Her forte is starting young horses to saddle and giving them a solid foundation. An excellent problem solver, Sarah is great at overcoming difficulties and gaps in training. She immensely enjoys working with owner/horse partnerships. Her skill consistently produces confident, educated horses who are a pleasure to ride and can excel in just about any discipline. She welcomes horses of any breed to train, but has specialized in training the Andalusian and Lusitano horse since 1989. She currently holds 15 Regional Championships and 10 National Championships in four different disciplines including Dressage, Hunt Seat, Western Pleasure, and Halter. She is undefeated at the National level on horses she has trained.

Sarah embraces barefoot hoof care. All of her personal horses, as well as many of her clients' horses, are sans shoes. Sun Hill Training represents the barefoot movement proudly at shows, with barefoot Andalusians, Lusitanos, Friesians, Warmbloods, Fjords and many other breeds strutting their stuff au natural. In addition to training, Sarah is an accomplished hoof trimmer.

The accumulation of knowledge and experience never stops! Sarah is committed to refining and enlarging her training abilities; she reads everything she can get her hands on, she regularly attends seminars and clinics, she rides with a variety of local professionals, and hosts her Portuguese trainer Rodrigo da Costa Matos twice yearly. Her horses and students are the lucky recipients of her dedication to serving and helping them ever more thoroughly.

 

Professional Affiliations:

USEF (United States Equestrian Federation)
USDF (US Dressage Federation)
CDS (CA Dressage Society)
IALHA (International Andalusian and Lusitano Society)
FHANA (Friesian Horse Association of North America)
CRC (Classical Riding Club)