Ryan Painter – Hunters Are Where The Heart Is

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222 – September/October, 2024

By Megan Sacia Ulrich

Watching Ryan Painter quietly glide around a working hunter course today, it’s obvious how he rode his way to being the 2023 NSBA High Point Open Hunter Rider, an honor he’s earned multiple times before–the first in 2009. That same cool confidence and command of the course makes it hard to believe he actually got his start in a Western saddle on a little unregistered POA named Dinky. School-age Ryan rode Dinky in 4-H, showing in Showmanship, Horsemanship, Barrel Racing, Pole Bending and more.

The youngest of three, horse ownership was the result of sheer persistence. Ryan and his older sisters begged their parents, Roger and Rhonda, for a horse. Rhonda owned horses growing up, so the couple soon acquiesced, purchasing an unbroke three-year-old mare from a neighbor. “It may not have been the wisest purchase,” Ryan remembers with a laugh.

But it was a start, and with Ryan’s passion for all things equestrian, that was all it took. By his early teen years, he’d taught himself the basics of riding and showing–and even jumping. At 15, the now multiple World and Congress Champion had never had a formal riding lesson.

As his love for jumping grew, so did his desire to compete. Growing up in Kansas, his family lived just over an hour from trainer Sarah Good; and once he started weekly lessons with Sarah, there was little to stop him. Previously having shown solely in 4-H and some open shows, Sarah encouraged him to try their local Quarter Horse circuit. His skillset and competitive spirit exploded under her guidance. Three years later, he won the 1997 AQHYA World title in Equitation Over Fences.

Click here to read the complete article
222 – September/October, 2024