Though sidelined in May with a broken femur that required a hip replacement, National Show Hunter Hall of Fame member John French nonetheless managed to rack up an impressive series of accolades in 2022. Over the summer, he earned the top spot in the Platinum Performance USHJA 3’/3’3” Green Hunter Incentive Championship (Kentucky) aboard Susan Moriconi’s Wyatt.
Read MoreUp-and-coming young hunter horses made their way to the Rost Arena on Friday morning to see who would emerge a champion in the Young Hunter 3”/2’9” (6 and Under) division.
Read MoreThe Chronicle caught up with French ringside at Upperville to talk about being back at the country’s oldest horse show—39 years after his last appearance—his move east and his Hall Of Fame induction.
Read More42 years ago, in 1978, John French was named Best Child Rider, and Ice Capade earned the novice pony hunter championship at Rose Hill Manor Show (MD) the same year.
Read MoreEarlier this year, French became a part of a training team with renowned Olympic show jumping athlete Kent Farrington and Farrington’s riding assistant, Claudio Baroni.
Read MoreThe horses for French to ride wouldn’t need to be sold quickly. They were for French to develop, with a longer-term vision of building out a specialized hunter program for French, under the Kent Farrington LLC umbrella.
Read More“I’m even more fond of my horses now that I have more time to spend with them.”
Read MoreOriginally published by The Chronicle of the Horse in the January 13 & 20, 2020 issue.
Read MoreFor award-winning hunter rider, John French, 2018 was triumphant. Despite two freak accidents that left him out of the show ring for months at a time, French made the most of his talents.
Read MoreFour-time World Champion Hunter Rider Champion John French kicked off the 2017 with renewed goals as Waldenbrook Farm settled into their new Central Coast location in Paso Robles. With a quiet demeanor yet a commanding presence at shows from coast to coast, French ended the season with numerous awards, championships, derby wins, and new sponsors.
Read MoreJohn French discovered Center Court as a 4-year-old in a video from England. The big horse impressed him with his scope and bravery.
Read MoreArticle originally published by the Chronicle of the Horse.
Read MoreBy Doris Degner-Foster for Sidelines Magazine
Read MoreRINGSIDE with the 2016 WCHR Pro Finals winner, John French at the 2017 Capital Challenge Horse Show.
Read MoreThe name John French and the phrase “Hunter champion” are synonymous. With a calm, cool, and collected riding style, and buoyed by his uncanny ability to create precise and rhythmic rounds, French has captured the title of World Champion Hunter Rider four times in his career, and was the winner of the inaugural United States Hunter Jumper Association International Hunter Derby Finals in 2009, riding the flashy gray gelding Rumba.
Read MoreSkyhawk, an 8-year-old warmblood owned by Laura Wasserman, has had a stellar lead up to the championship with three derby blues this year—most recently at the Menlo Charity Horse Show (Calif.), his last show before heading to Kentucky.
Read MoreJohn’s spectacular fall season included the grand hunter championship and leading hunter rider titles at Capital Challenge, as well as division titles at Washington International (D.C.) and the CP National Horse Show (Ky.).
Read MoreThe legendary catch-rider focuses on the strengths of the horses he rides and the people he works with.
Read MoreA four-time winner of the World Champion Hunter Rider title, California’s John French has made a decision to relocate as well as amend his mission for Waldenbrook Farm. Now working out of Templeton Farms in Templeton, California, near Paso Robles, French is accepting a select group of sale horses as well as horses in training.
Read MoreLearn from World Championship Hunter Rider and USHJA Hunter Derby winner John French what the judges are looking for in a Hunter Under Saddle class and how you can show your horse off properly. With an emphasis on the kind of movement a winning hunter should have in an under saddle class and how the riders position can show off a horses movement or detract from it. This video is for any equestrian rider training horses for show jumping.
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