27 Jun Learn More About Show Jumping Hall of Fame Inductee: Susan Hutchinson

On June 12th, at the Blenheim June Classic Horse Show, Susan Hutchinson was inducted into The United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame. This induction honors professional riders who have notably impacted the equestrian community and this sport. The inductees are chosen by an Election Committee comprised of trainers, horse show officials, and some of the nation’s top riders.
To celebrate her induction, friends, fellow riders, and previous trainers formed two lines of clapping and cheering spectators. While Chef D’Equipe Robert Ridland read Hutchinson’s acceptance speech, she walked between the rows of supportive equestrians.
Susan Hutchinson began riding at just five years old at the Flintridge Riding Club. Under the direction of famous horseman Jimmy Williams, Hutchinson earned win after win at all the junior finals on the West Coast. By the age of 18 Hutchinson was already setting records when she jumped a record 7-foot high puissance wall. That year was the start of her long and glorious professional career.
Partnering with her former trainer, Hutchinson taught countless champion riders and even some Olympic athletes. She also found herself claiming both hunter and jumper championships during this time. Her career has included more than 80 Grand Prix wins, earning her a new Mercedes, Volvo, and Cadillac for her riding. She has competed four times in the World Cup Finals and rode for the United States Equestrian Team, where she prevailed against the teams from 6 other nations. At the 1994 trials in New Jeresy, Hutchinson finished in the top four, qualifying her as a member of the World’s Championship Team. Hutchinson continued to win Grands Prix aboard several mounts until 2011.
Her extraordinary riding abilities have also earned her a flurry of awards. In 1992 she was named American Grand Prix Association Rider of the Year and voted Rider of the Year by The Chronicle of the Horse. In 1993, Hutchinson became the first individual to receive the Mark Mueller Perpetual Sportsmanship Award of the Pacific Coast Horse Show Association. In 1994, Hutchinson was elected to the United States Equestrian Team’s Active Rider Committee as well as being a judge for the USET Medal Finals. In 1995, She was voted Horsewoman of the year by the California Professional Horseman’s Association. In 2013, Hutchinson received the Harry Forbes Sportsmanship Trophy Lifetime Achievement Award and the PCHA/USHJA Affiliate Sportsmanship Award for the Western Region. In 2015, Hutchinson was inducted into the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame.
Susan Hutchinson is one of those professionals who teaches riders to dream big and to pursue what inspires them. She is an exemplary role model for young riders to watch. Her many awards and championships are well deserved, honoring her for her commitment to our favorite sport.