Wellington, FL – August 10, 2011 – Louise Goodman has had an exciting equestrian career that many would envy. A lover of horses from a young age, Goodman became a professional rider at the age of 18 and has worked for some of the best trainers in the sport of show jumping. In the good fortune of her career, Goodman has ridden many top horses, competed alongside some of the best riders in the sport, and earned many impressive accolades along the way.
Growing up in England, Goodman was first bitten by the show jumping bug at the age of 11 and rode successfully as a junior for many years. One of the defining moments in Goodman’s junior career was when she got the opportunity to go to the Wembley International Horse Show after winning a series of “Discovery” qualifying classes. These classes were most often won by adult riders, which made Goodman’s success a great feat. Wembley was a show that held the championships to all of the classes held throughout the year, from novice horse classes, young riders and all the way up to the grand prix level. After experiencing the great competition, Goodman knew for sure that she wanted to be a professional rider and trainer in the show jumping industry.
After finishing her education and continuing to ride as a junior, Goodman started her career as a young professional at the age of 18 when she began working for well known trainers Freddie and Sue Welch. Goodman’s professional career got off to a great start as the Welchs had previously produced some of the country’s most respected top professionals, including Nick Skelton, Peter Charles and Tina Cassan. The Welchs had also owned and sold many top ranking horses all over the world, one of which being Showtime, a mare that went to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta with Nick Skelton.
Goodman continued competing in the young riders division on many different horses while working for Freddie Welch and notched up many wins and successes across the board. Goodman described her time ride for Welch, noting, “It gave me a vast experience and education on riding and dealing with a broad spectrum of different horses. It also put me in good standing for the future when training students and helping prepare them for the show ring.”
As a young rider, Goodman was invited to ride at international competitions abroad on the CSIO/Young Rider “A” teams, an experience that taught her to deal with the pressure of being on a team and representing England as a nation. Some of her most notable successes include: second in the Young Horse Championships, third in the Young Riders of Britain qualifier, first in the Martin Dawes Finals, second in the Wales and West International Trial, third in the Toggi Grand Prix, first in the 5/6 Year-Old Championships, first in the Grand Prix at Gillingham and Shaftsbury Horse Show, first in the Olympic Starspotters class, and first in the Young Riders Championship at Hickstead International Horse Show.
Goodman qualified for the national under 21 finals at Wembley International Horse Show, the Show Jumper of the Year award at Olympia International Horse Show, and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hickstead. In one year Goodman qualified for the Ladies Championships, the Young Horse Championships and the Olympic Starspotters class, all to be held at the Festival of Show Jumping. She also represented Great Britain in the Young Riders Nations Cup. Ten nations took part in the competition and Goodman helped her Great Britain team come home with the bronze medal. After her Nations Cup team success, Goodman was then invited to represent Great Britain at international shows such as Millstreet – Ireland, Hasselt – Belgium, Moorsele -Belgium, Eindhoven – Holland and Valkenswaard- Holland.
Goodman’s career progressed when she went to ride for Brendon Stud in Sussex, working with top jumping and breeding stallions. She had the honor of being their only female rider amongst top international riders such as William Funnell and Guy Williams. After working for Brendon stud, Goodman went further afield and went to ride in Belgium, working for the Belgian national champion Joris Meuleman. While working for Meuleman, Goodman had the opportunity to ride and compete many young horses, furthering her knowledge of training.
Louise Goodman
After early success in Europe, Goodman moved her career to the United States, where she has most recently worked for well known riders and trainers Todd Minikus, Frank Madden, and Kevin Babington. Minikus has been one of the best riders in U.S. show jumping for years with an impressive list of accomplishments including over 75 grand prix wins and multiple showings at FEI World Cup and Nations Cup competitions.
Frank Madden stands out as one of the most successful and dedicated trainers of young and developing show jumping talent in the United States. He has trained several of the most promising junior equitation and junior amateur jumper riders who have the potential to represent the United States at the highest levels of international competition.
Kevin Babington is a grand prix rider out of Ireland who moved his career to the United States and has been a force to be reckoned with on the international show jumping circuit. Accomplishments for Kevin include a team gold medal in the 2001 European Championships, over 30 appearances on Nations Cup teams representing Ireland, and placing fourth as an individual in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
As a representative of Great Britain, moving to the United States has offered Louise Goodman the opportunity to work with these and many other legendary equestrians in the sport of show jumping. Her career has continued to grow and progress in new and exciting ways and she will take on another great opportunity this year when she goes to work for esteemed trainer Max Amaya at Stonehenge Stables in Colts Neck, NJ.
Originally from Argentina, Amaya has had a successful show jumping career, working with grand prix rider Mario Deslauriers, as well as training in conjunction with Frank and Stacia Madden. Amaya established Stonehenge Stables as an independent business in 2006 and has trained some of today’s top young riders including Brianne Goutal, Jessica Springsteen, and Chelsea Moss.
In working with Amaya, Goodman will continue to further her career, working with the very best young horses and riders in the country.