WHITEFISH – Finding a few minutes to talk with Georgia Dillon can be tough.
The 24-year-old professional horse rider’s calendar is nearly always full. One week, she’ll be at an equestrian jumping competition in California and the next week she could be heading to Canada or Washington. When she is at home in the Flathead, she’s busy training riders of all ages at the recently opened Whitefish Equestrian Center.
But Dillon knew what she was getting into. Her mother and aunt were also professional riders so as a youngster she had a front row seat to the stresses that come with that.
“I was born into this. It’s not just a sport. It’s a lifestyle and you can’t do this part-time,” she said. “Hunter and jumping has always been a passion for me because it’s technical and there is always something new to learn.”
In show hunter competitions the horse and rider are judged on the style and grace of a jump, whereas in jumper events they are objectively judged on how high and fast they jumped. The United States Hunter Jumper Association is the sport’s official affiliate in the United States Equestrian Federation.
Dillon has been competing most of her life and became a professional rider and trainer in 2011. Since last year, she has been working on the ranch off Twin Bridges Road west of Whitefish now owned by Amy and Kirk Ericksen.
Although there are some hunter and jumper competitions in Montana, Dillon said none of them are sanctioned by the USHJA. Hunter and jumper competitions are different from traditional eventing, which includes dressage and cross-country, along with jumping. Dillon said the closest sanctioned events are in Washington and California and because of that it can be tough for people to stay in the sport.
“I think some people in Montana get out of the sport because of how much it costs to travel and compete,” she said.
But Dillon and the Ericksens are hoping to change that. This year, the Whitefish Equestrian Center will put on three two-day hunter jumper shows with nationally ranked judges. This year, the Montana Hunter Jumper Association will sanction the events – set for July 16 and 17, July 30 and 31, and September 3 and 4 – but organizers hope to eventually get the backing of the national association.
“This will give people the opportunity to compete without having to travel far,” Dillon said. “We want these upcoming events to be a stepping stone to bigger competitions (here in Montana).”
The Ericksens agree and since purchasing the ranch last year they have invested heavily in the facilities, adding new arenas and completely remodeling the horse barn.
Prior to moving to the Flathead, the Ericksens lived in California where Kirk worked as a systems engineer. Seeking a more relaxed Montana lifestyle, the couple started looking for homes in the Whitefish area when they found the 40-acre ranch west of town. The fact that it had a barn and arenas was perfect for Amy, who has long been a horse lover and wanted to get back into the equestrian scene.
“Amy wanted to get back into the horse world,” Kirk said.
“So we did it in a big way,” Amy said, laughing.
In the weeks leading up to the Whitefish Equestrian Center’s first hunter and jumper competition, everyone at the ranch is busy making the final preparations. The Ericksens said they hope the effort is worth it and that they’ll receive continued support from the local and equestrian communities.
“Within the next two to three years we want to make Whitefish a destination for the hunter and jumper sport,” Kirk Ericksen said.
For more information visit www.whitefishec.com.