Kristen has been competing professionally at the Grand Prix level for the last 13 years. She has won more than 50 International Grand Prix’s and Ranking classes in the last 5 years. She recently represented the USA in Paris at the World Cup Finals. She is consistently ranked in the top 10 riders in the US and top 100 riders in the world.

Besides being one of the winningest riders in the United States, Kristen Vanderveen manages Bull Run Jumpers. She carefully selects, imports and produces horses for both amateur and FEI high-level equestrian, seeking to provide quality horses at a fair price.

Kristen is known for riding with her long blond ponytail out of her helmet. “There are plenty of people who strongly dislike it, but for me it has become my signature. It’s actually a very simple story. My helmet didn’t fit properly and was giving me a headache. So finally, one day I couldn’t take it, and I just left my hair down. My dad, who did not do horses, saw the video, and encouraged me to keep wearing it out because he could actually recognize that it was a girl riding. I think it’s nice to have something for each rider that the crowd can recognize or relate with, instead of everyone looking exactly the same.”

Saddle: X-Meredith

Source: jumpernews.com, showplus.com, movex.com

Photo credit: Sportfot