California Riding Magazine • September, 2010

On Course With Zazou
College and Riding Can Mix

by Zazou Hoffman

I have been busy, busy, busy this summer with horsey, and non-horsey adventures. I recently went on a trip all over Europe with my family for two and a half weeks. We went to Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and France, experiencing art at its finest and culture to the max! I loved being immersed in the lifestyles of other countries, and I hope to return to Europe next summer to experience the show jumping side of European culture.

Upon my return, I had three days to switch time zones and gear up for my UCLA Orientation trip. While I didn’t have to hop on a plane or go on a road trip to get there (because UCLA is practically down the street from where I live), going to Orientation made me feel like I was in a totally different world.

We did tons of group activities and endured the stressful process of enrolling in classes at an over-crowded public university. To me, that made it all the more interesting and I am totally pumped up for college! I’m writing about this because I think it is extremely important for people my age to have the opportunity to experience college life. Two years ago, I probably would have told you that I was in the midst of convincing my parents that I didn’t need to go to college because riding was much more important. Riding still is very important to me and what I’d tell you now is that I’ll be ready to hit the show scene full on again in four years, after I graduate from UCLA.

For now though, I will be keeping a small “business” running on the side, helping train horses and people in Sullivan Canyon when time permits. Luckily for me, Sullivan Canyon is only a 15-minute drive from UCLA and as a partial trainer at that facility I can teach lessons and ride horses before and after classes. Currently I have a very short list of clients that I train who are kind enough to work around my school schedule. I will be mostly focusing on going to shows with my clients rather than competing at the shows myself. At first thought, that may seem like a step in the wrong direction for my professional riding career, but I see it as an exploration of the training side of the sport. All of the top professionals are well rounded and educated on how to develop riders and I believe that training people really influences their riding ability. It is very important to be able to set goals and analyze what the next step in a rider’s career is, whether its yours or someone else’s. The riders I train are at all different levels and it will be a challenge for me to help them reach their maximum potential.

The other part of my business revolves around developing young and inexperienced horses. I own one young horse right now that I will continue to work with while I’m in school, but the rest of the horses I ride are ones I have been asked to bring along for their owners. Surprisingly, I have ended up riding a lot of Thoroughbreds, a dying breed in today’s hunter/jumper world. They are a totally different ride than the bigger Warmbloods that we see most of the time at shows, but I enjoy the challenge and I have seen a lot of progress with the ones I have been riding. One is a jumper that I will hopefully get to ride in the Foxfield Derby this year and another is a young horse that seems to have the potential to be a nice hunter.

The point of all of this is that you can do both: you can experience the fun and exciting world of college life (hopefully learning something along the way) and you can continue to ride, even if it may not be at the level you might like. I have a little bit left of summer left before I start this balance of college and riding in September!

After a junior career capped by her win of the 2009 ASPCA Maclay Medal, Zazou Hoffman is now riding and teaching as a professional. She is available for lessons, clinics and private consultation, as well as Grand Prix sponsorship. Based in the Los Angeles area, she can be reached at zazouhoffman@gmail.com.