This week’s episode of the Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Purina, is with top hunter, jumper and equitation trainer, Berry Porter.
Hailing from Corpus Christi, Texas, Berry grew up with an “eclectic” horse background, as he likes to call it. As a child, he caught the horse bug after a pre-school pony ride and never looked back. Though his family had no interest in horses, his passion drove him to find any opportunity to be around horses. His Godfather, though, owned a ranch and brought Berry and his parents to a local auction where they bought his first horse, Jake, for just a few hundred dollars.
Throughout his youth, Berry participated in 4-H and Future Farmers of America. And as a junior rider, he was a working student at a combined training dressage farm. Then, in college, he went professional as a western rider and showed western pleasure horses. While showing in the quarter horse world, Berry preferred the hunter under saddle classes. And when he moved back home after college, he connected with his current business partner, Sean Brennan, who exposed him further to the competitive hunter/jumper world.
In 2008, Berry and Sean built Brookside Pine Farms from scratch in Conroe, Texas, which is a suburb of Houston. Since then, Porter’s accomplishments have made him a top trainer in the sport. The fall of 2019 was a particularly standout season for him: Vivian Yowan and Calou won the World Champion Hunter Rider Adult Amateur Hunter Challenge at the Washington International Horse Show and Eleanor Rudnicki and CF Cosmic won the Taylor Harris Insurance National Children’s Medal Finals at The Capital Challenge Horse Show. And just last week, Sofia Cady won the USEF Junior Jumper National Championship aboard Deleyn at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show.
During the conversation, Berry speaks candidly about the current state of the hunter showing world as well as diversity and inclusion in the sport. Also, learn more about how Berry trains his students to be the best riders they can be, including his favorite exercises and his training philosophy.
This podcast is sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition, with three research-backed ration balancers to fill nutritional gaps in your horse’s diet. Enrich Plus delivers a concentrated source of protein, vitamins and minerals without unnecessary calories. Enrich Plus Senior features ActivAge Prebiotic Technology and Outlast Supplement for aging easy-keepers. Omega Match is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E, great for horses without access to green grass. Find a ration balancer for your horse at purinamills.com/RationBalancers, or visit your local feed store.
