Glenn Hartigan has criss-crossed the continent and even the globe so many times he may begin to wonder exactly what time zone he’s in.
But he’s Canadian first and foremost and that’s still the prevailing sentiment.
“I’m a proud Canadian,” he stressed. “I love seeing the flag on the board when I’m riding and I hope to do more for the country as an athlete if I get the opportunity.”
Glenn as an 8-year-old with Odyssey – before hockey distracted him.
Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Hartigan began riding as a youngster when his mother took him and his brother for riding lessons at a local stable. At that point in time, it wasn’t terribly interesting for the young Hartigan and he turned to other sports popular in the Maritimes, such as hockey and canoeing.
“I didn’t pick it up again until I was eighteen,” the 51-year-old recalled. “Ian Millar was at the top of his game back then with Big Ben, there was a lot going on … that’s when I really started and it really hooked me. I was interested in getting better.”
That’s also when he realized that Nova Scotia wasn’t exactly the best place to improve as a rider, so in the early 1990s he moved to Germany where he got a job as a working student at a barn in the south of that country.
The best-known stable he worked at over the years was that of the legendary Paul Schockemöhle. “I learned a great deal riding the young horses,” he said.
During his first stint in Germany, which lasted 10 years, he also received his professional riding licence. “Germany suited me right away,” he explained. “It’s such a big industry there. So many people crazy about the sport; I just loved the lifestyle and the tradition of horse sports in Europe.
“And not just competing – there are auctions every other week, there are stallion approvals, mare testings … there’s something happening at all times of the year. You meet people regularly in riding pants at the grocery store; it’s a little less common here.”
“I just loved the lifestyle and the tradition of horse sports in Europe. You meet people regularly in riding pants at the grocery store.”
While in Germany, he also got his course designer’s licence.
“I was stabling my horses at a facility where the owner was a course designer,” he related. “I figured that was a side of the industry I’d love to learn more about. We were so close to Warendorf, the horse capital of Germany; it was a little serendipity and convenient for me also. I didn’t have to travel out of town to do a horse show or take my testing or do a clinic. It was all in my backyard and I took advantage of that whenever I could.”
From Germany, he got a riding offer in Colorado and moved there for four years. He and his wife Stephanie, who is a German dressage specialist, started their own business, Eurimports Equestrian, and were based out of Atlanta for about eight years.
They moved back to Germany for three years and returned to the US, now living in Virginia where Hartigan is an independent contractor while still running his own business. With his extensive contacts throughout Europe he helps clients select the finest warmbloods for show jumping and dressage, helps with the training, coaching, competition and marketing – and does brisk business distributing premium show jumps as well.
He’s a breeder, rider and teacher, but competitor is his favourite moniker and he has a number of highlights.
“As a young professional you’re happy with any opportunity to get a quality horse,” he noted. “I guess the first one would have been when we qualified for the national championships in Germany with a mare named Liberty’s Girl. It opened some doors to some other nice horses that came along.”
Glenn aboard Picadero 16, winners of the $25,000 Grand Prix at Tryon in mid-November. (TIEC/Natalie Suto Photography)
His first grand prix win was on Coco Cabana, a mare that won several grand prix for him in places like Tryon and Atlanta. He also won the Young Horse Series derby with Just Fly. “The thing that I learned as a professional in Germany was how to train a young horse and bring it up through the levels. That’s what I enjoy doing.”
Most recently, in mid-November, he and Picadero 16 captured the Tryon Resort Grand Prix.
Stephanie and Glenn. (©Purple Horse Designs | Anna Smolens)
“Nicola Dickinson sent me to Germany in July to buy some young talented and experienced horses,” he said, explaining how he ended up with the mount. “I had known Picadero from the last few years living in Germany. My friend Daniel Konemund was riding him. I thought Picadero would be perfect for the American market.
“He’s just been so awesome for us. It’s a fairly new partnership and if I need a horse to jump at high levels he certainly would be my go-to horse.”
With pandemic restrictions easing, Hartigan hopes to visit his family in Canada this winter, then head off to Ocala for some serious jumping. “For me, competition is what keeps me motivated,” he said. “I love the thrill of jumping a talented horse and seeing it progress and winning a nice class like [the Tryon grand prix] is just the icing on a very big cake.”
