Extraordinary Equestrians: One Hunter Jumper’s Story of Resilience and Triumph

Extraordinary Equestrians: One Hunter Jumper’s Story of Resilience and Triumph By: Alicia N Martin   Passion. It not only defines us as a species, but for many, it can be the singular driving factor in our lives. What is life without passion, after all? Many of us spend our entire lives searching for what inspires us, for what our souls yearn to create or partake in, while others, the lucky few, stumble upon their passion purely by chance. Such is the case for one endlessly enthusiastic equestrian, Adrianne Hauger Barrett of West Sayville, New York. From a very early age, Barrett knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that horse riding would become her life. "I loved it," Barrett explained. "I loved it more than anything." From the age of just five, Barrett would tag along with her elder sister, Anita Louise, and her sister's friend, Diane, who owned a small pony the girls would all fuss over and ride. It was those early years that solidified Barrett's desire to ride. "My sister really got me [into horse riding] hook, line and sinker," she reflected. From then, it was just a matter of getting riding lessons. Barrett's parents were fully supportive of her getting lessons, but finding the right trainer proved to be difficult. "I'm really short," laughed Barrett. Today, she stands just shy of 4'5", but when she was a young child, the trainers had trouble taking her desire seriously. "Some were like 'well, you know, you're too little. You really can't ride.'" But she never let that stop her. After several lackluster potentials, Barrett and her parents finally found their one in a million trainer: the 'Galloping Grandfather' himself, Harry de Leyer. Known worldwide as the trainer who turned an old plow horse named Snowman, condemned to the slaughterhouse, into an international jumping sensation, de Leyer spent his later years training horses and teaching students how to ride. Those that knew Harry, knew him as a focused, no-nonsense man. If you wanted to do something, you did it. And if you fell off the horse, in this instance quite literally, you'd brush yourself off and get right back on. "He was like 'you're gonna ride. You're going to work very hard.'" Barrett recalled. "With Harry, you rode. You never said you were afraid; you never said no." 

And rode she did. At Hollandia Farms in St. James, New York, Barrett worked tirelessly for many years to become the best at what she loved most: jumping. Under the strict tutelage of de Leyer, Barrett not only followed the path to mastering jumping, but the hunter discipline as well, but it was always jumping that captured her attention most. She grew up riding with de Leyer's eight children, and during summers she lived at Hollandia Farms, eating, drinking and breathing in everything equestrian. She did everything herself, too. “With Harry, I did everything,” said Barrett. “I carried my stool, I brushed the horses myself, I would tack up myself. He taught me how to be tough,” she affirmed. “He taught me how to really ride.” Eventually, de Leyer convinced Barrett's father that she needed a custom riding saddle with adjusted stirrups so she could ride more safely and with increased comfort. Later, the Galloping Grandfather insisted that Barrett needed her own horse as well, a stunning black beauty named Little Bit’s Boy. As time passed, Barrett soon found herself at the prestigious Knox School located in St. James. Founded by Mary Alice Knox in 1904, The Knox School was originally an all-girls institution, however, in 1973 the school became co-ed and today is Long Island's oldest established private school. The well-known and highly coveted equestrian program at The Knox School is the school's oldest continuous sports activity, and at one point was headed by - you guessed it - Harry de Leyer. After graduating from The Knox School, Barrett attended both Southern Seminary Junior College and Lake Erie College, studying elementary education and animal science concurrently. You’d think that studying full time and getting out into the great big world would have put an end to Barrett’s equestrian side pursuits, but you’d be gravely mistaken. Her love for horses and horse riding was truly insatiable. “It's not just a hobby,” she explained. “It's everything to me.” Barrett trained with de Leyer for many years, pushing herself to jump higher and higher hurdles, and under his careful eye she went on to win several jumping competitions and shows. After de Leyer passed in 2021, Barrett struck out to find her next trainer: Jeanne Hawkins Bishop of Evening Wind Farms in Riverhead, New York. It wasn’t easy, though. “I went through so many trainers,” she reflects. All of them saw her height as an obstacle. Much like de Leyer, though, Bishop gave Barrett exactly what she needed most: a chance. “She doesn’t baby me,” Barrett said, laughing. “She works me really, really hard.” It was around this time that Barrett set out to find her next horse, Toppi Top. After perusing the internet, she stumbled across an ad for a handsome, blue-eyed Westphalian in Germany, and Barrett instantly fell in love. She quickly paid for the young horse, whom she nicknamed Toppi, to be shipped from Germany to New York. “He's just incredible,” she said. Toppi Top was named Horse of The Year in 2023 for the USHJA 2’ hunters division, placed 5th overall in CHJA in the training hunters and was FWPHA champion in the schooling pony hunters. Similarly, Barrett was FWPHA champion in the pre-adult equitation. In addition to that, Barrett and Toppi gathered multiple champion wins at the Fairfield County Hunt Club – Stables Horse Show back in April 2023, taking home all the blues in the USHJA/CHJA Training Hunters division, with Barrett being named champion of the Adult Equitation O/F in the 2’ Division. Currently, Toppi Top is up this year for the USHJA 2’3 hunters Horse of the Year. When not working as a Sales Executive for Atlas Maintenance or completing rounds as a nursing assistant, you can often find Barrett either training or competing with her cherished horses, Toppi Top and Prospect (her elderly gentleman of a thoroughbred), or hanging out with her beautiful family and beloved Jack Russell terrier