Virginian Chris Wynne Invited to Judge at 2011 wihs

Article and Photos by Diana De Rosa from the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of Horse Talk Magazine

Chris Wynne was born and raised in Virginia. He went to college there, worked at a variety of horse farms in Virginia and today continues with his Breckenridge Manor stables in his home state. After spending most of his life in and around the horse shows in Virginia, he knows just about everyone. “It’s like spending time with your family when I  go to shows in Virginia,” he explained. “We are all competitive but everyone is friends. As a kid when I went to the shows I always felt safe because I knew they were watching out for me. Now I have two kids, Justin is 15 and Colton is 12. When my kids go to the shows with me, I know they are being looked out for as well.”

A Virginia Beach native, Chris grew up in Chesapeake and had a very successful junior career riding in both equitation and hunters with Pam Baker at Hillcrest Farms. He  qualified and competed at Indoors several times. After graduating in 1986 from James Madison University with a BA in business he continued on with his passion for horse. For 22 years Chris leased various barns throughout Virginia Beach to house his ever-growing clientele. (Horses and riders under his tutelage have won many USEF, state and local championships.) In 2009 Chris, with the help of his wife, Jenna, and his parents, Werdna and Pat Wynne, achieved his lifelong dream of building Breckenridge Manor, a full-service show barn and training facility located in Virginia Beach. He refers to the people at his farm as the “Breckenridge Manor Team” and on his web site he explains it this way: “A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team. Teams normally have members with complementary skills and generate synergy through a coordinated effort which allows each member to maximize his or her strengths and minimize his or her weaknesses.”

He ultimately decided to add judging to his list of credentials, and in 1992, became an 'R' rated USEF judge in hunters, jumpers and equitation. His knowledge and reputation for fairness have offered him the opportunity to judge some of the country’s largest and most prestigious horse shows. On a regular basis you will find Chris around the country at shows in Ocala, Wellington, Toronto, Atlanta and other states.

While horses are the driving force in his life, Chris is also an avid fitness guru who goes to the gym on a regular basis, as well as a sports enthusiast, who enjoys the fact that when rooting for the Dallas Cowboys he can do it as a fan without the pressure of the show ring where you are rooting for a horse or child. “It’s something I can do just for fun,” he explained.

This year Chris was invited to add judging the Washington International Horse Show to his list of credentials, something he is very much looking forward to. We chatted with Chris about his past and present life with horses and his thoughts about the Washington International.

Q: Tell us about your horse background.

CW: I started riding when I was six years old. At nine I began showing and rode with Pam Baker at Hillcrest Farm. As a Junior I competed on the “A” show circuit. When I was 24 I began working and running Breckenridge Manor. I graduated from James Madison University and worked for a year at Southern Seminary Jr. College as the

Q: What is the first time you remember being on a horse?

CW: I don’t totally remember but the pictures show me riding lead line when I was very young in a Western saddle.

Q: What is it about horses that gave you the horse bug?

CW: When you reward a horse for performing well, then they want to perform well! Horses want to please you, and if you work WITH them they teach you many life lessons. For example: you realize how crucial patience is in the equation, because when you are patient the end result is achievement.

Q: Did you ever compete at WIHS and if so what was it like?

CW: I sure did. The first time I competed was when I was ten years old. I was riding a small pony. Then as a junior I competed for four years on Bandit, a 15.2H, bay Thoroughbred gelding. Over the past 15 years I’ve also shown various customers’ horses in the professional divisions.

Q: What has been your greatest riding achievement overall?

CW: I really believe that bringing a young horse along to be successful at whatever level it can achieve is a great accomplishment, whether it’s a local horse or a winner at Indoors. To me that has always been my goal and my greatest achievement.

Q: What was your greatest WIHS achievement?

CW: My greatest riding achievement was to win a class as a professional at WIHS on a horse we had brought up from the baby green division. Madison, a 17H, bay Warmbloodcross gelding, owned by Joanna Nelson, won a Second Year Green over fences class and tied for the Reserve Championship.

As a trainer, I am always proud of my students for qualifying for WIHS; it takes a great deal of dedication, hard work, and talent, just to get “the letter.” (WIHS sends out a letter letting people know they have qualified. The riders wait in anticipation of that “letter.”)

My highest achievement as a trainer came in 2009 when one of my junior riders, Taylor Shearin, won a blue ribbon over fences in the Older Large Junior division. Taylor’s mare, Rejoice, was green when the Shearin’s purchased her, and so I was proud of how far both the student and the horse had progressed in just a few short years.

Q: Now you will be judging the hunters at WIHS. What's it like to be on the "other side"?

CW: This will be my first opportunity to judge the Washington International Horse Show. There is pressure on both sides. Judging is really just the opportunity to reward really great horses; whereas, showing is the opportunity to showcase the horse’s ability to its utmost. It will be very exciting to watch my peers, their students, and our nation’s greatest horses compete and to give my opinion on the way they go over those couple of days.

Q: In the scheme of things, what does it mean to you to judge at WIHS?