instructor tiffany mcwhirter

 My experience in the industry started as a child. I grew up on my family’s farm with my horses. At the age of eight, I began competing in the 4-H, Pony Club, then in the AQHA, ApHC and APHA being a very successful all-around competitor earning multiple high point champion awards over several disciplines. In my late teens until I was 30, I focused primarily on dressage and combined training and brought along a several young horses. Over the years, my background in the equestrian world became very multi-faceted,  I saddle broke young Thoroughbreds for the track for the Gammage family, then galloped and breezed Thoroughbred racehorses with Dicky Austin and Rick Chastain, I also worked for some years as an apprentice to AQHA Multiple World Champion trainer Dave Beatty, and at that same time, was working under Scottsdale National Champion Arabian Trainer Gene Watkins at Belvidere Arabians.   As you can see, my time in various barns, in the saddle, on the road, and ringside has afforded me opportunities to learn from many FEI and Olympian coaches and trainers.  I soaked up as much knowledge as the competitive world could offer. I was teaching lessons under professionals by the time I was 17.  I have operated several successful boarding, training, and lesson facilities.   In my early twenties, I earned a Level II teaching certification from The Certified Horsemanship Association in both English and Western riding.  I served as the Master Instructor and Equestrian Program Director for Camp Skyline before going on to be an Instructor for the Cherokee Outdoor YMCA. My students are successful competitors in various rings on horses exclusively produced by us! Thoroughbred Racehorses continue to be my passion and I continue to promote and advocate second careers for these athletes by using all adopted ex-racers in my program. These athletes are rehabbed, retrained, and shown under watchful eye exclusively by the advanced students in my program!! Students actively compete regionally through the Thoroughbred Incentive Program.