Kent Farrington Top Show Jumper A New Breed Of Equestrian From his home and farm in Wellington, Kent Farrington trains for international competitions and teaches an exclusive clientele of aspiring riders. He combines being a professional athlete with being a business professional that many in the industry point to as a winning combination for the next generation of successful show jumpers. At age 33, Farrington is considered one of the world’s top show jumping riders: number one in the United States on the Rolex/USEF rankings and top ten in the world on the Longines FEI list. Farrington chose this route. He wasn’t born into an equestrian family or brought up on the circuit. With limited resources, he did it the hard way with passion, dedication and perseverance. Farrington credits his success to a wide community of people who have taken an interest in him — from local trainers where he began, to the professional riders who are his peers today. When he was eight, Farrington saw a picture of his mother Kent Farrington, shown here at Angelstone in Canada, had a great 2013 season. He has big plans for 2014 and beyond. PHOTO BY VICTORIA CLERMONT
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February 2014 |wellington the magazine| 10th Anniversary
riding a horse — and that’s all it took. Soon afterward, he began riding at a carriage stable in his hometown of Chicago. Kent raced ponies, evented and was a Pony Clubber. As his skills accelerated, he rode in his first Grand Prix at age 16 and won the AHSA Medal Equitation Finals in 1998 at age 18. Farrington won several more national titles as a junior rider, including the Washington International Junior Jumper Championship and the team gold medal at the North American Young Riders Championship. From the beginning, Farrington was a determined and focused contender on the Grand Prix tour, winning his way into the $1 million club for Grand Prix prize money earnings in