Gretchen Lof

Gretchen Lof started Bristol Show Stable when she came out of the junior ranks in 1994. Bristol originated in Tucson where she grew up. Gretchen had a very successful junior career growing up in an equestrian family with her step mother/trainer, Lynne Lof. Growing up in that environment she had the opportunity to ride and train many many horses that most juniors wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to ride. Essentially she has been training since her younger teens as her step mother didn’t ride. Lynne did her best to have Gretchen ride and train with as many other professionals as possible growing up. She spent summers as a working student with different trainers making it possible to pull different philosophies from a broad group of equestrian professionals. She relocated to Phoenix in 2006 to work privately for a family in the valley. In 2015 she bought the facility and opened the business back up to the public. Gretchen has developed many successful junior riders taking them to national finals. She really loves to teach and feels strongly about teaching not just a frozen ineffective position but how to feel what is happening underneath you and how to move naturally with the horse. She feels that balance of your own body and controlling the balance of the horse is key to being an effective and successful rider. (Source)