About

Liz Hodges’ career in the equestrian world began in 1988 with Ann Thal at Snaffles Farm in Bradenton, Florida. It was there that childhood love of horses developed into a lifelong passion for riding, training, teaching, and horsemanship. Liz grew up in the sport the old-school way-as a true barn rat. Her days were spent riding multiple horses, catch riding anything she was given the opportunity to sit on, grooming, cleaning stalls, caring for horses, and absorbing every bit of knowledge she could. Those years instilled in her a work ethic and respect for horsemanship that continue to define her program today.

While riding with Ann, Liz had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside some of the most respected horsemen and women in the sport, including Susie Schroer, Ronnie Mutch, and gold medalist Kathy Kusner.

As a junior, Liz competed successfully in the hunters, equitation, and jumpers. She concluded her junior career with the Robert Caldwell Memorial Junior Sportsmanship Award and the CFHJA Association Junior Jumper Year-End Championship. Recognition that reflected not only her success in the show ring, but also the horsemanship that had been emphasized throughout her upbringing.

 Liz went on to work for Tinker Harris-Tindley and Ben Tindley of Rolling Acres Farm, where she continued to develop her skills as a rider, trainer, and instructor. She worked extensively with young horses from the farm’s homebred breeding program and was responsible for managing show horses while continuing to ride and compete. The experience gave her an invaluable education in both developing horses and understanding the effort behind producing a successful show program.

Her career later took her to Winchester Stables in Vermont, where she worked for Peggy Dils as one of two head instructors and riders. There, Liz continued developing young and inexperienced horses while working closely with clients to bring along their own horses and achieve their individual goals. During this period, Liz also expanded her experience beyond the hunter/jumper ring, competing through Training level eventing.  She and her clients earned wins and championships at major venues including Saratoga, Vermont Summer Festival, and Fairfield County Hunt Club, among others. She also had the opportunity work and compete regularly with renowned eventing professional, Eric Horgan.

Liz eventually settled in North Carolina around 2003. At a pivotal point in her career, she was offered a riding and teaching assistant position with Olympic gold medalist, Chris Kappler. Ultimately, she chose a different path-building a program and career of her own. Since establishing herself in North Carolina, Liz has developed riders and horses from the ground up. Her students have earned numerous year-end championships from the crossrail divisions through the junior jumpers, qualifying for major equitation finals, Zone finals and earning top 10 finishes. She has also developed horses through the Grand Prix level. Her involvement in the sport has extended beyond training and competition. From 2012 through 2016, Liz served on the USHJA Zone 3 Jumper Committee, contributing her experience and perspective to the development of the jumper sport within the region. In 2013 she was selected as the Chef d’Equipe for the Zone 3 Children’s Jumper team at the USHJA Children’s and Adult Jumper Championships in Atlanta,GA. She returned in 2014 as Zone 3 Chef d’Equipe for the USHJA Children’s and Adult Jumper Championships in Culpeper,VA.

Throughout her career she has continued to value education and mentorship. She has maintained relationships and worked with respected professionals including Ann Thal, Sandra Ruiz and Peggy Jones of Sanmar Farm. Liz was also part of a successful syndicate with several of her clients and Kent Farrington. During that time, Kent became another valuable influence in her career, helping Liz place horses with clients and serving as a trusted sounding board as she continued developing her own business and training philosophy.

Today, Liz owns and operates Elizabeth Hodges Equestrian with her husband, Will Hodges, out of Tres Oaks Farm alongside her father, Jose Salas. Liz and Will are also the parents of three children-Reaves, Alena, and Colby-and their family life is deeply intertwined with the farm and the horses.

Tres Oaks Farm is currently home to approximately 15 horses, with riders competing from the crossrails through the big eq divisions. The program travels throughout the year to competitions across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, and beyond.

At the heart of Elizabeth Hodges Equestrian is the philosophy Liz has developed over a lifetime in the sport: there is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing a horse or rider. Every horse is different. Their goals, strengths, challenges, confidence, and experience are different. Liz believes their training should reflect that. Rather than operating a cookie cutter program, Liz builds an individualized plan for each horse and rider combination. Whether the goal is confidently completing a crossrail course, moving into the equitation ring, developing a young horse, qualifying for a final, or competing at the highest level of the sport, the foundation remains the same: thoughtful training, string horsemanship, hard work, patience, and respect for the horse.

More than three decades after she first walked into Snaffles Farm, those old-school barn-rat lessons remain the center of everything Liz embodies in her program today.