who we are
Freestyling Farms: Jill & Trevor Gaffney
Jill and Trevor Gaffney combine their love of horses with their more than-40 years of combined experience in the horse world at Freestyling Farms, a high performance equine development and sales program based out of Betavia, OH and Ocala, FL.
Honed by Jill and Trevor's years of experience in the horse industry at the national and international level, Freestyling Farms places an emphasis on horse care and offers a niche specialization in importing, developing, campaigning, and selling elite young show jumping prospects. Freestyling Farms has access to top quality hunter/jumper and equitation horses - both prospects and ring-ready athletes - from the U.S. and abroad.
Receiving the Leading Owner Award at the 2021 USHJA Young Jumper Championships, Freestyling Farms has produced champions in both the nation's 5- and 7-year-old finals. Its program graduates campaign in international show jumping, elite hunter competitions and equitation championships.
Jill Gaffney
A longtime Californian, Jill grew up on the horse show circuits of Northern and Southern California, achieving success as both a junior and professional. She was a stand-out from the start, when she rode to the Reserve Championship in the Large Pony division at the National Horse Show in New York at just eight years old.
Under the tutelage of top hunter/jumper trainers Karen Healy and Nicole Shahinian Simpson, Jill earned top ribbons at all of the major junior equitation finals, including a runner-up finish at the USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals. She also rode the farm's namesake, "Freestyling," to the AHSA National Junior Jumper Championship. Jill is a three-time winner of the "Grand Prix League Rider of the Year" and a two-time member of the North American Young Rider's League. In 1998, she was named "AHSA Junior Equestrian of the Year."
As a professional, Jill has managed, trained and competed internationally, including working for the renowned Stal Tops in the Netherlands; John Gray Stables in Belgium; St. Bride's Farm and Hyperion Stud on the U.S. east coast; and Brookway Stables and Sonoma Valley Stables on the U.S. west coast.
Now running Freestyling Farms alongside her husband, Trevor Gaffney, Jill combines her knowledge, exceptional depth of experience and riding abilities, and a positive energy toward developing equine talent.
Trevor Gaffney
A native of Sligo, Ireland, Trevor Gaffney has spent the majority of his successful equestrian career managing horses and equestrian businesses competing on the international show jumping circuit in Europe. He has collaborated with many top-ranked riders, including Swiss show jumper Paul Estermann at the 2012 Olympic Games and top Irish show jumper Paul O'Shea. While working with Belgian show jumper Philipe le Juene, le Juene won individual gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, and Trevor was the sole manager of his World Champion mount, Vigo d'Arsoulles.
Trevor has his Stage 1 and 2 Certificates in riding, teaching, and horse care from the British Horse Society (BHS A1). In 2007, he was honored as Irish National Groom of the Year. He joined Copernicus Stables in 2012 to manage Saer and Audrey Coulter's international string, basing him in the U.S.
Alongside wife Jill, Trevor now utilizes his experience and incorporates his European training techniques into his approach in both training and horse care at Freestyling Farms.
