Beth Kirtley-Moore - Trainer & Lesson/Show Manager Beth is FireAnt Farm's lead trainer and the Manager of our extensive lesson and show program. Beth brings over 25 years of experience working with all levels of riders in all types of shows. She works with young riders to advanced riders of all ages and experience. Beth has been instrumental in making our lesson and show program one of the finest in the state of Florida for the last 12 years leading the lesson and show program at FireAnt Farm.
race horses under supervision from Don Stewart and Pat Dodson to train them to be excellent show and riding horses. Beth was active in Equitation, Medals and qualified for the Maclay and USET finals. Her true passion at that time was 3 day Eventing and pony clubbing. Under the instruction of Jimmy Wafford and Jeanine Malone, Beth participated in National Pony Club and Jr. Olympics. In the late 70's she relocated to Florida and completed her Masters in Special Education at Florida Sate University. In the early 80's while teaching special education, she began riding with GeorgeAnn Powers competing in Hunters and Equitation. She relocated again to West Palm Beach School District for another teaching position and began riding with Ronnie Mutch where she seriously entered the very competitive world of jumpers. In the early 90's she completed her doctoral program in Administrative Supervision and Curriculum Design at the University of South Florida with her final dissertation as Project: Ride. This is a school based therapeutic riding program of which there were only two in the nation at the time. Continuing to ride with GeorgeAnn Powers, and managing the Project: Ride program in Florida, she was encouraged by GeorgeAnn to become a professional as her true passion was in helping teach young people to learn to ride and succeed competitively. Joy Bartlin - Trainer Joy is our young rider specialist and while she works with all levels of riders, she has an extraordinary ability to bring out the best in young beginning riders up to advanced young riders. She brings over 20 years of riding and training experience to the FireAnt Farm lesson and show team and has been at our stable for 3 years now. Joy has been riding since the age of 10, showing successfully in hunters as a teenager, and then again as an adult. Joy has been extremely successful with her students at PCHA, Sumter, & LAJUF with many Champions and Reserve Champions. Her special gift has been at taking the beginner rider and bringing them along to the show ring. Joy enjoys teaching and also spends lots of time in the saddle working with horses in training. Joy is a long time USEF member. John Mann - Trainer John is our advanced/show rider training specialist bringing over 50 years of showing, training and riding experience to the FireAnt Farm team. John has been working with FireAnt Farm riders for over 10 years, works with our intermediate and advanced riders. John has been influential in the success our resident 2009 GOHJA Open Jumper Champion rider and horse, Kaitlyn Granger on Going my Way. John grew up on Long Island in the Hunter, Jumper, Thoroughbred Racing world of the 50's & 60's. As a young rider John foxhunted and showed locally on Long Island. His father Bernie Mann had one of the top Jumper/Hunter Show Stables in the northeast. This group of horses included many of the top horses of the era, Most notably the Hall of Fame Jumper "Rivera Wonder". Through his father, John developed an association with many of the top riders and trainers of the day including; Al Fiore, Dave Kelly, Bill Stienkraus, Victor Hugo Vidal, Captain Vladimir Littauer and Gordon Wright. He started showing on major circuits in 1956 & 57 including the Virginia Pony circuit under the training of Terri Jenkins, riding the successful Medium Pony Hunter" Snow Waltz" to many big wins and championships. In 1958 he started showing horses and competed aboard "Bellezebub". In 1959 Bellezebub was 5th in the AHSA (now USEF) High Score Award for Junior Working Hunter. In 1960 Bellezebub won the AHSA High Score Award and together they were champion or reserve at most of the major shows they went to, including Devon, Fairfield Hunt Club, Ox Ridge and Piping Rock. That same year at the Devon Horse Show, John won the AHSA Medal and was named Best Child Rider. In 1960 John was both an AHSA Medal and Maclay finalist at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden. While attending C.W. Post College in the mid 60's John rode professionally for several owners including Old Mill Farms of Brookville, Long Island, NY. Old Mills Hunters were consistently winners on the Long Island & Connecticut circuits. As a junior rider John was very fortunate to have ridden with several of the top equitation trainers of the day including Gloria Fiore, Captain Littauer and Gordon Wright. In the 1968 his interests expanded to include Thoroughbred racing and was the Assistant Trainer for A.A. Fiore Racing stables at Belmont Park. In 1973 relocated to New Mexico and rode as an amateur for his father on the Southwest Circuit. John moved to Florida in 1999 and has been involved in teaching equitation, hunter training and schooling green horses. John has been working with students and horses at FireAnt Farm since 2001. John trains our students using his knowledge of Classic Hunt Seat Equitation, and works with starting green horses using what he learned from the great trainers and riders he has been associated with over the years, always adapted to today's showing and training environment. John trains all levels of riders and works with all types of horses. |
Trainer Bios
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