Skylar Wireman is nothing short of a prodigy at only 18 years of age. A newly-minted professional in the show ring, she has quickly made a name for herself by winning the $30,000 Marshall & Sterling 1.40m Open Classic at the Desert International Horse Park (DIHP). Not only that, but the day before her victory at DIHP, she won Saturday’s Valencia Saddlery National Grand Prix with Coolio 23.
On Sunday, Wireman and De Laloma took home the win after a time of 29.931 seconds, just barely edging out runners-up Della White (USA) and Giggs with their time of 29.995 seconds; Kaitlin Campbell and Laremo took third place with 30.536 seconds on the clock. Despite not having shown much experience with De Laloma before this event, Wireman proved to be an adept rider and was able to navigate the track efficiently while still setting a fast pace around the ring.
Wireman has seen success in other events as well. Last February, she and Heritage Farm’s Charisma made headlines when they won the World Equestrian Center – Ocala (Florida) Premier Equitation Cup Championship; back in 2020, she also took home first place in the [Platinum Performance/USEF] Talent Search Finals -West aboard Hot Pants.
When it comes to training her horses for competition, Wireman opts for a more low-key lifestyle where flatwork and lateral work are emphasized over jumping drills in preparation for competition. This way, when it comes time to showcase her horse’s skills in the show ring, they are already prepared to perform and don’t need to expend extra energy on getting used to their environment or rider cues during the competition itself.
Wireman puts great emphasis on ensuring that her horses have ‘low-key’ lifestyles outside of competing – meaning lots of turnouts and plenty of rest so that they can stay in top form for competitions without having to stress themselves out too much from additional training or worrying about conditions at shows or other riders’ performances. Her methods are clearly paying off – there’s no denying that Skylar Wireman is one of today’s most promising young equestrians!
