Hometown Girl Victoria Colvin Accumulates Victories In Wellington

At only 21 years old, Victoria Colvin’s list of victories in equestrian sport is already longer than many seasoned veterans, having earned championships and awards in prestigious competitions across the country since she was a child. Though Colvin’s reign has extended to multiple states, she rode to many competitive highlights in her hometown of Wellington, adding more sweetness to her success.

Boasting titles in the hunter, jumper and equitation rings, the young professional is a frequent sight in the winner’s circle at South Florida’s top horse shows, and she has already added more trophies to her growing collection since the beginning of the 2019 season.

“It’s so amazing to have grown up in Wellington as an equestrian. Though I may not have realized it when I was younger, I had access to some of the best horses and trainers that the country had to offer, all at my backdoor,” Colvin said. “Now as an adult and a professional, I’m lucky to be able to drive down the street to some of the best horse shows and venues in the country, while so many people travel here from across the world.”

Thanks to her natural talent and consistent eye, Colvin set herself up for industry success following a highly productive junior career as one of the winningest young riders in history. She claimed titles in the 2012 and 2014 annual George Morris Excellence in Equitation Championships, both held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, which instigated her subsequent command of equitation classes, during which time she topped the podium in almost all of the country’s major finals.

Since aging out of the equitation divisions, she has rallied in the hunter and jumper rings, now also training her own students to follow in her footsteps.

Colvin has solidified herself as a formidable force, and some of her best showings have been on home turf. In 2019 alone, Colvin triumphed aboard Brad Wolf’s Private Practice in the hotly contested $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular at WEF, her fifth time winning the flagship event, and subsequently rode Meralex Farm’s El Primero to the top prize in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby during the Palm Beach Masters Series’ Deeridge Derby, where she defended her title as the reigning champion.

“This winter show season has been an incredible one for me. After our team’s achievements in 2018, to be able to return in 2019 and repeat some of those successes has affirmed our efforts,” Colvin said. “Last year, we had one of our best show seasons in Wellington to date, so that set a high bar for this year, but I’m proud to say that we have been able to continue our success.”

During the 2018 WEF, Colvin was awarded the status of WEF Overall Hunter Rider after navigating 18 horses to champion or reserve champion honors 29 times in a variety of hunter divisions. In the jumper ring, she raced to the top in the $25,000 Hermes U25 Grand Prix Team Event as the only double clear in the irons aboard John and Stephanie Ingram’s I Love Lucy, and later won the $25,000 CP National Grand Prix with Neil Jones Equestrian’s Clochard, despite having only recently sat on the horse for the first time.

“Some of my best memories have happened in Wellington, including some of my big horse show firsts. As someone who makes her living as an equestrian, there is no place better to build a business and grow in your career,” Colvin said. “More than just my hometown, Wellington is where I have grown as an equestrian and ridden to a number of achievements, so it will always be a special place for me.”

Colvin aptly made her debut appearance in Grand Prix competition in Wellington. At the young age of 13, she navigated Rivers Edge’s Monsieur Du Reverdy to the lead spot in the victory gallop in the $25,000 ESP Spring 6 Grand Prix ahead of 30 other seasoned competitors as a rookie to the class. Since then, the 21-year-old has been a contender in many more upper-level classes in Wellington, sometimes besting counterparts more than double her years from countries across the globe.

As a thriving competitor and trainer, Colvin has made a name for herself on the international stage, all from her hometown. With so many local and national opportunities for greatness at her disposal and a long list of victories bolstering her career, she has certainly taken advantage of all that Wellington’s equestrian scene has to offer.