Brittany Haynie is the owner and trainer at BTH Equestrians and teaches most of the older students and more advanced lessons.  Her equestrian background is diverse and allows her to have a very broad outlook on the care of both her horses and her students. Brittany began riding at age 6 when her parents bought her a little Shetland pony for Christmas.  Without a saddle or bridle Brittany quickly learned balance and finesse in order to stay on.  

   At age 8 formal lessons began and by age 12 Brittany was competing at horse shows all over California and Nevada.   At age 13 Brittany was first made aware of Buck Brannaman and his method with horses that was strongly influenced and modeled after Ray Hunt; this was a turning point in her education and changed the way she approached her horses.  This also influenced her riding style and abilities and by age 15 she was earning top awards regionally on borrowed horses, and at 16 was hired to start colts for a breeding farm in Michigan.  

   After two very cold winters in Michigan, Brittany headed back to California to ride with  a multi-World Champion Morgan horse trainer riding and handling mostly young stock as well as attending shows across the US.  By age 20 Brittany was managing a hunter jumper barn and lesson program.  She regularly competes at USHJA competitions as well as USDF and USEA.  Her love of sport horses has grown and as such Brittany began to seek clinicians and trainers to teach and mentor her.  She now primarily clinics with Buck Brannaman (horsemanship), Jimmy Wofford (eventing), Melanie Smith (show jumping), and George Morris (show jumping).  

   Brittany tries to blend her horsemanship background with the traditional hunt seat equitation and American jumping style to bring riders to a new level of consideration and awareness of their horses. Brittany lends her skill of working with problem horses to her horsemanship experience with Buck Brannaman and horseman like him who offer the best deal they can to every horse every time.  Brittany would like BTH Equestrians to be known as a competitive show barn that offers every horse a well rounded, mentally stimulating, emotionally healthy and physically sound environment in which to thrive.  No horse left behind, and no horse cast away because it does not conform to traditional training techniques.  Brittany can be reached at 916-844-9714 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Hilary Haynie is the beginning lesson instructor at BTH Equestrians, and is also Brittany's younger sister.  Hilary began riding in much the same way Brittany did, with lead line rides on the family's Shetland pony as young as age 3, and then on to more formal instruction as she got older.  Hilary has always loved horses and children and her role as head instructor allows her to blend these loves into a wonderful lesson program.

Hilary has ridden and competed in several disciplines but maintains a passion for the first breed she ever competed, the Arabian.  While she still owns Arabians and competes in endurance and saddle seat, Hilary has a wide variety of knowledge and skills to add to any beginner program.  Hilary prides herself on her ability to teach her students awareness, balance, confidence, and personal responsibility while maintaining a fun and safe environment.

As well as a knowledge of the correct classical seat and American forward seat riding system, Hilary also brings to the table a broad background in stable management, equine care, grooming, feed programs, and all basic medical care and maintenance for the equine athlete.  This additional experience ensures that Hilary's students are well rounded and learn about the sport from the ground up.  All of Hilary's students are well versed equestrians with an understanding of all facets of horse care.  Hilary can be reached at 916-761-8468 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In her own words....

    BTH Equestrians is owned and managed by myself, Brittany Haynie.  Beginner lessons are provided by my younger sister Hilary Haynie, a select few advanced working students.  Horses at BTH Equestrians are generally brought in because owners are looking for an environment in which the horses overall well being is priority.  Many horses come to BTH Equestrians with training issues, behavioral problems, or because a parent values their child learning horsemanship over learning to win ribbons.  While our horses are generally competitive in all rings, winning is a secondary goal to our horses becoming our partners in and out of the arena.

   I do not allow nor do I ever participate in medicating, ear stuffing, or lunging my horses to get the participation I seek from them. The way horses are treated every day is how they will act and react.  The horses will reflect everything about us and everything that we do with them.  It can be a hard thing to see at times, but our horses tell our story better than we ever can.  I firmly believe that horses given the time and correct work they need will become our willing and capable partners without the use of medication or gimmicks.

   I try to teach students to develop a feel for their horse, both physically and emotionally.  I try to impart that good solid basics in horse care, handling, and  riding position make up the bulk of who students will become as horsemen. My goal is to see BTH Equestrians bring classical horsemanship based on the teachings of Ray Hunt, Tom Dorance, Buck Brannaman and the like into the sport horse world and meld this with the classical riding styles of Bert DeNemethy, George Morris, and James Wofford.