Gigha Steinman has been an active rider since childhood. After graduation from the University of Florida in 1996, she started what was then called "GBS Dressage", and was later renamed "Lochinvar Dressage" following the death of her FEI horse Lochinvar in 1998. After training for several years out of Hanover Farm in DeLand, she was able to buy her own farm in 2005, which was christened "River Oaks Farm".
Gigha began her riding career as a child, and will be forever grateful for the solid basics and love for the horse which she learned riding with Baiba Bourbeau. She later rode extensively with Nancy M. Smith (a former member of the USET, a medalist at the Pan Am Games, and short-listed for the 1996 Olympics), whom she still admires greatly. Other noteables whom Gigha has worked with include Hilda Gurney (former Olympian and Grand Prix level trainer), Bo Jena (director of dressage at Sweden's National Stud "Flyinge"), Anne Gribbons (Grand Prix level trainer and international competitor and "O" judge), Tina Drake ("S" judge and FEI level trainer/competitor), and Hannah Johnson (Grand Prix level trainer and competitor.)
Gigha has had much success, and on a variety of different horses. She believes all horses can benefit from dressage training. While not all horses may have the talent to be competitive at the FEI levels, she works to bring out the maximum potential in each individual horse, and she has had much success on some very unlikely horses. She believes good basics and a solid foundation are the keys to success in dressage, and her methods have proven successful time and time again, with numerous National and Regional Year-End Awards and Championships; including Year-End Awards Regionally and Nationally thru FEI level dressage.
Gigha is very active with the Friesian Sporthorse Association, and played a crucial role in the development of this registry, of which she is currently the Executive Director. She is a proud breeder and promoter of Friesian Sporthorses, and fully endorses this registry. She is also an active member of the American Warmblood Society, as their Dressage Representative for Florida and their liason with the FSA, and was named AWS Director of the Year for 2009.
Gigha is also active as a dressage instructor, and judges several schooling shows each year as well. She is also a nationally certified equine appraiser, specializing in dressage and sporthorse appraisals, with a rating of "excellent" from the American Society of Equine Appraisers.
In addition to teaching, training, and judging, Gigha has also written articles and short essays which have been featured on websites and in publications such as Warmbloods Today, Dressage Daily, EuroDressage, MyHorseFly, DressageTheory, Modern Dressage, Horse & Pony, and various newsletters. She was also active for a time, offering tips and training advice via the internet, but she discontinued this because she felt that real training issues are best dealt with hands-on. Gigha has also appeared in magazines such as Halifax Magazine, Hunter & Sport Horse, Horse & Pony,The Centerline, Connections, Equestrian (the national publication of the USEF), and The Chronicle of the Horse.
Some of Gigha's recent articles have included:
- Fact & Fiction about Frozen: the latest pros and cons of using frozen semen (Warmbloods Today, Jan/Feb 2010)
- 70 Days in Oklahoma: the first 70-Day Stallion Test held in North America (Warmbloods Today, March/April 2010)
- Breeder's Point of View: how this tough economy is affecting sport horse breeders (Warmbloods Today, May/June 2010)
- Born to Breed: Should your fancy colt become a breeding stallion? (Warmbloods Today, September/October 2010)
- Breeding for Color: without sacrificing quality (Warmbloods Today, March/April 2011)
- The One and Only Legendary Nico: A unique stallion's life ends tragically (Warmbloods Today, July/August 2011)
- Inspections 101: Should you have your foal inspected? (Warmbloods Today, September/October 2011)
- the popular breeder's series "Best of Bred"
(Read archived issues of Warmblood Today by clicking this link )
Gigha is an active member of the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation), USDF (United States Dressage Federation), AWS (American Warmblood Society (Florida Dressage Representative)), FSA (Friesian Sporthorse Association (Executive Director and Board Member)), and CFD (Central Florida Dressage). She was recently named AWS Director of the Year for 2009.
In the last few years, Gigha has enjoyed success with her Elite Book Friesian Sporthorse stallions "Charleston" and "Lexington", both of which she bought as foals and raised/trained herself. Together she and Charleston won National and Regional Year-End Awards at Training, First, and Third Level, and competed thru Fourth Level, before Charleston was sold. Charleston was also named FSH Horse of the Year 2006. In 2008 Gigha began showing Lexington, wrapping up the year as the 2008 USDF All-Breeds Champion and the 2008 IFSHA National Champion at Training Level. In 2009 she rode Lexington to a 35th place ranking for USDF Horse of the Year, with a year-end median First Level score of 70.526, and being named IFSHA First Level Champions for 2009 and the USDF All-Breeds Champions for First Level 2009. She also won a national USDF All-Breeds Award in 2009 riding the German Warmblood stallion "G Walkabout" (owned by Carrie Simmons). In 2010 she and Lexington competed at Third Level, with scores to 70%+ and wrapped up the year with another USDF All-Breeds win (2010 USDF All-Breeds Champion Third Level) and being named the FSA 2010 High Performance Award Reserve Champions. In 2011 Gigha debuted Lexington at FEI Prix St George as a 7-year-old, and Lexington was named 2011 FSA High Performance National Champion. Together they are currently winning at PSG with scores in the 70's. Check our "News & Updates" page for the most up-to-date information!
Gigha currently lives in Newberry, Florida, outside of Gainesville. She currently trains out of River Oaks Farm (Newberry), and is available for lessons and clinics in the Alachua / Levy County area, and is available for judging in Central and North Central Florida. She is also available for clinics at Hanover Farm (DeLand). Please email for more information.
In the last decade Gigha has also developed an interest in breeding Friesian Sporthorses. She currently owns and stands one of the only approved Friesian Sporthorse breeding stallions in the US (the Elite Book stallion Lexington) and produced her first Friesian Sporthorse foal in 2007. Although she only produces a couple of foals per year, she has enjoyed a great deal of success as a breeder, and has established River Oaks Farm as a leader in Friesian Sporthorse breeding. River Oaks Farm foals have been inspection site winners, FSA National Inspection & In-hand Award winners, and USDF/DSHB Regional Champions. Most noteably, Gigha bred two consecutive National Champion foals (2010 and 2011) by her stallion Lexington.
Gigha pictured with the Champion foal Lily ROF
2011 USDF/DSHB Southeat Regional Champion
2011 FSA Inspection & In-hand National Champion
2011 Inspection site Champion
Bred by Gigha Steinman / River Oaks Farm
Owned by Carrie Simmons / Cornerstone Sporthorses
(pictured with Dean Graham, handler)
Gigha riding Willoughby
8th place Nationally FEI Intermed. 1 (2001)
Champion Region 3 for FEI Intermed. 1 (2001)
Lori Harrison photo
Gigha riding Lexington
Winner of numerous National & Regional Awards thru FEI Prix St George Level.
One of the only approved Friesian Sporthorse stallions in the US.
