Meet Emily Mainolfi of Platinum Equestrian

Emily smiling on her horse

With a passion for horses and a love for the sport of eventing, Emily Mainolfi of Platinum Equestrian at Torrey Hill Farm in Westmoreland, NH is quickly making a name for herself. Building a program that is centered on the fundamentals of riding, Emily is focused on creating partnerships between horse and rider. We were able to catch up with this busy professional to learn more about her training program as well as get the inside scoop on what has led her to this point in her career.

“I was lucky enough to start riding at the age of three,” the young event trainer says with a smile. “I begged my parents and they first let me take lessons at a 4-H barn; then, a few years later, I transitioned to a hunter/jumper barn. They gave me a wonderful foundation and I was even able to lease my first pony from them when I was eight years old.”

Emily’s equestrian trajectory took a turn, however, when she and her mother took a trip to the Rolex Three-Day Event, now called the Kentucky Three-Day Event, when she was 10 years old. “I have always been an adrenaline junkie, so watching the cross country was literally life-changing for me. Coming from the hunter world, I loved the idea of going out and galloping with my horse,” Emily says with a laugh.

Emily riding cross country

After that enlightening trip to Rolex, Emily dove headfirst into the world of eventing, with the help of her mother. “My mom was an event rider and rode through the intermediate level, she also rode in the Young Rider’s program in the 1980s prior to moving to Massachusetts and taking a 15-year hiatus,” she explains. Emily’s excitement for eventing renewed her mother’s passion, with her mom coaching her through the Preliminary Level. “My mom still comes to all my events and is my eyes on the ground,” Emily remarks with a smile.

“I rode through high school and was fortunate enough to train in Aiken every winter,” Emily says. In addition to her mother, she worked with Suzi Gornall of Ledgefield Farm in Uxbridge, MA, who trained Emily up through Intermediate Young Riders.

After high school, Emily attended the College of Charleston, in Charleston, SC, as a Business major with a concentration in Marketing. “When I graduated, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but honestly, I didn’t think that I wanted to be involved in the horse industry. Riding horses professionally was never the dream. However, I ended up getting a job with an older Rolex rider who was longlisted for the 1996 Olympics, the job fell to me and I haven’t looked back since.”

“Any horse sport can be heartbreaking and discouraging, but it is important to find the joy. Don’t look back and don’t give up; I truly believe that if you love horses and love what you’re doing, you’re going to find a way to make it work.”

“I used to come up and summer here [Southern New Hampshire] when I was in college because my mom grew up in Peterborough and lives in Keene,” Emily explains. “I just love the area and knew that I wanted to return here someday. So, when my fiance and I were looking to relocate, moving to New England was an obvious choice.” 

She started out in a farm in Vermont, sandwiched between two ski mountains, but she quickly decided that she would like to be closer to family. So, in November 2020, the couple decided to make the move to Southern New Hampshire, setting roots in Westmoreland. “Within 6 months, I had filled the barn, primarily through word of mouth, and knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be.”

Emily at home with her animal companions
Emily at home with her barnyard companions

“Starting my barn, the biggest challenge is finding the time to ride my own horses,” Emily says with a laugh. “I am exceptionally fortunate, but we had so many people come in so quickly, that I realized my horses weren’t getting the same personalized attention that the horses in training were getting.” Additionally, finding really good help has been really tough, especially during the pandemic. “I had some phenomenal people that stepped up and helped, and fortunately the barn that I came to had a successful rough board situation,” she continues. “But, in order to truly grow the farm, I need to hire a full-time employee or two to run the day-to-day operations.”

Currently, Emily has a string of talented horses, including her eight-year-old off-the-track Thoroughbred (OTTB), who she recently bumped up to training level. “He feels like riding my retired upper-level event horse,” Emily says. “I wasn’t sure if I would ever have that feeling again once we retired my old competition horse, so I am very excited to see what the future holds for him.” She also owns an Oldenburg yearling prospect with her fiance.

In addition to her personal horses, Emily has a number of horses in training, including many OTTBs. She has also partnered with Balance Point Farm in Marlow, NH, who specialize in breeding athletic draft crosses. This past year she competed a talented young mare for Balance Point; Eleanor, known affectionately as Nora around the barn, who qualified for the Novice Area 1 Championships with Emily in the irons.

“For me, I look at eventing as competing against myself; this has really helped to decrease my overall show anxiety. Instead of focusing on the placing, I aim for lower scores, whether that be a lower dressage score, a clean show jumping round, or fewer time faults on the cross country.”

One of Emily’s favorite activities is training riders and horses to work together as a partnership. “When equestrians who have never ridden with me before come to my farm, I like to go back to the basics. It is important that the horse is engaged correctly from leg and seat to hand,” she says. “My philosophy is that jumping is just flatwork over fences, so if your horse is pushing from behind to the contact, you can truly conquer anything. By utilizing the training building blocks, you can make sure that you and your horse are prepared for anything you will meet on the course. I truly believe that the more balanced you and your horse are as a pair the more successful you are going to be.”

“We have a wonderful group of people (both adults and youth riders) and so many talented horses,” Emily says. “I am already looking forward to next year, I am really excited to see what the future holds.”

Kate Blanchard with her horse Mary

Kate Blanchard, a member of our Sales Team at The Cheshire Horse, has kept her mare Mary with Emily since last fall. “I have had my horse for just over six years now. I love jumping, but because of how much of a challenge she has been for me over the years I never felt comfortable doing so until she had a solid flat foundation,” Kate tells us. “Keeping my horse with Emily was the best decision I could have made in regards to furthering our progress together. In less than a year, Mary and I finally have a consistent and balanced canter after struggling with it for so many years, we are now jumping 2’6″ courses. We also went to our first-ever two-phase and first horse show in five years at the end of June at GMHA. Mary handled it like a pro, even when the cows came out across the street at the beginning of our dressage test!”

Looking to the future, Emily has some big plans for Platinum Equestrian and Torrey Hill Farm. “I would love to continue to grow the farm, with a new outdoor ring and new turnout paddocks. Ultimately, with the help of the owner of the farm, I would like to be able to turn this place into a three-phase facility where we could offer schooling and even small competitions. Frankly, I feel like the area is starved for quality schooling venues; I would love to be able to make cross country schooling more accessible to local equestrians.”

“For me, this business has brought together so many of my passions together. I love meeting new people, I love meeting new horses, and I love making partnerships happen,” Emily concludes. “One of my most favorite things to do is watching a horse and rider come together and have them grow together, not only in ability, but also their love and respect for one another. For me, if you’re having fun and enjoying the ride, then you have been successful!”

We love introducing everyone to our loyal customers! It is fun to learn more about the incredible equestrian community that we are a part of. Are you interested in being a part of our Equestrian Spotlight? Email us at [email protected] to become a part of this blog series.

2 thoughts on “Meet Emily Mainolfi of Platinum Equestrian”

  1. Emily is what we need here. Her enthusiasm and goals of opening a local venue for schooling is just what we need to get more people excited and into the sport.
    Wishing her all the luck.

    Reply

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