Eventer, Race Car Driver, and TV Broadcaster
Rider Name:
- Liz Halliday-Sharp
Farm or Biz Name:
Home Bases:
- Horsepower Equestrian – Ocala, Fl.
- Chailey Stud Equestrian Center – East Sussex, England
Disciplines:
- International 3 Day Event Rider
- Race Car Driver
- TV Broadcaster
Bio:
Liz Halliday-Sharp is becoming well known in the USA and abroad, not only as a top level event rider, but also a professional race driver in sports car and GT endurance races. Born in California, Liz moved to England in 2000 as a working pupil for William Fox- Pitt and she was based with him for 3 years before joining Jo Meyer at his operation for 7 years. Now out on her own, she splits her time between Horsepower Equestrian Center in Ocala and Chailey Stud Equestrian Center in East Sussex England.
Most recently she has refocused her energy to her eventing career, with hopes to be selected for a future Pan Am, WEG or Olympic eventing team. Due to her diverse background in two different sports at a high level, she is also a sports commentator and presenter and she is the co-host of The Eventing Radio Show with another international event rider, Paul Tapner.
Influential Horses:
- Fernhill By Night
- HHS Cooley
- Bally Supreme
- Red Letter Day
Bally Supreme (stable name Cheese) was Halliday-Sharp’s break out horse who she found while she was based with William Fox-Pitt towards the end of 2000.
“He took me around my first intermediate up through 3* level and he had a heart of gold. At Boekelo he was one of only 15 who jumped double clear in our first CCI3*. Honestly he didn’t have the scope for Advanced. He wasn’t the prettiest jumper but he just kept going, even if he had to climb over it… He was my road to Advanced in just one year and we literally learned it all together which I think is so important– I owe so much to Cheesey and his huge heart!”
Greatest Moments:
Two years ago she took a gamble and flew to the Galway Downs CCI3*(from England) with HHS Cooley who at the time was still a bit green at the 3* level and had just made the minimal qualification requirements. They jumped around double clear and finished 3rd, putting them on the map in the US. “This got me on the high performance list for the first time, which felt like a real accomplishment because I’ve mostly had to produce my horses up (the levels) myself – I’ve had Cooley from the beginning of his eventing career and I always believed in him, so its really great when it works out”
Next Up:
“Earlier in my career I was traveling a lot racing cars and eventing, splitting my time between two sports. Now it’s time to focus on the horses while I have a chance to see what I can do with this sport and while we are able to make a business of it. My real dream is to ride for my country at a major championship, and that requires a lot of hard work and focus.”
US Events:
- Ocala Horse Properties
- Wellington Showcase
- Pine Top
- Carolina
- The Fork
- Rolex
Targeted European Events:
- Tattersalls
- Millstreet
- Burghley
- Hartpury
- Blenheim and/or
- Boekelo
Why Ocala:
Liz was connected with Chris and Rob Desino, along with Matt Varney, of Ocala Horse Properties who helped her find the farm that is now home to Horsepower Equestrian.
“We wanted to make an investment in property here in the states and Ocala is a great location to base our equestrian sales business for half the year. We bring horses here to the US who are competitive in the European market and that we feel have a lot of talent. We are trying to do an honest job bringing good quality horses here to the states. Richard Sheane from Cooley Horses is my partner in the business and stands behind all of the horses that we have here.
“We chose Ocala based on a lot of research into different areas of the country and eventually we decided that there could be a real investment opportunity with a horse farm in Ocala, both from a business and competition stand point. We love Ocala and we hope to spend many winters to come in this great part of the world!”
