Get to Know the Trainer and Owner, Elizabeth Green
Elizabeth Green, better known as Lizzy, began taking hunter jumper lessons at age 4 and competing on the local circuit at age 10 under the instruction of Linda Brown. When Linda retired Lizzy trained with other local trainers and started training young horses. At 15 she began teaching lessons to children and beginner adults, and spent her teenage years as a competitive eventer.
In 1998 Lizzy was hired as a working student by former USEF Eventing team member Beth Perkins. Under Beth’s tutelage, Lizzy was given the opportunity to ride several different types of horses and coach all levels of students. Beth emphasized the importance of dressage and the balance used to improve a horse’s jump, a principle instilled in Lizzy that she adheres to this day. In 2000 Lizzy realized she missed the complexity and strategy found in Show Jumping and she re-entered the Jumper arena under the training of Hugh White of Hugh White Training Stables. Hugh was able to quickly raise the jumps and tighten the track and Lizzy was soon a staple in the Amateur Owner Jumper, Jumper Stakes and Grands Prix on the Northern California circuit.
From 2001-03 Lizzy earned her Bachelor’s degree at UCSC while continuing to compete successfully under the instruction of Dick Widger of Waterford Farms. Widge added to Lizzy’s “bag of tricks” and helped her develop an eye for the very tidy track she and her students are now known for.
Lizzy started her professional career in 2003 as an assistant to Carol Wright of Melodic Farms. With Carol she maintained a private barn of 20 horses while Carol was showing and campaigning her horses. Lizzy kept the horses in show-ready condition and was at Carol’s side to benefit from the insider’s view of this local legend.
In March of 2006 Lizzy became an assistant to Olympic veteran Colin McIntosh and his wife, Toni, of McIntosh Stables. There she helped build their 40-horse program, teaching all levels of horse and rider and managing their care and training programs. She was able to jump back into the show ring and learn the discipline and attentiveness it takes to run a large-scale show barn. She perfected her teaching style which emphasizes positive coaching and detailed instruction.
Lizzy opened Three Horse Farm in December of 2008 with her friend and fellow trainer, Julia Weekes. They shared a vision of a barn that is intimate, fun, and teaches the classical style of riding that they grew up learning. They gave Three Horse Farm a strong start with many successes on the show circuit and training victories at home. In the beginning of 2012, Julia’s life took her in a different direction than the competitive field of hunter-jumpers and handed the reins over to Lizzy.
Lizzy continues to run Three horse Farm with those same principles. She carries a simple motto of “I always want to want to come to the barn.” She has successfully achieved this goal throughout the years by maintaining a community feel at home where barn mates become lasting friends and advocates. She leads her students to competitions where they prove the effectiveness of her training and the rewards of a strong team. She has continued her own training as well bringing along several young horses from their first jumps to stepping around the Grand Prix ring.