Country Ridge Stables Boarding Clients receive professional instruction under the training of Ashley Hill of Forest Hill Farm. Ashley is dedicated to helping her riders excel and reach their desired goals whether in the Hunter, Jumper, or Equitation divisions in a comfortable, friendly and supportive environment.
Ashley’s love of riding horses started at a very young age. As an amateur Ashley competed in the national finals at Harrisburg and Washington in addition to being one of the youngest qualifiers at the Maclay Finals held at Madison Square Gardens. In 1990 she turned professional working alongside top Hunter/Jumper trainers throughout the midwest till she founded Forest Hill Farm in 1994 where she rode, trained, and managed clients who competed in top-level horse shows around the country.
Ashley’s teaching and riding philosophy is based on the knowledge and experience she has gained in the equestrian industry. She believes that good riding starts with flatwork, and that jumping is simply obstacles put in the way of your flatwork. Flatwork is essential and the base for riding. She also believes that you should never push a horse beyond its limits. Beyond teaching, she manages the training rides, customized supplements per horses needs, and individualized riding plan for each horse and rider.
Ashley is passionate about sharing her love of horses with others, and is committed to providing her clients with the best possible training and experience.
It has always been Sam’s dream to build a career working with horses. She grew up riding hunter/jumpers primarily while also participating in 4-H and other equestrian programs in rural Illinois, developing a strong foundation in equitation, ringcraft, and correct horsemanship from a young age.
Sam’s professional career began in Northern California while earning her bachelor’s degree at Stanford University. During this time, she refined her three-day eventing experience by schooling across elite cross-country facilities in the area and deepening her appreciation of classical dressage with clinicians from around the state, further shaping a training philosophy rooted in consistency, attentiveness, and a genuine love for the horse.
With experience across multiple disciplines, Sam creates confident, well-rounded partnerships built on the balance of dressage, the precision of show jumping, and the athleticism of cross-country. She has worked with a wide range of students and horses—from children just starting to juniors moving up the levels, adult amateurs riding for pleasure, young horses in development, and rehabilitation and retirement cases.
As the owner and head trainer of Mirror Image Equestrian—named in honor of her “heart horse”—Sam offers her clients and their horses the same level of devotion she gives her personal herd.
