Jill Hassler-Scoop
The Ride for Life Committee has lovingly named the Dancing Horse Challenge after Jill Hassler-Scoop, who was a friend, mentor, and great contributor to the horse world. Jill died of breast cancer in October 2006.
According to Barbara Strawson, one of her students, “Jill's passion was horses. Her mission in life was educating riders to improve the lives of horses. By doing this, not only did she improve the lives of the horses she loved, but she had a dramatic impact on the lives of the riders she taught.” In her memorial to Jill, Lendon Gray stated "For me her greatest of the many contributions she made to the horse world is her marvelous work in educating riding instructors how to be better teachers."
Jill was a graduate “B” of the United States Pony Clubs, Inc., with a background in hunters, equitation, dressage and eventing (even a little western!). She served on the USPC Board of Governors, as a director of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, founder and District Commissioner for the Lanchester and Sunny Hills Pony Clubs, and from 1971 until 1990 offered a Riding for the Handicapped program with the Easter Seal Society of Lancaster County. From 1963 to 1991, Jill owned, managed and taught from Hidden Acres Farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. From 1979 – 1991 Jill worked as an international educational consultant. During this same period Jill had a live-in program for teenagers who loved horses but were dealing with a life challenge. From 1991- 2001, Jill managed Hilltop Farm in Colora, Maryland.
Jill taught many students through their United States Pony Club ratings, as well as National Awards in the American Horse Shows Association, United States Dressage Federation, and the United States Combined Training Association.