Hunters & Equitation
Founder, Head Coach and Instructor (All Programs) at Elevanstar
Visit his website: elvenstar.com
Phone: (805) 529-2800
jameshagman@elvenstar.com
A native resident of Ventura County, James Hagman built Elvenstar from the ground up. As founder, he not only literally laid the foundation, but also initiated and developed each aspect of the business.
For more than a quarter of a century, Jim’s training and coaching excellence has played a role in a long list a successful riders including top placings and wins at the most successful competitions in North America, from Spruce Meadows in Calgary Alberta, Canada to the prestigious ASPCA Maclay National Medal Finals in New York, champion hunters at the competitive indoor shows including Washington International Horse Show, Pennsylvania National Horse Shows and the United States Equestrian Federation National Pony Hunter and Equitation Finals along with numerous wins and championships in the top West Coast USEF Talent Search Finals and WCE Finals.
As an excellent communicator, Jim’s systematic teaching emphasizes the art of communication between the horse and the rider. His teaching style is positive and enthusiastic, with an emphasis on building confidence and tact. With an extensive and varied horsemanship background from Western to dressage, Jim has been taught and mentored by some of the world’s elite traditional and professional horseman. He has a working relationship with many of the elite coaches and trainers in North America as well as in Europe and Latin America.
Jim has been featured in many national magazines including Practical Horseman and the Chronicle of the Horse amongst others. He is also a part time coach at Stanford University. See more articles and excerpts about Elvenstar over the years in In The News.
National Achievements:
Hunter Division
- Grand Champion – Junior Hunter, Washington Intl Horse Show, Washington, D.C. (Olivia Esse & Illusion)
- WCHR Emerging Professional Championship, Capital Challenge Horse Show, Washington, D.C. (Marla Amormino)
- Champion (2 times) – Junior Hunter Classic, Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Harrisburg, PA (Katie Gardner & Amadeus, Olivia Esse & Country Grammar)
- Champion – Junior Hunter Classic, National Horse Show, New York, NY (Elsa Horrigan & Rainland Prince)
Equitation Division
- Reserve National Champion -Eiser/ Pessoa AHSA Hunter Seat Equitation Finals, Harrisburg, PA (Katie Gardner)
- Top 12 (6 times) – ASPCA Maclay National Championship, New York City, NY (Katie Gardner 4x, Elsa Horrigan, Morgan Taylor)
- Top 10 (3 times) WIHS Equitation Classic, Washington D.C. (Katie Gardner, Elsa Horrigan)
- Champion & Reserve Champion – National Children’s Medal Final, Capital Challenge Horse Show, MD (Shelby Wakeman, Whitney Coleman)
- Champion – Equitation 15 yr old division – Capital Challenge Horse Show, Washington, D.C. (Katie Gardner)
- Reserve National Champion (Stanford Equestrian Team)
- National Champion -IHSA Cacchione Cup (Sarah Willeman)
Jumper Division
- Team Silver Medal / Individual Bronze Medal – USEF National Junior Jumper Championship, Harrisburg PA (Katie Gardner)
- Team Silver Medal and Individual Bronze Medal – NAJYRC Championships (Katie Gardner)
- Champion, 16-year-old Equitation, Morgan Geller, Capital Challenge Horse Show, Washington, D.C.
- Champion, North American Flat Equitation Championships, Morgan Geller, Capital Challenge Horse Show, Washington, D.C.
- Reserve Champion, North American Junior Equitation Championship, Morgan Geller, Capital Challenge Horse Show, Washington D.C.
- USEF Hunter Seat Equitation Finals, Harrisburg, PA, Morgan Geller 8th place in 2011, Rachel Thurman 11th place in 2009
- Qualified for Emerging Athlete Program, National level, Henley Adkins
Complete list in Legacy of Excellence.
Industry Involvement:
Board of Directors:
California Professional Horsemen’s Association (CPHA)
Los Angeles Horse Show Association (LAHSA)
Pacific Coast Horse Association – Equitation Committee (PCHA)
Board of Directors – Past:
San Fernando Valley Horse Show Association (SFVHSA)
Tri-Valley Horse Show Association (TVHSA)
City of Thousand Oaks Equestrian Advisory Panel
United States Equestrian Federation National Equitation Committee (USEF)
Consultant, Stanford University – Collegiate Equestrian Program and Facility Design
James Hagman’s Video Topics:
Oval Exercise
Join Jim Hagman and his rider Katie Gardner aboard the beautiful young hunter, Crush, as they demonstrate one of Jim’s favorite exercises. This oval exercise has multiple benefits, helping the rider to sharpen lateral and diagonal aids, fine tune stride adjustment while brightening the horse’s jump and landing the lead.
Running Time: 9 minutes and 56 seconds
Teaching the Automatic Release – The Hagman Formula, Part 3
The automatic release is an essential skill in every good rider’s toolbox. The use of it promotes a soft elastic connection with the mouth that follows the horse’s neck (bascule) over a jump. Additionally, the automatic release or following arms, illustrates the independence of the rider’s seat and legs. In this topic Jim Hagman, founder and head coach of Elvenstar (one of the West Coast’s most successful show stables), presents his formula for introducing and perfecting this, the most advanced release. Joining Jim as demonstrator is his superstar student, Sydney Hutchins, whose mastery of the automatic release was evident recently during her two giant wins – the 2014 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West and the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Regionals West!
Running Time: 6 minutes and 31 seconds
Click Here to view the other videos in Jim’s Automatic Release series.
Teaching the Automatic Release – The Hagman Formula, Part 2
The automatic release is an essential skill in every good rider’s toolbox. The use of it promotes a soft elastic connection with the mouth that follows the horse’s neck (bascule) over a jump. Additionally, the automatic release or following arms, illustrates the independence of the rider’s seat and legs. In this topic Jim Hagman, founder and head coach of Elvenstar (one of the West Coast’s most successful show stables), presents his formula for introducing and perfecting this, the most advanced release. Joining Jim as demonstrator is his superstar student, Sydney Hutchins, whose mastery of the automatic release was evident recently during her two giant wins – the 2014 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West and the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Regionals West!
Running Time: 7 minutes and 32 seconds
Click Here to view the other videos in Jim’s Automatic Release series.
Teaching the Automatic Release – The Hagman Formula, Part 1
The automatic release is an essential skill in every good rider’s toolbox. The use of it promotes a soft elastic connection with the mouth that follows the horse’s neck (bascule) over a jump. Additionally, the automatic release or following arms, illustrates the independence of the rider’s seat and legs. In this topic Jim Hagman, founder and head coach of Elvenstar (one of the West Coast’s most successful show stables), presents his formula for introducing and perfecting this, the most advanced release. Joining Jim as demonstrator is his superstar student, Sydney Hutchins, whose mastery of the automatic release was evident recently during her two giant wins – the 2014 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West and the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Regionals West!
Running Time: 6 minutes and 37 seconds
Click here to view the other videos in Jim’s Automatic Release series.