Sweet Briar Riding has hired two new instructors, Ian McCartney and Jason Berry. Both will start in July and will begin teaching in the fall of 2009.

Ian McCartney

McCartney joins Sweet Briar as a riding lecturer with a broad range of experience. Over the past 12 years he has been an instructor and professional rider in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. His students and horses have competed successfully at major horse shows in the Northeast, including Old Salem Farm and Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) in New York State and the Fairfield County and Ox Ridge hunt clubs in Connecticut.

In addition to competing in the hunter, jumper and equitation rings, McCartney encourages his students to develop as complete riders by taking them to hunter paces, hunter trials and foxhunts. He believes in a patient approach and progressive system of training for horses and rider. He enjoys teaching and is always challenging his students to think for themselves and understand the "whys" of riding.

McCartney graduated from Alfred University, where he rode and competed in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association open division. He also spent three years working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Jason BerryBerry will assume one of the three riding fellowships. He began his riding career under the tutelage of Olin Armstong in Staunton, Va., where he helped train young horses for sale and showed them at the regional level. In 2001 he relocated to Virginia Beach and worked for Chris Wynne of Breckenridge Manor coaching amateur and junior riders on a regular basis and preparing their horses.

During the 2002 show season, Berry was given the opportunity to ride for Beaver River Farm of Camden, S.C., and showed their horses in the professional hunter divisions at most of the major horse shows on the East Coast. Since 2003, he has established himself as a top young riding professional in Virginia and has ridden and shown horses for three of Virginia's top show stables, Meadow Bluff Farm, November Hill Farm and Cismont Manor Farm.

While still riding for outside clients, Berry owns and manages Jason Berry Stables LLC of Verona, Va., an operation he began in 2007 with his wife Alisa Cline Berry, Sweet Briar Class of 2003.

Berry has made it his priority to work with well-respected horsemen throughout his career and he will bring a strong work ethic and a dedication to making each horse and rider the best they can be. He will work with the other instructors to continue the development of the College's jumper and jumper equitation program, as well as riding and re-schooling horses for Sweet Briar students.