LeRoy Mattingly
LeRoy is part of the team here at HH Performance Horses. His knowledge and years of experience of the English riding discipline is brought to us from the East Coast.
LeRoy was born, raised, and continues to live part time in Southern Maryland, near the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Growing up in Maryland, he spent most of his free time English riding, showing in the Hunter ring, trail riding, Fox Hunting, and he even worked for a while with Thoroughbred racehorses. His Grandfather was a local blacksmith, as they were called back in the day, and his Father never could understand what Roy (what his family calls him) saw in horses. This was because, as a young man, his Dad prepared the horses feet for shoes, held the horses and kept the coals hot by turning the bellow. Well as one can imagine, after doing that most of your life growing up, his Dad really had no more use for a horse. But, Roy never could rid the horse fever.
Roy works for the Navy full time and has an abundance of education from Trade and Technical schools to College. His love is and has always been horses. From a very young age, he would go to all of the Fairs, Parades, and Carnivals and ask folks who had horses, for a ride. Then one day a friend of his Dad’s asked him to come ride, and the love affair began. Roy became known as a “first hand” around horses, and was respected and admired by other horseman. He spent many years in English riding, to include Lessons, Dressage, Polo, Showing, Jumping, and trained in Ireland. Then he decided that he wanted a break from all of the things that he was successful in achieving. So, he began Fox Hunting, or better said is Fox Chasing. As one can read, Roy doesn’t leave many stones unturned, so he became deeply involved with a Fox Hunt in Southern Maryland. This became his second job for many reasons. The first was his love of the horse, the second his love of the hounds, and thirdly, his devotion to the Fox. His riding ability carried him quickly to the top. He worked on the Staff as a whipper-in. He found himself riding out in the open, galloping over fences, cantering the impossible jump, trotting in the marshes and swamps, and learning to deal with horses over water, up hills, and found himself in many difficult situations with his horse. He learned to ride for hours in the saddle, and can tell you all about the two point position and being ready for the next jump.
As you can read, LeRoy has a story to tell. With his experience and education, he can help one improve their riding ability, equitation, and can even instill the confidence that one needs to transition from the Western style to the English style, and back again.
Roy is now officially a Cowboy, as he now rides the Western discipline, but with his English style. He is now Ranch Sorting along with Holly and Douglas, and has attended Western-riding clinics, and weekly sorting practices at Watterson Ranch.
