Jacop Pope had a successful junior career, winning the 2011 USHJA Emerging Athletes Program Finals, 2012 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East and 2012 ASPCA Maclay Finals. After graduating from college in 2017, Jacob turned professional and competes in both the hunter and jumper divisions. In 2023, Jacob and Highway FBH were on the U.S. Jumping Team at four CSIO3* Nations Cup competitions, helping the team win gold in Denmark. In July 2025, they again earned team gold for the U.S. in the $75,000 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Traverse City CSIO3*.

• Hometown: Columbia, Maryland
• Current homebase: Traverse City, Michigan, and Wellington, Florida
• Specialty and training facility: Hunters, jumpers and equitation. He co-owns and operates Hickory Ridge LLC with Nick Pongracz.
• What first drew you to horses: “It actually all started with my dad. I grew up in Maryland on a really small horse farm in Columbia. My dad rode as a kid, and as he grew older and could get his own place, he bought a small horse farm and always had horses there. I also went to schools that had horses all the way from kindergarten up through 12th grade. I switched schools a couple of times, but I always went to a school with a riding program.”
• Favorite horse/pony growing up:
• Career highlights/favorite memories: “I definitely would say the Nations Cups teams. It was a dream come true being able to just be selected for the teams. The first Nations Cup I did, which was in Denmark and there were a ton of teams. We had to have clear rounds to make it to the second round, and then we came out on top. I would say that’s one of my most memorable wins. Also, my first Grand Prix win, which was in Traverse City where I live now in the summer, on Highway was quite notable. From when I was younger, I would say the Emerging Athletes Program win, as well as my equitation finals wins with the USET Finals and the Maclay Finals. I think it all ties in and really shows true progression through the sport as a junior doing equitation, aging out, going to college, becoming a professional, winning my first grand prix and then getting to go on and do Nations Cups. It’s been a really fun progression, and it’s just an honor to be in this sport every day.”
• Mentors: Judy Richter, Andre Dignelli, Katie Prudent
• Most influential horse in your career: “The horse who really was a turning point in my career was Uno. He was one of Heritage Farm and Andre Dignelli’s equitation horses who I was lucky enough to ride my last junior year. I won the USET Finals and the Maclay Finals with him. He was a really special horse, and he just wanted to win. I feel like he loved competing. I still remember to this day what an amazing canter he had, which I think really made him such a great equitation horse.
• “There also was a horse named Blink that Judy Richter gave me to ride. She actually trained Andre, and I met her at the Emerging Athletes Program Finals that was in Chicago. Before I even met Andre, she said, ‘If you ever need a place to stay when you’re in New York or whatever, feel free to stay with me at Coker Farm.’ I took her up on the offer and lived at her farm in one of the apartments that she had there. She would give me lessons after my days of being a working student at Heritage. I’d go home and ride a couple horses for Judy. And Blink was the main one that I rode for her. Judy was an amazing person and horsewoman and all the things. She really believed in me, which I think is a really important part of a coach is to have someone who believes in you. I hadn’t really done jumpers much, and she had me do my first 1.20-meter class and my first grand prix in the same week with Blink. He was pretty special, and we actually were clear and fifth in that grand prix, which was pretty awesome.
• “And then my most recent one who I’m competing in grand prix classes is Highway. He is owned by Sherry Crawford, and I would say he is my horse of a lifetime. I’ve had him for three and a half years now and have gotten to achieve so many goals with him that I never even thought were really going to be possible. I hope that he keeps going for many more years, because he’s a really special horse.”
• Competition superstitions: “If it’s a big class, I always walk the course twice. If it’s an open warm-up 1.20 meter or something, I’ll just walk once and write the numbers down in my notes on my phone so I don’t forget the strides. Also, I always make sure that I go through my backpack before I leave the barn for a bigger class, making sure that I have all the sets of spurs that I use, the stick that I always carry that I have extra gloves. It’s stuff that I would have to have in my backpack just in case. I always do that and I always make sure that my boots are polished before I get on, especially for a grand prix.”
• What’s kept you involved in the sport for so long? “I think it’s obviously the love of the animal. I’ve always been an animal person. I have a whole bunch of dogs and love being outside, so it’s not just horses. I think it’s loving the sport and what comes with the sport. Being around animals all the time, being outside, not being at a desk job because I really love being outside.”
• Learn more: hickoryridgeeq.com

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