Rebecca Johanson-Hofmann Is Making A Name For Herself

With remarkable performances this fall on Corona, the rookie grand prix rider looks to have a big future ahead of her.

When Rebecca Johanson-Hofmann’s phone rang in early November, she didn’t expect that the news she heard would not only be the culmination of her goals for the year, but also a springboard to the future she wants.

Originally named to be the non-traveling alternate for the U.S. team at the Haras El Capricho CSIO in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Johanson-Hofmann had started planning her Florida season. But when team member Georgina Bloomberg’s horse couldn’t compete, Johanson-Hofmann got the call.

“I didn’t find out that I actually got to go until just a few days before I had to leave,” she said. “I was in my car, on the way to Florida, and my horse was still in New York when they called. I really didn’t have enough time to be nervous about going because from the time they called to the time my horse left, I didn’t really have time to think. I was trying to get everything done in a few days that would normally take three weeks to get done.”

The rush paid off, as Johanson-Hofmann, 23, and Corona turned in the only double-clear performance in the Nations Cup in Buenos Aires, helping the U.S. team win, and then placed third in the Ericsson Grand Prix CSI-W.

“My goal from the beginning of the year was to go to Buenos Aires, and the fact that I got to go was a miracle,” said Johanson-Hofmann. “It was a nice feeling to accomplish that goal. Corona has been exceptional this year; her results have been amazing. The fact that I got to end my year going to Buenos Aires and getting a gold medal—I can only hope every year is as positive as this year has been.”

While in Buenos Aires, Johanson-Hofmann got to experience riding for U.S. Chef d’Equipe George H. Morris.

“She’s a very nice girl and a good caretaker of her horse. I think it was a good experience for her,” Morris said. “She’s obviously new to that level of competition, but she’s very serious and a good worker. She has a great partnership with that horse. That’s a wonderful horse she has, and she’s made it up.

“I like her basics, and she’s very competitive. This year’s team was a very nice team, with Ashlee Bond, Michelle Spadone, Kirsten Coe and Rebecca. They were all very dedicated to their horses. It was a very refreshing team.”

Corona Is The Queen

Corona—a big gray mare—has made it all possible for Johanson-Hofmann.

She was horse-shopping at McLain and Barney Ward’s Castle Hill Farm in 2004 and wasn’t even planning to try Corona, but something drew her to the Holsteiner.

“She was a very hot horse, but from the second I saw her in the stall, I just knew there was something about her. When I first tried her, it didn’t go perfectly, but I loved her and had to have her,” Johanson-Hofmann said.

Corona (Coronado—Eunice) might not have been the ideal choice for Johanson-Hofmann, then 19. She was a difficult ride and had a known problem with water jumps and liverpools. “When I first got her, it took me about a year and a half before I could get around a course without something major going wrong,” recalled Johanson-Hofmann.