Jumper Ring Stables owner has a love of horses in her bloodline

When horse breeders and horse lovers talk about their horses, they often mention the bloodline of the horse or the breed. Shannon Fisher, who, with her husband JP, owns The Jumper Ring Stables and riding school at 1768 Mt. Pleasant St. NW, has a love of horses that she inherited from her grandparents. They used to own a horse farm just a few miles from where Fisher’s farm is located.

Fisher said she has spent most of her life working with horses and started riding at 8 years old. One of the horses Fisher has stabled at her farm is a descendant of one of the horses owned by her grandparents.

“Her name is Amaia, and I tracked her down because I knew I had to have her as one of my horses,” Fisher said. “She is a Standardbred and the daughter of one of the horses from my grandparents’ farm. Amaia’s mom was born on my grandparents’ farm when I was in eighth grade. When my grandpa passed away in 2013, Amaia’s mother was sold. In August 2025, I reached out to the family who bought her. They said she had passed away in the summer of 2024, but they had two of her babies. That’s when I went and picked Amaia up.”

Another one of her personal horses is Gambit, who is 21 years old and has been part of Fisher’s life for the past 10 years.

“He was a racehorse, but I bought him to use as a lesson horse. His Jockey Club name is Jackson on Tour. I have shown him all over the country. A Jockey Club name is how thoroughbred racehorses are identified as racehorses. He knows he is at his forever barn now and is loving it.”

The Jumper Ring offers hunter/jumper program packages that include boarding, training, showing and riding opportunities for its clients. The trainers specialize in hunters, jumpers, equitation and sales. They are currently boarding 30 horses and conduct about 50 lessons a week.

Fisher said, “Our lesson programs are open to riders of all experience levels, depending on horse availability. Riders in the program are required to own or lease a horse. We also offer show opportunities for riders of all ages and experience levels with home shows and traveling to many local shows as well as A-rated shows across the East Coast.”

In 2023, Fisher and her husband, JP, purchased an older barn on Mt. Pleasant Street. It used to be Sadie Hollow Stables. Fisher said the barn was originally built in the 1970s and updated and expanded in the 1990s. It is currently being renovated by Fisher’s husband and father, Don Stambaugh, and by crews from several contractors. Updates include a 2,400-square-foot addition and an updated outdoor show ring with an elevated viewing area; there is also an indoor arena.

Fisher said, “My dad is Don Stambaugh. He’s spearheading all the projects at the barn, and my husband JP works his full-time job during the day and then helps with the farm at night. The farm couldn’t run without them. They’re such an important piece of our puzzle here, and I’m so grateful to get to work alongside them every day.”

One of the latest additions to the list of services at The Jumper Ring is working with the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, which transitions retiring racehorses into second careers when their days on the racetrack end. According to its website, the New Vocations organization has focused on the rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming of retired racehorses to qualified and loving adopters since 1992.

The horses are retired when they become too slow to be competitive on the track. Some have sustained injuries and need time to heal, and some just need to rest and get away from the lifestyle of a racing athlete.

New Vocations has transitioned more than 9,000 retired thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses from more than 70 different racetracks into second careers with experienced, educated and appropriate adopters throughout the country.

Fisher said her farm has had four horses that they have retrained and adopted so far. There are currently three more horses in training at the farm: Ubiquitous, 8 years old; Amigo’s Affair, 13 years old; and Office Chatter, 6 years old. Fisher said all three are retired from racing and added, “all are good breeds and have given their all on the track.”

While the retired horses come from racetracks across the country, all of the horses to this point that Fisher has taken in from New Vocations have been from racetracks around Ohio. Fisher said some of the retraining the horses receive includes slowing them down by doing a lot of walking with them, then trotting them and finally cantering them.

“Racehorses are expected to go fast, and that’s all the retired horses know. So, we have to retrain them to slow down and enjoy being ridden,” Fisher said. “A lot of them aren’t sure how to exist anywhere but at a racetrack. Some of our advanced riding students help the horses adjust to a different way of life.”