Bliss Heers’ horses may be found fast asleep in their stalls, sharing a donut with her, riding along the canals in Wellington, Florida, or jumping their hearts out for her all over the world. She’s petite in size, so there’s no way she could force these powerful jumpers successfully through their courses. Although she prefers horses under 16 hands, she still has to have them on her side to encourage their best efforts. The key to her success? Communication.
Early Influences
Heers was born and raised in San Diego, California. “My dad used to run triathlons,” she said, “and one day when he was out training, he was introduced to Damian Gardiner who was an Olympic show jumper, and they became best friends. About the same time, my mom decided it would be fun to have mother–daughter riding lessons. So, while my dad was having fun with Damian and watching him jump all these fantastic show jumpers, my mom and I started to play around with lessons, and we all caught the bug and stuck to it.”
Heers started riding an Irish jumping pony that she admitted to falling off of every day. But that didn’t deter her, nor did the fact that she
