When we first chatted with Marisa Metzger, we knew right away she was someone to watch. A talented and determined professional based out of Snowfield Farm in Parker, Colorado, Marisa brings a mix of grit, polish, and long-game strategy that mirrors everything we value at Bridl. So when she purchased Octavia, a striking young mare, from us back in 2023, it felt like more than just a sale it felt like a statement.
Now, more than a year later, we checked in with Marisa to see how Octavia is doing and to share how this partnership is shaping the way Bridl is stepping with purpose into the hunter world.
A Rider Who Built Her Path, Her Way
Marisa didn’t grow up riding at Devon or Pony Finals. As a junior, she wasn’t flying cross-country to chase ribbons she was learning the hard way, riding borrowed horses and training through determination. She didn’t show in a major championship until she was 30. But when she got there? She showed up in a big way taking six horses to Lexington for the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships and the International Hunter Derby Championships.
She’s worked for some of the best in the business: Sue Lightner, Havens Schatt, and now partners closely with Laurie Jueneman at Snowfield Farm, where she helps manage a string of 45 horses and an ambitious, growing young horse program. She’s been importing and developing hunters for the past several years and doing it with remarkable success.
A Mare With Presence and a Future
When Marisa bought Octavia from Bridl in 2023, she was looking for a young horse with serious hunter potential. Octavia, a bold and elegant mare, stood out for her movement and scope a critical ingredient for top-level hunter development.
Since then, Octavia has been steadily and smartly produced under Marisa’s program, showing consistent promise in the hunter ring and building confidence in every round. She’s been developing with care, intention, and the kind of program that puts the horse’s future first.
A Strategic Step into the Hunter Market
At Bridl, we’ve always been rooted in performance. But we’re also students of the sport and we’ve been listening. The demand for high-quality hunter horses, especially those suited for professional programs and long-term amateur careers, continues to grow. And with stories like Marisa and Octavia’s, we’re more committed than ever to specializing in this space.
That means:
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Sourcing young hunter prospects with real talent and brains
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Building relationships with professional hunter programs across North America
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Offering buyers a curated, transparent selection of horses bred and produced for hunter success
If you're a hunter rider, trainer, or professional program looking to buy, sell, or partner we want to hear from you. We're not here to dabble. We're here to do this properly.