Chris Bickford

Chris Bickford got his start in the horse business when his dad was looking for a FFA project for his two oldest sons.  Ruling out sheep and cows, the Bickford brothers ended up with not one, but a whole string of show ponies.

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This led to an apprenticeship with a local horse trainer - working with Shetland and Hackney Ponies, Saddlebreds, Morgans, and an occasional Arabian.  He started out with pitchfork in hand, and was allowed to groom horses when all of the barn chores were finished.

 

After a few years of working after school and weekends, Uncle Sam called and Chris did his stint with the Navy, returning afterward to his duties with the trainer, and married his wife of 46 years, Sonya.

 

In 1972 Chris and Sonya opened Chris Bickford Stable, training an assortment of horses, which soon grew to include enough Arabians that the main focus of the stable turned toward the Arabian breed.  Having spent the last 50 + years primarily showing and breeding Arabian & Half-Arabian horses, Chris has been very successful showing horses at the Regional and National level, many of which were also bred by Chris Bickford Stable.

 

Chris holds judges’ cards in many divisions, and is honored to have been invited to judge the GHRA Championship in 2024.