Spencer Turnblacer | Houdini Farms

Owner/Head Trainer of Houdini Farms

Spencer Turnblacer has been riding and showing horses since she was 4 years old. At eight yeas old, she began riding and caring for her own horses at the family farm.

Throughout her junior years, Spencer rode with Barbara Bancroft and her team atBarGee Farms in Allison Park, PA.

During her time there, Spencer rode 5 to 10 horses a day, including Barbie and Skara Glen Stable’s grand prix horses.

The hours that she didn't spend riding, were devoted to helping out with the care of Bargee Farm's show horses and with their lesson program.

While riding with BarGee Farms, she received countless awards, including:

Multiple champion & reserve awards in the Short Stirrup, Beginner, Intermediate and Children Working Hunter divisions.
In 2003, Spencer was Champion at the Country Heir horse show in Kentucky, the Traders Point Horse show in Indiana, and the Culpepper horse show in Virginia.
Heartwood Show Jumping Festival hunter classic first round leader, with a score of 86.
Multiple 1st place finishes in the State Line Tack Children’s Medal.
Numerous e top 4 places on catch ride horses in the AHSA Medal and Maclay Medal equitation classes.
Many year end award championships including Championships in 2002 and 2003

In 2004, Spencer left BarGee to pursue her junior career. Continuing to ride under one of the previous assistant trainers from BarGee Farms, she went on to have a successful junior career. Her accomplishments include:

2007 winner of the Lake Erie College Prix De Villes President Cup Equitation Challenge, winning an $8,000 scholarship to the school.
Multiple champions and reserves in the small junior hunters.
1st place wins in the Pessoa and Maclay equitation classes
Qualified for Junior Hunter Finals 2008-2010
Qualified and competed at Maclay Regionals, Pessoa Medal Finals, and Zone II Hunter Finals in 2008
Qualified for Maclay Regionals, Pessoa Medal Finals, Devon, and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in 2009.
Multiple placings in the jumper, pony and hunter ring aboard catch ride horses.
Numerous year-end Championships for the WPaPHA and OPHA, including Grand Hunter Champion 2009, and the Chubb Bowl in 2008, which is based on sportsmanship and horsemanship, for the WPaPHA.

During her junior career, Spencer received training from professionals in the Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio area, including Pat Swann and Karen Lenehan. She has continued to refine her skills by clinicing with top professionals, such as Frank Madden and Chris Kappler. During her amateur years, Spencer moved to Florida to continue her riding career and went on to ride with Clair Kellner, Tammy Walsh, and Mary Eufemia. While there, she picked up multiple champions and reserves in the Younger Amateur Owner Division, Adult Jumpers and top ribbons in the National Hunter Derbies. Spencer went onto Winning the Zone 4 Championship in the Amateur Owner Division and earned top year end awards including HOTY for Zone 4 and CFHJA in the Amatuer Owner's aboard Mi Amor.

Since becoming a professional in 2014, Spencer has moved back to Pittsburgh and opened her own facility offering boarding, training and sales. Some of Spencer's clients have gone onto winning multiple champion and reserve championship honors at shows such as Swan Lake, WEC, State College Series, Traverse City, and Brave-Horse to name a few. Additionally, Spencer has trained and sold several horses and ponies that have gone onto winning top honors at shows such as the Winter Equestrian Festival, Hits Ocala, Pony Finals, Young Horse Finals and Marshall N Sterling league. In 2019, Spencer purchased Houdini Farms in Valencia PA and has been based out of there since offering Board, Training and Sales.

Students of Spencer have gone onto qualifying for all Major Finals and collecting year end awards such as:

2015 Pony Final Qualifiers
2016 Pony Final Qualifiers
2017 Royal Winter Fair Cup Qualifier
2018 Royal Winter Fair Cup Qualifiers
2018 Pony Final Qualifiers
2020 Winner of The Leo Conroy Equitation Grant
2020 Adaquan Junior Hunter final Qualifier
2020 Zone II Equitation Championship Qualifer
2020 USHJA Hunt Seat Medal Final Qualifier
2020 NHS Medal Finals Qualifier
2020 THIS Adult Medal Final Qualifiers
2020 Winner Junior Sportsmanship Perpetual Trophy WPaPHA
2020 Trainer of the Year Perpetual Trophy WPaPHA
2020 OHJA Medal Final Qualifiers
2020 National PHA Final Qualifiers
2020 Zone II Hunter Final Qualifiers
2021 Junior Hunter Final Qualifier
2021 NHS Medal Final Qualifier
2021 8th place THIS Adult medal final winner
2021 Ariat Medal Final Qualifier
2021 NAL Adult Amateur Hunter Final Qualifier
2021 Green Incentive Final Qualifier
2021 Zone II Hunter Final Qualifier
2022 ASPCA Maclay Regional Qualifiers
2022 USEF Dover Medal Qualifiers
2022 THIS Adult Medal Qualifiers
2022 Adaquan Junior Hunter Final Qualifiers
2022 15th overall Large Junior 16-17 3'6" Junior Hunter Finals
2022 17th overall Large Junior 15&U 3'6" Junior Hunter Finals
2022 Zone II Equitation Championship Qualifiers
2022 Green Incentive Final Qualifiers
2022 USHJA 3'3" Adult Jumping Seat Medal Qualifies
2022 ASPCA Maclay Final Qualifier
2022 NAL Adult Hunter Final Qualifiers
2022 WIHS Adult Hunter Final Qualifier
2022 Capital Challenge Horse Show Qualifiers
2022 Pennsylvania National Horse Show Qualifiers
2022 Royal Winter Fair Cup Qualifier
2022 National PHA Final Qualifiers
2023 USEF Dover Medal Qualifiers
2023 ASPCA Maclay Regional 7th Place Winner
2023 ASPCA Maclay Regional 9th Place Winner
2023 THIS Adult Medal Qualifiers
2023 7th overall Small Junior 16-17 3'6" Junior Hunter Finals
2023 Adaquan Junior Hunter Final Qualifiers
2023 USEF Pony Final Qualifiers
2023 Green Incentive Final Qualifiers
2023 Gladstone Adult Medal Final Qualifiers
2023 USHJA 3'3" Junior Jump Seat Medal Final Qualifiers
2023 ASPCA Maclay Final Qualifiers
2023 Pennsylvania National Horse Show Qualifiers
2023 Capital Challenge Horse Show Qualifiers
2023 National Horse Show Qualifiers
2023 Zone II 3'6 Junior Medal Final Reserve Champion
2023 Zone II 3'6" Junior Hunter Reserve Champion
2024 Adaquan Junior Hunter Final Qualifiers
2024 USEF Pony Final Qualifier
2024 Green Incentive Final Qualifiers
2024 International Derby final Qualifiers
2024 Devon Horse Show Qualifiers
2024 Maclay Regional Qualifiers
2024 USHJA Jump Seat Medal Final Qualifiers
2024 Gladstone Cup Qualifiers
2024 USEF Dover Medal Final Qualifiers
2024 USHJA Adult Jump Seat Medal Final Qualifiers
2024 Adult Gladstone Cup Qualifiers
2024 THIS Adult Medal Final Qualifiers
2024 Zone II Children Pony Medal Final Champion