Peter began riding in Connecticut, where he took lessons from trainer/author Gincy Bucklin, who started beginners on horses wearing hackamores and bareback pads. “I didn't see a saddle for the first six months,” he said. Peter moved on to lessons at the Fairfield County Hunt Club before meeting show jumping and eventing trainer Sarah Dalton-Morris at age 12. “Sarah has been my mentor ever since.”

Sarah gave Peter a foundation in all-around general horsemanship. During those years, he joined the Pony Club, evented and trail rode on his first horse, a half-Arabian named Tarquin. When he was 16, equitation trainer Judy Richter spotted him at a Pony Club rally. “I watched him jump and went up to him and said, ‘You should come ride at Coker Farm,’” she recalled. He said, “I’d love to but I can’t afford it.” And I said, ‘Well you come run the in-gate at my horse show and we’ll give you a couple of lessons.”

The “couple of lessons” stretched into a years-long working-student position with Judy and her assistant trainers at the time, Andre Dignelli and Kate Stoffel-Oliver. “I mucked stalls and groomed as a Junior,” Peter said.

The hard work paid off: In 1991, he won the Rolex/ASPCA Maclay National Championship and the Rolex USET Show Jumping Talent Search-East Finals.

He went on to attend Yale University but continued to ride and teach lessons throughout his college years. Before his sophomore year, he spent a summer training professionally in Switzerland.

After graduating, Peter rode and showed sales horses for Sam Edelman at S&L Farms. He then started a new training and sales stable with business partner Mary Manfredi. Since then, he's trained such top riders as Clementine Goutal and her sister, equitation star Brianne; Saer and Audrey Coulter; and Kelly Tropin.

Peter's show ring successes have included top performances nationally and internationally. As a trainer, Peter has coached his students to championship honors in the Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation divisions at the country's best shows, including Devon, The Hampton Classic and the East Coast fall indoor shows.

Visit Peter’s Website: peterlutzshowjumping.com  

Recent Competitive Highlights:

• 2021

  • Third - $50,000 Wanderers Club CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix (Hollerno) – Wellington, Florida

  • Fourth - $6,000 FEI Douglas Elliman 1.45m 274.1.5.3 (Excellent) – Wellington, Florida

  • Twelfth - $37,000 FEI CSI 2* Restylane 1.45m Qualifier 238.2.2 (Hollerno) – Wellington, Florida

• 2020

  • First - FEI Bainbridge 1.40m Classic CSI3* WEF 10 (Air Pia VG Z) - Wellington, Florida

  • Second - FEI Bainbridge 1.40m Classic CSI5* WEF 9 (Chicago Hof Eversem Z) - Wellington, Florida

  • First - Bainbridge 1.40m Jumper Speed Challenge WEF 8 (Air Pia VG Z) - Wellington, Florida

  • Tenth - $25,000 ProElite Jumper Classic WEF 8 (Excellent) - Wellington, Florida

  • First - $25,000 CP Grand Prix at Derby Field WEF 6 (Quinta 106) - Wellington, Florida

  • Sixth - $25,000 CP Grand Prix at Derby Field WEF 6 (Chicago Hof Eversem Z) - Wellington, Florida

• 2019

  • Fifth - $36,000 Harrisburg Sprint (Excellent) - The Pennsylvania National Horse Show - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

  • Ninth - $60,000 PA Big Jump (Quinta 106) - The Pennsylvania National Horse Show - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

  • Second - $25,000 Princeton Show Jumping Classic (Air Pia VG Z) - Princeton, New Jersey

  • First - 1.402* Two-Phase Longines Global Champions Tour New York (Quinta 106) - New York

  • Sixth - Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix (Quinta 106) - New York

  • First - $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix (Excellent) Hits-On-The-Hudson - Saugerties, New York

  • Eighth - $40,000 Hampton Classic Speed Stake CSI4* (Excellent) - Bridgehampton, New York

  • Third - $35,700 Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Welcome Stake (Excellent) - Traverse City, Michigan

  • Third - $50,000 Horze Equestrian Grand Prix (Chicago Hof Eversem Z) - Saugerties, New York

  • Fourth - $50,000 Hits-On-The-Hudson CSI28 Grand Prix (Chicago Hof Eversem Z) - Saugerties, New York

  • Third - Great American Grand Prix (Excellent) - Lake Placid, New York

  • First - $35,700 SmartPak Welcome III CSI2* (Excellent) - Saugerties, New York

  • First - $35,700 SmartPak Welcome II CSI2* (Excellent) - Saugerties, New York

  • Fifth - $36,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic WEF 6 (Excellent) - Wellington, Florida

  • Third - $35,000 Equiminity WEF Challenge Cup Series I (Excellent) - Wellington, Florida

• 2018:

  • Second - $135,000 International Jumper Classic (Robin de Ponthual) - The National Horse Show - Lexington, Kentucky

  • Second - $135,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Qualifier (Robin de Ponthual) - The Columbus International CSI-W3* - Columbus, Ohio

  • Third - $35,000 Great Lakes Classic (Camillo VDL) - Great Lakes Equestrian Festival - Traverse City, Michigan

  • Fifth - Sun Life Financial Derby 1.45m (Retiro) - Spruce Meadows North American - Calgary, Alberta

  • Seventh - ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup 1.60m (Robin De Ponthual) - Spruce Meadows North American - Calgary, Alberta

  • First - Friends Of The Meadows 1.40m (Do-To-Nini W) - Spruce Meadows North American - Calgary, Alberta

  • First - Coril Holdings Barrage 1.40m (Do-To-Nini W) - Spruce Meadows Pan American - Calgary, Alberta

  • First - Coril Holdings Barrage 1.40m (Do-To-Nini W) - Spruce Meadows Continental - Calgary, Alberta

  • Second - Friends Of The Meadows 1.40m (Do-To-Nini W) - Spruce Meadows Continental - Calgary, Alberta

  • Third - Scotia Bank Cup 1.55m (Robin De Ponthual) - Spruce Meadows Continental - Calgary, Alberta

  • First - Back On Track Cup 1.35m (Camillo VDL) - Spruce Meadows National - Calgary, Alberta

  • First - Back On Track Jumper 1.35m (Camillo VDL) - Spruce Meadows National - Calgary, Alberta

  • Fifth - Bantrel Cup 1.55m (Retiro) - Spruce Meadows National - Calgary, Alberta

  • Seventh - $35,000 ESP Spring II Grand Prix (Sam 1091) - Wellington, Florida

  • Second - $6,000 1.40m (Camillo VDL) - Wellington, Florida

  • Fourth - $384,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix - Wellington, Florida

• 2017:

  • Silver Medal - Nations Cup Team at the CSIO 4* Coapexpan, Mexico

  • Second - Spruce Meadows 5* Pan American Grand Prix - Calgary, Alberta

  • Third - Spruce Meadows 5* Friends of the Meadows 1.50m Cup - Calgary, Alberta

  • Seventh - CSIO 4* Coapexpan Grand Prix - Mexico

• 2016:

  • First - $375,000 CP Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows - Calgary, Alberta

  • 19th - Longines FEI Show Jumping World Cup Final - Gothenburg, Sweden

  • Third - Gothenburg Horse Show 1.40m - Sweden

  • Third - Spruce Meadows 5* Continental Grand Prix - Calgary, Alberta

  • Fourth - Old Salem Farm Grand Prix - North Salem, New York

  • Fourth - Spruce Meadows 5* 1.50m - Calgary, Alberta

  • Sixth - Longines/FEI American Gold Cup Grand Prix - North Salem, New York

• 2015:

  • First - $100,000 Longines/FEI World Cup Jumping Las Vegas

  • 3rd - $215,000 American Gold Cup CSI-W 4* Grand Prix - North Salem, New York