Hidden Creek Equestrian Center is a family owned and operated dressage and combined training facility in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania. While we specialize in dressage, we welcome riders of all disciplines. Our staff consists of knowledgeable  horse enthusiasts who understand the importance of individualized care for each horse.

       Here at Hidden Creek we pride ourselves in offering endless possibilities for each of our riders. Jill, Ed and Jessie Kuc run the ESDCTA Junior Team Program and therefore our young dressage fanatics have access to many of its amenities including an annual Fix-A-Test Clinic held at Hidden Creek. In addition to the Jr/Yr Fix-A-Test clinic, other instruction opportunities have been offered though the years including a "Pilates for Riders" clinic. The Kuc family are strong advocates for making dressage more accessible and interesting for young riders, and in addition to the ESDCTA Junior programs, each year our young riders have the opportunity to travel to Connecticut for Lendon Gray's Weekend Educational Program. In 2009, our Ride 4 Hope Quadrille team members were even asked to present at the weekend informational clinic.

       Hidden Creek dressage and combined training shows are recognized through ESDCTA (The Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association) and are part of the Northeast PA Show Series. We encourage and allow students to show as much or as little as they desire on our experienced school horses or their own, whether that be at our smaller, unrecognized schooling show, or at the larger shows in hopes of qualifying for the NPASS Championships and/or an ESDCTA Year End Award. We offer a series of barn year end awards as well that are open to any rider from Hidden Creek regardless of how many shows he or she competes in during a given seasons (see our "Shows" page for more information), and riders who have no interest in showing can feel perfectly welcome here as well.

We are also proud to be the host and founder of the Ride 4 Hope Quadrille Program. Please see our "Ride 4 Hope" page for more information about this wonderful fundraising program.

Jill Kuc – Owner/Trainer/”L” Graduate with Distinction

Jill and Grande I Am

          Jill is a graduate with Distinction from the US Dressage Federation “L” Education Program which is the first step in the Judge’s certification process.  She is a USDF Bronze Medalist and has earned her USDF Bronze Freestyle Bar, and is an ESDCTA Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist.

         Jill has been involved with horses since the age of twelve.  She began riding with Debbie Adams at Flora Lea Farm in Medford, New Jersey.  She credits her time with Debbie with having laid a solid foundation on which to build as an adult.  While at Flora Lea, Jill rode many horses of various breeds, types and training levels.  One of the most valuable experiences Jill gained from riding with Debbie was the ability to help train many of the green horses that came into the barn so that they could become good lesson horses.  Jill competed in Training Level Dressage and Baby Novice Eventing during this time.  While at Flora Lea, Jill and her mother bought their first horse, a Quarter Horse cross named Tigger Too.

     In college, Jill moved to Florida for a short time and had the opportunity to own an off-the-track Thoroughbred named Red Power while she trained with Greta Wrigley.  Power had been trained to 3^rd Level Dressage and Jill showed him at 1^st and 2^nd Level.  A move back up to New Jersey to finish college and get married forced the sale of Power and a hiatus from riding.  She graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Mathematics and taught High School math for three years before beginning her family. Jill currently trains under Heather Mason.

     Several years ago, Jill bought a Hanoverian gelding named Grande I Am who she has trained from an unruly 5-year-old through 3^rd Level dressage, earning numerous awards along the way.  They are currently competing at 4th level dressage. 
     She is also busy with her Dutch Warmblood gelding, Ultimate, who is showing third level this year, and her 5 year old Oldenburg mare, Dream Big.  Dream made her showing debut last year after a few long months of breaking and training, and will be continuing to compete this year.

2009:
Earned ESDCTA Gold Medal
Reserve Champion, 4th Level ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Reserve Champion, 2nd Level Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
4th Place, 2nd Level ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
2007:
Earned USDF Bronze Medal
Earned USDF Bronze Freestyle Bar
5th Place, 3rd Level & 3rd Level Freestyle, BLM Championships (Grande I Am)
4th Place, 1st Level ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
5th Place, 1st Level Freestyle ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
2006:
Graduated with Distinction from "L" Judges Program
Champion, 3rd Level ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Champion, 3rd Level Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
6th Place, 1st Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
2005:
3rd Place, 2nd Level and 2nd Level Freestyle, BLM Championships (Grande I Am)
5th Place, Training Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
2004:
Earned ESDCTA Silver Medal
4th Place, USDF All-Breeds Awards for American Hanoverian Society (Grande I Am)
Won Dover Adult Amateur Medal
Champion, 2nd Level ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Champion, 2nd Level Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Placed in the top six with Grande I Am at 2nd Level and 2nd Level Freestyle in the GAIG Championships and BLM Championships.
2003:
Individual and Team Champion, 1st Level, Region One Adult Team Championships (Grande I Am)
Reserve Champion, USDF All-Breeds Awards for American Hanoverian Society, 1st Level Freestyle, Grande I Am
Champion, 1st Level Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
3rd Place, 1st Level ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Placed top 6 at 1st level and/or 1st Level Freestyle at BLM Championships and GAIG Championships
2002:
Reserve Champion, Training Level, ESDCTA Championships (Grande I Am)
10th Place BLM Championships, Training Level (Grande I Am)

Ed Kuc - Owner

 
Ed and Balladeer                                                                             Ed and Just Takin' Chances

          Ed is a natural resource biologist by profession and has worked throughout the country with wildlife species including black bears, grizzly bears, mountain lions and mountain goats.  Ed now owns an environmental consulting company which keeps him out in the woods.   Ed began his “formal” riding when a good friend, Aileen (O’Connor) Brown, offered him to go for a ride on one of her Clydesdales named Regina.  From his first gallop on Regina through the fields that first day, he has been hooked ever since.

          Shortly thereafter, the family bought and almost 3-year-old Quarter Horse who they named “Just Takin’ Chances.”  Chance was supposed to be trained into being a family horse, but it didn’t take long to realize that Chance’s mentality best matched Ed’s and Chance became Ed’s personal horse.  Although the green horse – green rider combination is not normally a good idea, Chance and Ed have become inseparably and they are even accused by many of sharing the same brain!  For a few years, they competed at team penning, but now Ed has found his true calling in eventing.  They made their eventing debut in 2007, and despite a few interesting cross-country rides they've been very successful.  Ed has since evented warmblood gelding Against All Odds and Holsteiner mare Dark Keioki.  Ed began competing another gelding, and Oldenburg named Balladeer, in 2009.  With some help, he trained "Bally" from scratch, and he is competing both horses in combined training.

2009:
Champion, Combined Training B, NPASS Championships (Balladeer)
Champion, Beginner Novice CT, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Just Takin' Chances)
Masters Recognition Award, Beginner Novice CT (Just Takin' Chances)
3rd Place, Combined Training B, NPASS Championships (Just Takin' Chances)
2008:
Champion, 1st Level Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
5th Place, 1st Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Ultimate)
5th Place, Freestyle, ESDCTA Championships (Ultimate)
4th Place, Beginner Novice, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Just Takin Chances)
5th Place, Training Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Just Takin Chances)
2006:
3rd Place, Starter Eventing, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Dark Keioki)

 Jessie Kuc – Trainer/Instructor

Jessie and Grande I Am

        Jessie has been riding since she was nine years old and, despite her age at the time, learned to ride on a 17+ hand Clydesdale named Regina.  While Jessie competed Regina in the PA State Farm Show against other draft horses, she also stunned fellow competitors by entering and winning many classes at fun shows and gymkhanas including barrel racing and pole bending!  In 2003 Jessie acquired WK Fadl Atraction (aka Ranger), an Arabian pony she and Becky had been leasing, and competed him in various dressage shows until their accident in 2005 in which Ranger's unknown neurological issues caused him to fall while cantering.  Ranger was retired after being diagnosed as neurologically unsound following the fall, and Jessie was forced to take many months off of riding due to hip surgery resulting from damage to her hip in the fall.

         Jessie has started many horses' dressage training and have brought them through first level dressage including Rumor Has It (Mawby), Against All Odds (Thunder), and Starlight.  She has also evented Thunder with great success, and has competed in dressage up to 3rd Level and FEI Jr.  Jessie is an ESDCTA Bronze and Silver Medalist and has been teaching lessons at Hidden Creek since 2007.  She was chosen as the USDF Region One Representative for the USEF Youth Sportsmans Award in 2009, and helped put together the Ride 4 Hope Quadrille Challenge and fundraiser.  She also arranged for the quadrille riders to give a presentation at Lendon Gray's Weekend Educational Program in 2010.  Jessie has been an ESDCTA Junior Team member since 2004 and was chosen as the team Chef d'Equipe in 2010. Due to necessary knee surgeries, Jessie will be forced to take over a year off of riding, but she will still continue coaching.

     Jessie is a sophomore at Cedar Crest College with a double major in English with a Writing concentration and Communications. She is a college cheerleader, a writing consultant and tutor, and a writer and editor for the college newspaper, "The Crestiad." At college, Jessie also volunteers as a "Big Sis" to incoming freshman and as a student blogger for the Admissions department.

2009:
USDF Region One Representative, USEF Youth Sportsmans Award
Earned ESDCTA Silver Medal
Champion, 2nd Level, NPASS Championships (Grande I Am)
Champion Team, Ride 4 Hope Quadrille Challenge, The Neverlanders (Rumor Has It)
Champion Team, HCEC highest scoring Quadrille (Rumor Has It)
Reserve Champion, 2nd Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Reserve Champion, HCEC highest scoring junior rider (Ultimate)
2008:
Reserve Champion, 3rd Level Dressage, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Reserve Champion, 3rd Level Musical Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Grande I Am)
Reserve Champion, Musical Freestyle, ESDCTA Championships (Grande I Am)
Champion, HCEC highest scoring freestlye year end award (Grande I Am)
3rd Place Team, Region 1 Junior Team Championships (Starlight)
4th Place Team, Region 1 Junior Team Championships (Grande I Am)
2007:
Champion, Starter Level Eventing, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Against All Odds)
Champion, HCEC lowest scoring eventer year end award (Against All Odds)
3rd Place Team, Region 1 Junior Team Championships (Rumor Has It)
6th Place Team, Lendon's Youth Dressage Festival (Rumor Has It)
2006:
Champion, ESDCTA Championships (Rumor Has It)
Champion, HCEC highest scoring junior rider year end award (Rumor Has It)
Champion, HCEC lowest scoring eventer year end award (Against All Odds)
4th Place Team, Lendon's Youth Dressage Festival (Against All Odds)
2005:
3rd Place Team, Region 1 Junior Team Championships (Starlight)
2004:
Reserve Champion, Region 1 Junior Team Championships (WK Fadl Atraction)
2003:
3rd Place, ESDCTA Year End Awards (WK Fadl Atraction)

Jessie and Against All Odds

Becky Kuc – Instructor


                         Becky & Rufus/Redford's Big Mac

       Becky began riding at the age of seven.  In 2003 she and Jessie got their pony, Ranger, and they both competed him at Intro Dressage.  At the end of that show season, she purchased a Quarter Horse gelding named Redfords Big Mac.  Mac and Becky have been inseparable since then,  with many successes in dressage.  Becky is also an ESDCTA bronze medalist.  In addition to Mac, Becky regularly competes her Haflinger cross gelding, Rufus. After a successful year at First Level, the pair have moved up to Second with scores already into the high 60's. Becky has been on the ESDCTA Junior Team for six years.
       After Middle School, Becky was accepted into the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts, where she studies as a junior music major. Her instruments include the violin, electric violin, and clarinet. She is also a member of the Pocono Youth Orchestra, scoring her first solo on the violin this year.

2009:
Champion, Bucks County Year End Awards, 1st Level (Rufus)
Champion, 1st Level A, NPASS Championships (Rufus)
Champion Team, Ride 4 Hope Quadrille Challenge, The Neverlanders (Redfords Big Mac)
Reserve Champion Team, Ride 4 Hope Quadrille Challenge, The Sorcerers (Rufus)
Champion, 1st Level Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Rufus)
Reserve Champion, 1st Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Rufus)
Champion Team, HCEC highest scoring quadrille (Rufus/Redford's Big Mac)
Champion, HCEC highest scoring rider on a school horse (Rufus)
2008:
Champion, 1st level Freestyle, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Redfords Big Mac)
Champion, Pas de Deux, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Redfords Big Mac)
Reserve Champion Team, Region One Jr Team Championships (Redfords Big Mac)
5th Place, 1st level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Rufus)
6th Place, 1st Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Redfords Big Mac)
6th Place, 1st Level, ESDCTA Championships (Rufus)
2007:
Reserve Champion, 1st Level, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Redfords Big Mac)
3rd Place Team, Region One Jr Team Championships (Redfords Big Mac)
2006:
ESDCTA Bronze Medal
6th Place Individual, Lendon's Youth Dressage Festival (Rufus)
2005:
3rd Place -
Starter w/t/c ESDCTA Year End Awards (Redfords Big Mac)
Intro, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Rufus)
Intro, ESDCTA Championships (Rufus)
3rd Place Team, Region One Jr Team Championships (Redfords Big Mac)
2004:
Champion, Intro, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Redfords Big Mac)
Reserve Champion, Intro, ESDCTA Championships (Redfords Big Mac)
2003:
4th Place, Intro, ESDCTA Year End Awards (WK Fadl Atraction)

Jessica Giuliano – Working Student

Jess began working at Hidden Creek in 2009.  After a successful few seasons on Rufus, Jess will be competing Starlight and Mac this year.  She has been on the ESDCTA Junior Team for three years.

2009:
Champion Team, Ride 4 Hope Quadrille Challenge, The Never Landers (Rufus)
Champion Team, HCEC highest scoring quadrille (Rufus)
Reserve Champion, Starter w/t/c, NPASS Championships (Rufus)
Reserve Champion, Starter w/t/c, ESDCTA Year End Awards (Rufus)

Kelly Higgins – Working Student

Kelly has been working at Hidden Creek since 2009.  She also began leasing Duncan in 2009 and competing him.  She will be showing him again this year.  Kelly is an ESDCTA Bronze Medalist.

2009:
Earned ESDCTA Bronze Medal
Champion Team, Ride 4 Hope Quadrille Challenge, The Never Landers (Duncan)
Champion Team, HCEC highest scoring quadrille (Duncan)
4th Place, Training Level, NPASS Championships (Duncan)

Nicole Troia – Working Student

Nicole began working at Hidden Creek at the beginning of this year.  She has competed in dressage and combined training, and has been on the ESDCTA Junior Team two years.