Harrisburg, Pa. – October 27, 2025 – The Pennsylvania National Horse Show proudly inducted Pam Baker and Brian Flynn into the PNHS Hall of Fame, sponsored by The Wheeler Family, during this year’s PNHS, held October 9-19, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa.

The esteemed honor recognizes Baker and Flynn’s outstanding dedication, accomplishments and long-standing contributions to the equestrian community and to the PNHS.  

At 84 years young, and as a legendary coach and trainer, Baker has seen practically every competition venue across the country, and yet, the PNHS will always have a special place in her heart.

Baker first started coming to Harrisburg, Pa. to coach her students roughly 40 to 50 years ago, and according to Baker, attending the PNHS did not just offer her students a chance to compete, learn and win – it also offered Baker herself an opportunity to further her own already prodigious knowledge.

“I grew up in this business with a lot of great horsemen through the years,” said Baker. “You go to places like [PNHS], and you see them ride and you learn. You compete and you learn. That was, to me, a big part of what Harrisburg was for me. We would sit up there behind the judges, where we could see what they were seeing. We would watch the trips and talk about it.”

Decades after her first time walking into the atmospheric coliseum at the PNHS, Baker received news of her PNHS Hall of Fame induction.

“I didn’t expect it,” Baker said. “Those are the kind of things that really make a difference. I had no idea that I’d been nominated. When I heard about it, I was just thrilled!”

Winner of three lifetime achievement awards, Baker has been inducted to two Hall of Fames already – the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Virginia Horse Show Association Hall of Fame in 2002. Her training philosophy is horse-centered with an emphasis on horsemanship and empathy that can be boiled down to one simple statement: winning is a natural by-product of good riding and even better horsemanship.

To those riders and trainers who are looking to follow in her footsteps, Baker offers some advice.

“Don’t give up on horsemanship, and listen to your horse,” Baker concluded. “Treat your horses with empathy. If you have empathy for the horse, and if you watch his reactions and listen to your horse, your horses are going to be happy horses and go well.”

For Flynn, the PNHS Hall of Fame induction honor came posthumously, as much of the hunter/jumper world mourned his passing in March 2025.  

A man of many talents, Flynn influenced every facet of the industry, from riding and training to judging, course designing and bringing new ideas to a variety of governing committees. Described by those who knew him as bright with a great sense of humor, Flynn managed several prestigious horse shows, including the PNHS, for many years. No one knew him better than his wife, Nancy Flynn.

“His career in this industry has really spanned almost every aspect of it,” Nancy Flynn said. “He rode professionally. He ran a couple of very high end, successful stables and many of his students competed at the PNHS and other year-end national horse shows. He even shared his expertise as a commentator for nationally televised equestrian events. He was a very sought after judge, course designer and horse show manager.”

Longtime friend and owner Susie Schoellkopf reminisced on Brian Flynn’s contributions to the industry. “He brought me on to the Hunter Committee, which he was head of, and he did an amazing job with that,” Susie said. “That was really the start of the increment system, and that was a major overhaul for the hunter industry. There wouldn’t have been anybody else that could do that, except for Brian.”

Brian Flynn’s love of horses began in Medfield, Mass., at the age of 5 years old. From there, his career bloomed to take him to the very top of the sport, including receiving the George Patterson Professionalism Award at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in 2012, the New England Equitation Championships’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, followed by the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He was also inducted into the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame in 2013 and most recently the Eastern States Horse Show Hall of Fame this past September.

Nancy Flynn concluded, “The Pennsylvania National Horse Show was one of the horse shows that was near and dear to his heart, so to be recognized in this way was just very meaningful to him and to the family.”

Baker and Flynn now the following list of annual inductees:  

2013: Gerry Hempt and Frank Chapot
2014: Irvin S. Naylor and Steve Stephens
2015: Mary “Polly” Gingrich Brand Caswell and Rodney Jenkins
2016: Mary Mairs Chapot and Harry Rittenhouse Gill
2017: Joe Fargis and John Sterling
2018: Jack Stedding and Leslie Burr Howard
2019: Rick and Didi Hornberger and Idle Dice
2021: Elizabeth “Beezie” Madden and John Franzreb III
2022: Sallie Busch Wheeler, Kenneth Wheeler, Sr. and Betty Oare
2023: Joe Alfano, Dr. Csaba Magassy and McLain Ward
2024: Donald Stewart and Laura Chapot

The Hall of Fame inductees are showcased each year at the PNHS in the Hall of Fame exhibit, presented by the Wheeler Family. To learn more about the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, recognized as a US Equestrian Heritage Competition, visit PAnational.org.