Owner/Trainer

Born on her family's horse farm in Great Falls, Wendy was riding horses before she could walk. She grew up surrounded by young horses and riders of every discipline. At age seven, she began training with Sharon Huber and Stoneridge Farm, competing in the hunters locally and in the rateds. At age eleven, Wendy began devoting herself to her true passion, eventing. She participated in Pony Club, and achieved her "B" rating. She trained, and continues to train with the greats, including Olympians Jimmy Wofford, Phillip Dutton, Stephen Bradley, and Nina Fout. She has campaigned several horses through the Intermediate level of the eventing, while also finding great success in the dressage world; achieving her USDF Bronze and Silver medals.

Wendy enjoys working with all kinds of horses. She emphasizes proper care and conditioning as the foundation for every horse's training, and manages this personally for all of her charges. She instills her own diligent work ethic and confidence in her horses; and focuses on both a horse's potential and their happiness in determining their training and career path. Wendy has trained horses of all kinds of breeds, and numerous disciplines, but her favorite part of her professional riding career has been restarting off the track thoroughbreds, and turning many into successful eventers.

Wendy has been managing Gunnell’s Run Farm in Great Falls for the past 15 years and teaches riders of all skill levels, emphasizing rider position and dressage fundamentals. She works hard to find techniques that best help the rider with their horse and their personal goals, however big or small. Wendy is focused on instilling horsemanship, and building and improving the relationship between a rider and their horse.

Owner/Trainer

Lauren started riding at a very early age, at a hunter barn in Maryland. From there, she quickly found her way into the United States Pony Club, participating at the local and national level while earning her “B” rating. In college, Lauren began focusing more on breeding and training while completing her Pre-Veterinarian Bachelor Degree at West Virginia University. After graduation, Lauren sought to expand her breeding knowledge, and worked for the internationally known breeding programs at Hilltop Farm (with Scott & Suzanne Hassler) and Some Day Soon Farm (with Suzanne Quarles).

Lauren then built her own breeding and training program at Parade Field Farm, where she has focused on producing horses of both exceptional talent and temperament for decades. Her patience, skill, and determination to match each horse with the job that best suits them produces confident and easy to work with prospects. Her breeding program continues to bring other breeders; dressage, eventing, and hunter trainers; and competitors, from local riders to Olympians, to come back to her again and again for their next great horse.

Lauren also trains young horses working at the pace that best fits each horse. She tailors her training to fit a horse's owner, making sure a horse is prepared for a rider of whatever skill level and discipline will be required of them, enhancing not just the young horse but the match of horse and rider. With her own horses, Lauren competes in the dressage arena. She has her USDF Bronze and Silver medals, and is currently training at the FEI level. Additionally, Lauren is sought after as a top handler for inspections and breed shows up and down the east coast.

Lauren has also been a beloved riding instructor to many in Virginia for years. Wanting to give back to an organization that had done so much for her as a kid, after college Lauren became a National Horse Management Judge for both Regional & National Rallies with the United States Pony Club, and also began teaching lessons for numerous local pony clubs (including teaching Wendy in Great Falls Pony Club many moons ago). With her own background in all different types of riding, she has coached small children learning how to post and adults rediscovering a love for riding from their childhood, to top competitors in the eventing, dressage, and hunter worlds. Like with her training, in her teaching Lauren emphasizes good basics, and strong communication between horse and rider, to support that partnership as a whole. Her enthusiasm, positivity, and sense of humor is infectious; you've never laughed more or had a better time than in a lesson or at a show with Lauren. Her end goal is always to produce not just great riders, but great horsemen and good people.

Instructor

Emily grew up in the Northern Virginia area and has participated heavily in the local and locally rated horse shows for the past 25 years. Her passion is helping students achieve their goals in equestrian sports, while having fun along the way! Starting in a riding program not unlike Great Falls Equestrian, she began learning riding and horsemanship fundamentals, and experienced her first schooling horse show at The Grove in Warrenton, VA. From that point on, Emily's interest and passion in horses and competing only grew, and she spent nearly every weekend at a horse show or at the barn learning from her trainer, Debbie Fisher. When Emily attended Randolph-Macon College, she became a founding member of their college IHSA team and continues to support their journey and growth. Emily began teaching riding and continuing her own equestrian education during her time in Palo Alto, CA, and most recently with Sharon Huber at Stoneridge Farm in Great Falls, VA.

Instructor

Stefanie hails from New York. She mucked stalls to pay for riding lessons in high school, and began her equestrian career showing in the hunter/jumper arena. Stefanie then started riding at Akindale Farm in Pawling, NY, for Thoroughbred breeder John Hettinger. At Akindale, Stefanie fell in love with Thoroughbreds, inspiring her to purchase her first OTTB, Dorada. She trained Dorada for jumpers and eventing; the pair competed up to Preliminary in the latter discipline.

A school teacher at her day job, Stefanie lends us her teaching skills and helps out at Great Falls Equestrian as a substitute instructor. She likes students to go back to the basics, to remind them that proper fundamentals are the most crucial part of improving and advancing with one’s riding.

Assistant Trainer

Working Student

Working Student