Hello,
I'm Karen, and this is my story.
Karen‘s introduction to horses started out at an early age as a birthday gift from her parents in 1985, her first riding lesson.
The family’s love for horses grew as they purchased their first few horses and moved to a local show barn. There at a young age, Karen showed at numerous open shows in western, hunt seat, over fences, as well as showmanship and halter.
As a young teen, after dabbling in eventing for a few years, she moved to a local board barn. She was fortunate enough to be exposed to various breeds of horses and training. She was able to be a groom with several AQHA trainers - getting lessons in exchange for tacking and grooming horses.
She was the local guinea pig for the cutting and reining horse trainers - helping them start their young horses. During the summers, she was able to apprentice with the on-site farrier and local vet.
While in high school, Karen was gifted a weanling Arabian filly that she was able to start train and show herself before breeding to a Hanoverian stallion to get her first foal.
Simultaneously she was retraining, her beloved Saddlebred gelding Lyric “Yo-Yo” to 4th level dressage earning their USDF bronze medal before unfortunately retiring him due to laminitis.
As Yo-yo was on stall rest, she purchased her second heart horse, Dutch Warmblood gelding - Epic “Gable”, a six year old and started buckskin. She would earn her first of many 70% scores on Gable as she brought him through the levels.
After graduating high school, she received many scholarships to to attend the International Academy for Equestrian Studies in Warendorf, Germany.
At the academy, she was immersed in dressage, jumping and horse husbandry training, as well as the German culture. After graduating, she returned home to start her career teaching and training dressage horses while also working as a vet assistant to the local vet.
Due to her history with “off breed horses.” She was able to help many people retrain their Arabian, Saddlebred, and Quarter Horses successfully to regional and national level dressage and sport horses.
At 20 she purchased Accolades “Bella” who became her foundation, broodmare foaling five Hanoverian and dutch Warmblood foals.
Bella‘s first foal, Royalander, RLF has gone on to perform in the young horse tests with Karen, as well as numerous in hand shows and has personally produced nine successful in hand and under saddle foals herself.
Also at the age of 20, she had her daughter, Georgia who is an accomplished rider herself. As a single parent Karen became a show groom for several breed trainers up and down the East Coast as well as hauling horses regularly to make ends meet.
Her daughter has followed in her footsteps as a groom for several Arabian trainers and is currently a working student at a dressage farm in Florida.
Karen became a USDF L graduate in 2006 and has thoroughly enjoyed judging at schooling shows as well as offering tips from a judges point of view to her students and social media followers.
Always been considered a plus size rider, Karen hopes to encourage all ages, sizes, and physically limited riders to reach their goals and dreams.
Her entire platform is based on positive education within the equine community. She encourages anyone willing to learn to retrain their mindset.
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Karen now lives in Wilmington, North Carolina after selling her horse farm to accommodate more traveling for judging, clinics, coaching, and shows.