Vick Russell is a third-generation equestrian trainer, still active with horses in his 70s. He owns Ly-Nard Hills Farm in Columbus, NC where he specializes in sale horses and training hunters and jumpers.

He has six children; four of whom are competitive equestrians. Vick has more than 60 years of experience riding and training horses, and continues to compete. He is the author of Vick Russell Competition System: The concise and in-touch reality of competition riding.

Unlike other equestrians, Vick didn't start with a pony, he started out with a horse. But all riders start somehere, with a horse or pony they long rememeber.

Kristen Vanderveen runs Bull Run Jumpers, a training and sales stable in Wellington, FL. She began managing the stables at age 18. Riding her current mount, Bull Run's Risen, since 2018 has led to a run of successes including winning the show jumping competition in 2021 at the Traverse City Tournament of Champions and claiming the Horse & Style Magazine Style of Riding Award. (The award celebrates a rider who stands out as respectful, dignified, and courteous.) In 2021 she received the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL. Kristen is known for riding fast and for sporting a signature ponytail that makes her instantly recognizable in the ring.

A lifelong equestrian, Daniel Geitner has moved up from ponies to horses to owning his own stable with his wife, Cathy, in Aiken, SC. Riding and competing is a family affair. Their daughter, Lilly rides and is following in her parent's footsteps with wins of her own.

The results page on the stable's website shows a slew of recent wins for Daniel including a recent set of wins for the whole family.

May 10, 2023 - April was a successful month, with Cathy taking home the Leading Open Rider award at the Aiken Horse Show in the Woods and Daniel winning the $15,000 USHJA International Derby aboard Magnolia Lane Stables LLC's Coltrane and the $25,000 Aiken Spring Classic Grand Prix with November Hill's Jalanne at the Aiken Spring Classic Masters.

Daniel also had a top three sweep of the $25,000 Carolina Real Estate Grand Prix at the Aiken Spring Classic Finale: 1st on Hoekstra Stables's Katlin W, 2nd on Brewport Stables LLC's Cadir 5, and 3rd on Paige Drury's Fernhill 13. Madelyn Godard and Equus Events - Jean Paul Godard's MTM Conan G won the $2,000 NAL/WIHS Child/Adult Jumper Classic, and Ella Bragg took home the win in USHJA 3'3" Hunter Seat Medal. Circuit Championships were earned in the Green Hunter divisons by Daniel with Margaret Russell's Even Steven and Quassini.

At HITS Ocala Daniel and Mr. Manhattan won the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby.

In the $20,000 Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club 3'6”-3'9” Hunter Derby, Geitner and Easy Money (Fairbanks x Stutbuch) owned by Laura Cramer, achieved an overall score of 185 and the win. Daniel also won the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital 3′ Open Hunter Derby, on Don Stewart's Story Hour

Easy Win For Daniel Geitner & Easy Money In The $20,000 Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club 3'6”-3'9” Hunter Derby At WEC – Ocala

He also calculates he has won more than 50 Gran Prix's and likely as many as 70-80.

All the success Daniel has enjoyed, started with one pony.

Jennifer Bauersachs owns and operates Spring Hill Farm in Frenchtown, New Jersey with her husband, Rolf, where they focus on young horses and train high-level, winning, hunters and jumpers. Spring Hill Farm has become known for producing champions and grand champions in the professional, amateur, and junior hunter divisions at shows such as the Washington International Horse Show, Penn National, Hampton Classic, Old Salem Farm, and the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

Jen has had many successes in the ring including the Capitol Challenge 2021 riding Blink, owned by Lee Kellogg Sadrian.

At the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) Jen took home multiple honors. Riding on Another Love she claimed champion in the High Performance Conformation Hunter division. The duo won the model and the under saddle and also received two firsts, a second, and a fourth in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring. Of all her winds, Jen says being named Leading Lady Rider at Devon and Grand Champion in the Green Hunters at the WIHS are some of her proudest moments.

Havens Schatt is a top hunter rider and trainer who enjoyed a very successful junior career, then trained under top trainer Tom Wright for nine years before starting her own business with her husband Fred Commissaire. Together they own Milestone farm in Lexington, KY. Schatt has consistently won championships at all of the top horse shows including the Devon Horse Show and Indoors as well as many hunter derby wins. She is the two-time winner of the World Equestrian Center (WEC) Hunter Derby 3'6” – 3'9” and in 2019 won the first $5000 USHJA Hunter Derby at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show. Her career started with riding a pony she will always remember.

Victoria "Tori" Colvin is an accomplished rider and trainer who now has her own company; VICTORIA COLVIN, LLC, which she began in Wellington, FL after a successful junior career. Colvin was one of the winningest young riders in history. Colvin offers clients the opportunity to train with an acclaimed show rider/trainer and compete in AA horse shows across North America during the spring and fall, as well as compete in Wellington at the world-famous Winter Equestrian Festival during the winter season. Colvin also provides services for finding, developing, and selling quality young show horses.

Colvin had childhood success with a record-breaking five Best Child Rider titles at the famous Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, in addition to countless Junior Hunter and equitation wins across the country.

Colvin came out on top at the Wellington Equestrian Festival (WEF) with a winning ride in the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby and the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby with El Primero, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Numero Uno, owned by Meralex Farm Inc. For another win, the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby presented by #1 Education Place, she rode Longfellow, owned by Joslin Davis.

Colvin has championed numerous $50,000 International Hunter Derbies and six times the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, a triumph yet to be matched by any other rider.

In the show jumping sphere, Tori made her debut appearance in the grand prix at the age of 13, and rode to victory in the $25,000 ESP Spring 6 Grand Prix ahead of 30 other seasoned competitors as a rookie to the class.

During 2018 WEF, she raced to the top in the $25,000 Hermes U25 Grand Prix Team Event as the only double clear in the irons aboard I Love Lucy, and later won the $25,000 CP National Grand Prix aboard Clochard. Over the course of the circuit, Tori piloted two mounts owned by legendary trainer George Morris to consistent placings in the 1.35m - 1.40m Jumpers, having brought the horses up through the ranks from the 1.20 level.

All her success started with one pony.

Amanda Steege and her Belgian Warmblood, Lafitte De Muze recently won the $20,000 Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club 3'6”-3'9” Hunter Derby.

Steege is known for her success in the hunter ring and has won championships and accolades in that discipline. She has participated in the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, the Devon Horse Show, and the Winter Equestrian Festival. She was fresh out of college when she established her Ashmeadow Farm. She splits her year between Ocala, Florida, and Califon, New Jersey, where she rents Pinnacle Farm. A lifetime of success with horses and now as a trainer, all started with her first pony.

McLain Ward has represented the USA at five Olympic Games, three World Championships, many World Cup Finals, and three Pan American Games. He gives full credit to all the horses who made it possible.

Ward was riding a Belgian Warmblood Mare named Sapphire at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games and won team gold.

Sapphire retired May 14, 2012 at the Devon Horse Show; the night Ward won the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon. She was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ward again rode for the U.S. Team, this time on HH Azur, owned by Double H Farms and Francois Mathy. In 2017 he won the Longines FEI World Cup Championship during his 17th appearance at the final.

Most recently Ward and HH Azure won the Rolex Grand Prix at the Dutch Masters. After his win, Ward referred to his horse as smarter than the rest and a queen.

At the 2020 Summer Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan, Ward, rode his 12-year-old gelding, Contagious, who was selected ahead of the legendary HH Azur in the team jumping final. The team took home a silver medal.

Ward currently has horses of his own, as well as riding for other owners. Ward is from a family of equestrians and married a fellow rider, Lauren They have two daughters, Lilly and Madison, (Lilly recently began competing.) They currently reside and operate out of Castle Hill Farm in Brewster, NY and Wellington, FL.

But McLain Ward didn't start out winning. He had a difficult start on his ponies, and it was only when he got to ride horses that his skill and talent took off.

Once it did, he skyrocketed and experienced phenomenal success, causing Ward to earn his nickname, “The Kid” after his early success. In 1990, at just 14, he was the youngest rider to win the United States Equestrian Federation's Show Jumping Derby. Less than three months later, he was the youngest rider to win the USET Medal Finals. McLain also became the first and youngest rider to win both titles in the same year. His parents (both equestrian professionals) encouraged him to ride. Every “Kid” has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is with a pony.