Editorial
Meet the Cool People at....
Yellow Rose Eventing! I got the chance a few weeks ago to visit and ride with a couple of fun, young eventers in northern Virginia – Katie Ruppel and Steve Steinhoff. This dynamic pair actively compete at the upper levels in the sport, bring along youngsters & sale prospects, foxhunt with the local hunts, and have a jolly time all the while.
Katie and Steve rent a fabulous stone barn on one of the most elite foxhunting farms on the East Coast – Banbury Cross, located just outside Middleburg, Virginia, and luckily for me, just a few miles from my own barn. For those not familiar with the area, it’s THE place to be…a horse enthusiasts’ dream with tack shops on practically ever corner,tons of events and horse shows within a few miles, several foxhunting packs, and, oh, did I mention all of the eventers who live in northern Virginia? Well-known big name riders like the O’Connors, Mara Dean, Jan Byyny, Stephen Bradley, Kristin Bachman, Jim Wofford, Nina Fout, (the list is endless), as well as accomplished up-and-coming riders, too, like Allison Springer, Nate Chambers, and of course Katie and Steve.
Anyways – I’ve gotten off topic – back to the barn, because it’s too cool to skip over. It’s the neatest 12-stall little court yard barn with gorgeous wood paneling throughout (very European chic, in my opinion). Complete with all the necessities like washer/dryer (for stinky saddle pads!) and grooming racks, etc. and it has a quaint cherry-paneled little tack room, too. Just the perfect size for two people! Immaculately tidy, it was obvious someone had a Pony Club background! And of course lots of room for doggie beds, too.
Ah, the pups! A.k.a. the "welcoming committee," when I unloaded the ponies, a pair of little fuzzy Australian shepherds greeted me… these would be Tippie & Belle (a wee little pup! I just wanted to scoop her up and stick her in my pocket!), who are apparently skilled in the fine art of "pine cone hunting." :)
We made the usual introductions, admired each others’ ponies (okay, well I ogled theirs and was embarrassed by my little fuzzball pony who resembled a muddy yak) got tacked up and headed out for a ride on the farm…and when I mean farm, I mean hundreds of gorgeous acres of pristine, rolling fields just begging to be galloped on. After I’d wiped the drool off my face and tried to look less envious, I found out a little bit about Katie & Steve’s background.
Steve also grew up on a farm as a kid, was an active member of the FFA (Future Farmer’s of America – like Napoleon Dynamite!) and he was a Pony Clubber as well (he got his B-rating…not too shabby!). However, his family hails from Montera, California, so he he made the trek east in 2004 after accepting a job to work with Jim Wofford in Upperville, VA, the neighboring town adjacent to Middleburg. How could someone pass that opportunity up?? Talk about training with the best! Steve also trained with local Canadian Olympic team member Stuart Black, and has quite an impressive string of talented horses at the moment.
Actually they both have a great barn full of horses… and often times they’ll share the ride. For instance, Katie rode the relatively green French gelding Kouros du Rouville at Poplar Place this past January in Open Preliminary, and Steve rode him at both Pine Top in February, and then Katie took over the reins at last week’s Pine Top event. Very cool deal.
Steve is gearing up for the CIC3* at Red Hills next weekend on his Advanced horse Henery VIII and will also take Kouros in the CIC2* (which happens to be a Gold Cup division… maybe they’ll rack up some points for the leaderboard!). Katie has her little mare entered in the 2* as well (more points!) – luckily, I’ll be down there covering the event for the USEA, taking pictures and posting results, so hopefully I’ll be relaying lots of good news about these guys.
I know you’re wondering, how the heck do these (young!) guys manage to have all these really talented horses, compete at lots of different events, and afford to live on such a cool farm? I wondered the same thing – Katie told me that their boarder helps, at least in offsetting some of the horses’ expenses. Also, both Katie & Steve help out with the foxhunting boarders at the resident farm, take in horses for training, and teach lessons & clinics. Plus, Steve heads home to California for a few weeks out of the year to help out with his family’s Christmas tree farm to make a few (or many) extra bucks. And some pretty careful frugal budgeting doesn’t hurt either…
Oh, and I almost forgot – they’re both working towards getting their college degrees from local universities! Talk about dedication and time management skills. Katie’s working towards her degree in chemistry at George Mason (she’d attended Albion College back home in Michigan for two years and rode on the intercollegiate team as well), and Steve is pursuing his psychology degree at Marymount University…well done!
So, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, and are looking for a fun time with some neat, down-to-earth, friendly young eventers, give Katie & Steve a call or visit their website, www.yellowroseeventing.com. And be sure to cheer them on at Red Hills, The Fork, Jersey Fresh, and (*fingers crossed for Katie*) NAYRC!
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