I started riding when I was three - my parents took me to a picnic that was at a friend's horse farm.  After that there was no turning back....I had gotten bitten by the horse bug. I competed in my first horse show when I was 6 years old.  I was on a little gray welsh pony named Missy.  I won a blue ribbon in the walk trot equitation class.  I can still remember that first horse show like it was yesterday !   I rode whatever horse or pony was available at nearby stables.  By 10 years old, I was serious about competing and showing horses.   We had wonderful show seasons in PA/NJ/MD/VA.   It was such a great way to grow up !

I learned from many excellent horsewomen over the years.  My first "formal" riding lessons were from Sally Dohner and Karen Healy in Lewisberry, Pa.  I then spent most of my Junior Hunter years under the watchful eye of Ms. Janet Hanshaw-Bowen (Linglestown, Pa) as well as spending summers with  Mrs. Jane Marshall Dillon (Vienna, VA).  They were all wonderful mentors.   I went to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.  I graduated with a major in Biology and Psychology.  I continued to ride and train horses while in college and after college.  I accepted a job in Washington DC in the late 1980's, which took me away from the horse world for nearly 15 years.  During my  sabbatical from the horse world--  I got married and had 2 children.  Once the kids were born...THEY HAD TO HAVE A PONY !    The rest, as they say, "is history" :)