My adventures with horses will never cease. I have only ever wanted to work and be around horses. Ever since I was old enough I have cleaned, ridden, groomed, competed, managed, taught, and cared for them, first for the fun of it and more recently as a career. I am the little girl who never grew out of her pony obsession, and my life’s goal is to somehow “make it” in the equine industry.
Two years ago I left a job I enjoyed very much, being assistant editor for this magazine, to ride professionally in the show jumping world. Assisting hunter/jumper trainers in California was, for me, a natural step up the ladder of this multi-layered industry. The last two years have been an education for me in countless ways, and have prepared me well for the step I am embarking on now.



With no mortgage, marriage or horses holding me back, I decided to pack up my life in California to go work for whichever trainer would have me in Europe. I set my sights high; using my reporter’s hat I searched out the top riders in the world and sent them videos of me riding along with a brilliant letter showcasing my many attributes. In the end it was with the help of an American friend living in Belgium that I was able to secure a job with Olympic rider and World Cup champion Ludo Philippaerts. Ludo and his sons compete all over the world every year. He also oversees a busy sales barn and breeds his top stallions, and maintains a full staff to support the operation. Among all that there would certainly be a place for me!
Stoeterij Dorperheide is Ludo’s home base about one hour outside of Brussels, in Belgium. The barn is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen; a manicured, cobblestone driveway takes you past Ludo’s big house to the very large barn, which holds 50 stalls, an arena, offices, breeding lab, and a four bedroom groom’s house, all under one roof.
As soon as I got there I was shown to Ludo’s mahogany walled, leather couch decorated lounge to meet him. I was left to wait for quite a long time while Ludo was located, which allowed me plenty of time to be appropriately intimidated by the trophy case that takes up one entire wall. Cups and trophies from what look like every country that has ever held a horse show are crowded together in all their shining glory. Big portraits of Ludo jumping over the years at the Olympics, Belgian Championships, European Championships and so on are on the next wall. The whole production faces big windows that look out onto the groomed indoor ring. It’s all about first impressions, right?

Rock Star Rider
I felt like a rock star groupie meeting her favorite singer, but I did my best to conceal my shaky hands and nervous laugh as I stood before this most famous rider. Ludo is impeccable in brown tall boots and a navy jacket with the name of a sponsor on the back. He’s very handsome, in fact his entire family is good looking, from his tall and svelte dark-haired wife to his four sons aged 14 to 4. Everyone rides, including Ludo’s brother Johan, who also manages the barn. Ludo’s wife Veronique has a dressage horse, and their twin 14 year old sons are Belgian junior champions who started their riding careers competing in pony grand prixs. Naturally.
Ludo walks around the barn like the best thing to grace a horse’s back. He smokes a lot of cigarettes and speaks Flemish and French to the grooms and riders who are constantly darting about the place. Without understanding a word of either Flemish or French, I sense that everyone is speaking over my head, and I don’t like it. I am instantly determined to learn one of those languages as soon as possible. My fluent Spanish, priceless in California, will be of no help to me here.
There are so many people working in the barn that it takes me a full week to sort them all out. Nine riders (including myself) from a variety of countries work the horses every day. The top riders are paid and the others are there working for knowledge, and room and board. There are also four non-riding grooms who seem to help with everything.
I see in these people the European stereotypes I’ve always heard about coming to life. The top rider is a very tall, handsome and snobby Dutch boy who stands like a ballet dancer with one skinny leg pointed delicately forward whenever he’s not sitting on a horse. There is an unfriendly French rider who smokes more than anyone I’ve ever known and has perfected looking at everything with a bored stare, including me when I’m speaking to her. A Swedish rider is young, blond and pretty. The head girl is a super friendly Dutch local who runs around all day long consumed with 1,000 tasks. Three Brazilian riders speak Portuguese to each other and earnestly try to understand me when I mix Spanish with English in a sad attempt to communicate. And then there is my American friend Chrissy, who is seemingly unintimidated by it all and makes friends with everyone. I just try to take it all in.
And my god, the horses! I haven’t even gotten to them yet. There is so much to tell, and I am thrilled to share it with you, but it will have to wait until next month. Meanwhile I’ll be riding next to these people and trying not to personify the silly, wide-eyed American stereotype they’ve all heard about! Wish me luck!