BACKGROUND

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I was born in Tampa, Florida. I lived in Spain and Taiwan as a child when my father was in the Marine Corps and finally settled in Northern Virginia where I have lived for over thirty-five years.  I came up with the Anyplace Farm name in 1996 when a group of girls I was teaching decided to switch barns, just after spending a considerable amount to have that farm's name embroidered on jackets.  I decided to come up with a name that could follow my clients wherever they were boarded and so the name came about.

Growing up with a horse in my backyard, I competed in local hunter shows and competed in VQHA and AQHA sanctioned shows.  I attended Virginia Intermont College, competing on the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team and competed in the occasional AHSA show. I began teaching when I was 18 while home from college during breaks.  After college, I worked as a groom for Frank Madden & Bill Cooney's  Beacon Hill Show Stables of New York (now a business run by Frank & Stacia Madden in Colts Neck, NJ) while they competed in Tampa, FL one winter. My charges included Mia Wood and Candice (Schlom) King.  I then managed a sales and training barn in Middleburg, VA.

I returned to teaching in 1988 and continued teaching while working a full time job as an Executive Assistant for various corporations in Washington, DC and Northern Virginia.  I currently support the President & CEO of a Defense Contracting firm in Reston, VA.  My mission was to provide the best in 'crossover training' for the rider that wished to compete at the local level and move up to the rated horse shows.  Riders were given a strong foundation based on classic equitation.  They were taught how to be strong, consistent winners and how to gracefully handle times when they weren't.  Respect for parents and other individuals supporting them was paramount, as was the well-being of their horse.  Proper turnout of the horse and rider was taught and after moving up from Anyplace Farm, riders moved seamlessly and confidently into the rated ring and onto their college IHSA teams.

After reaching all of my teaching goals, I decided to make 2005 my last year as a professional.  Time with horses in the future will be spent working towards personal riding goals such as attending clinics, taking lessons with local professionals, competing in horse shows and hunting or pleasure riding with friends.  I'll also enjoy watching former students competing at shows with their new trainers.

I also enjoys writing and producing the horse in art.  I was a contributing writer for Horse Talk Magazine and as a college student, penciled the cover of the 1987 Grand Prix Issue of The Chronicle of the Horse.