Chanel began riding when she was 4 years old. She joined pony club and stayed extremely active through high school before focusing solely on Three Day Eventing. Throughout her teenage years, Chanel was a working student for David and Lauren O’Brien and then spent four summers training under Pan American Gold Medalist, USDF Gold medalist, and R Judge Nanci Lindroth. Chanel Competed all over the east coast at the Preliminary level and was schooling Intermediate when she lost her event horse. She went on to ride Steeplechase and retrain OTTB’s for the legendary D.M. Smithwhick. After moving to Montana Chanel was presented with the opportunity to show a jumper mare, and immersed herself in the hunter jumper world, working under Allison Heidmann, Colts Unlimited with young jumpers, Hope Glynn in hunter and equation, and most recently spending the winter training under Olympian Nona Garson with her personal jumper mare. Chanel has produced numerous young horses to A circuit show champions in both the hunters and jumpers, as well as developed horses for the upper level of the sport.

 

Sara first started riding when she was seven years old and began taking formal lessons at the age of 10. Eventually landing with Jim Hatch and Lloyd Landkamer’s where she developed a foundation in dressage. Sara broke out her first colt at the age of 16 while working under a handful of renowned colt starters in Southern Minnesota. While in Highschool Sara was an active member of 4H taking home top placings every year at state for western pleasure, hunt seat, showmanship, barrel racing and pole bending. In 2004 she was hired as the lead trainer for Mountain Magin Ranch, which produced 60 Rocky mountain gaited horses per year. Sara refined her colt starting and early development through this program which she was a part of for 5 years. Following opening her own training program Sara was the Ladies level one Montana Sate Mounted shooting champ in 2010.  In Feb of 2012 one of our project horses took first at the Extreme Trail horse Challenge at the Gallatin Valley Winterfest and another took second in July 2012 at the Gallatin County fair trail horse battle. In 2015 another of our horses took a second at the extreme trail horse battle at the Gallatin Winterfest. In 2013 Sara qualified for the Worlds in Mounted shooting and took an overall championship in Pole Bending in the SMBRA, and an overall ladies Omoksee in the Three Forks Saddle Club. In 2014 she was one of 15 Trainers chosen nationwide to compete in the Ultimate X Showdown.  In 2015 our 3 year old Futurity colt won the all around green division and reserve champion 18 and over at the summit show series. In 2023 she was the highpoint champion of the Buckles and Breeches series, as well as the high point champions of the MAHA in 2024 and in 2025. Sara was hired as the MSU IHSA western team in 2024 and has qualified students for regional and zone divisionals. Never one to stop expanding her knowledge she also was highpoint of two hunter divisions in 2024 with MHJA. At this point in her career Sara has backed over 1,000 colts in her training career in a multitude of different disciplines.