My horse dreams started at a very young age and I was blessed with many supportive people in my life. My parents always encouraged me and my siblings as we followed our passion for horses. Our trainers pushed and challenged us to grow as young equine enthusiasts. Those pursuits taught us important life lessons along the way. Being dedicated to showing horses taught us responsibility, hard work, and resiliency. My siblings, Jesse and Laura, and I grew up learning to ride by participating in local 4-H shows and events. Following our passion for pleasure showing, we began showing on many circuits in Northeast Wisconsin. Our family won many state 4-H championships, open show circuit year end awards, and competed at AQHA shows. I truly believe the connection one has with a horse is magical and that our horse journey helped us become who we are today.

As we grew and started our families, life got busy but we continued to trail ride and always loved being around the horses. As our own kids are now getting old enough to be around the stable they are following in our footsteps and developing a love for horses. Arnie and Mary, our parents, love seeing their grandchildren ride just as they did us.

I teach middle school science and enjoy educating and encouraging our youth. I quickly learned that combining my passion for horses with my passion for teaching is extremely rewarding. My husband, Jared, and I formally started Windy Ridge Riding Academy in the spring of 2022. We offer group horse camps, individual lessons, birthday parties, and family lessons. We also have the Windy Ridge Show Team which shows at local 4-H shows, open shows near the greater Green Bay area, and at the 4-H State Expo. Riders from Windy Ridge won Grand Champion in the 7th grade Hunter Under Saddle and Reserve Champion in the grade 13 Hunter Under Saddle in 2022 at the WI State 4-H Expo.

Our family loves sharing our love of horses with others. My parents taught us at a young age to have high expectations, to be dedicated to our passions, and to never—ever give up. We have engrained those beliefs in the culture at our stable and in our business.

Special thanks to Arnie and Mary Lindauer who give so much and share the blessings they have. We also have an amazing extended horse family that assist with camps and lessons. We couldn’t do what we do without Abby Banks and the Vogel family (Nick, Jen, Reese and Hayden), and so many more of our 4-H friends and horse enthusiasts!