About Jeanie:        My Coaches           My Horses

My Name is Jeanie Clarke Hannen. I was born in January, 1970, and was yelling for ponies by mid 1971. None of my family members was horsey, but my mom tells me that, at 18 months old, I would scream from my car seat to stop and visit with horses turned out near the road. She was doomed!

My first training came from Groton Pony Club in Groton, Mass., and my first event coach was Betsey Reeves at Shepley Hill Farm. I often think back to her example as I work with my own students today. She was demanding and encouraging, and she took both my riding and my character development very seriously. She could always see the big picture for me, even before I understood where the horses and I could go. She found many wonderful horses for me to learn on, even when I could not own them myself, and she bumped me out of the nest at all the right junctions. 

Jeanie's first pony "Butterscotch", 12.2 hands, 1978

I spent great summers as a working student with the Schurinks at Doornhof Farm in Vermont, and with Suzy Gornall in Massachusetts. I mucked a million stalls and rode a million horses. I got my first glimpse of upper level dressage and eventing, and I understood for the first time what level of intensity was required.  I loved it.

Shortly thereafter, I was hired as a groom and dressage rider for a team of four in-hand combined driving horses driven by Bill Long in the World Championships in Ascot, England in 1986 and in Apeldoorn, Holland, in 1988. We spent two summers competing in Europe. International travel, riding, a pay check, and a team jacket. Heaven! Flying with the horses was a great adventure, as was traveling around Europe in a horse van, clinging to the back of the carriage at a dead gallop, and trying to find breakfast in rural Sweden while traveling with people who spoke only Polish.

After the 1988 Worlds, I took the train from Apeldoorn to Bad Bevensen, Germany, near Bremen. I almost missed my stop. As the train ground to a halt at a completely dark, rural road crossing at just before midnight, the conductor mumbled "Bad Bevensen."  I was a moment too slow to understand him. My duffel and I were on the pavement when the train started to pull away, but my saddles were not. Thankfully my shouting woke up a sleeping army guy who threw them down to me as the train pulled away!      

                                                                                         
I spent a year in Germany riding first for a 100-Day Testing and Stallion Licensing station called Klosterhof Medingen, and then for an upper level event rider, who is now one of the selectors for the German eventing team.

At Medingen, I was an apprentice rider in their Bereiter program. This is the 3-year educational program through which aspiring German trainers get certified. I was assigned to one professional rider, Elmar Lesche. We had twelve 3-year old stallions to train for 100 days, at the end of which the horses participated in a licensing test that included dressage, show jumping, cross country, and an evaluation of conformation, gaits and temperament.

Jeanie and "Impy", 15.1 hands, First Training Event

At Medingen, we also produced a trakehener auction and stood several stallions, including Caprimond and Socrates. 

After the auction, I went to work for Hans Melzer, an advanced event rider. It was a tamer riding environment (phew) and allowed me to get out to the events at least as a groom.

I returned to the US in time to pass my Pony Club A rating and then race off to Providence, RI, for freshman orientation at Brown University.

I had deferred my acceptance at Brown to take a year off to ride in Europe between high school and college, knowing that trying to ride and to do justice to my education was not going to be easy. When college started, riding stopped.

I graduated in 1993 with an honors degree in Environmental science and English Lit, played varsity Ice Hockey, made great friends, and even snuck in a secret horse off the track that I trained up and sold in order to buy a car. It was a great 4 years!

Jeanie with "Top Spinner", 2003

After graduation I moved to Boston to work in sports marketing and to take the science classes to prepare for veterinary school. I was accepted into the class of 2000 at Tufts vet, hoping that this career choice would soothe my horse itch. It didn't help at all - in fact, it made it worse and tapped my financial resources beyond repair. I left Tufts after the first year, which is not a decision I am totally comfortable with even now, although I do love what I do!

I headed for Colorado to recover, financially and otherwise. I met my dear friend,  Kim Benson, who hired me to help out at her dressage barn, Flying Star Stables, after my sales and marketing job at Salomon Skis and Snowboards. Colorado was a blast - great snowboarding, motocross riding, mountain biking, riding, and a lower cost of living than we deal with here in the Northeast.

When Tim Hannen and I got married in 2001, we wanted to be home, closer to our families. We moved to South Kent, CT, where Tim teaches Algebra II, coaches soccer, hockey and lacrosse, and is the Dean of Students at South Kent School. I taught two years of Biology and English at South Kent, while I searched for how to make riding my full-time job.

When I met Jayne Marino and Mike and Carol Paterno here at Mistover, I knew the search was finally over! Jayne was instantly my mentor and friend, and the Paternos are the most supportive, encouraging employers one could ever hope for. I am so lucky!

Teaching and riding became my full time career in June, 2003. I couldn't be happier!

Jeanie with "Top Spinner", 2003

My Coaches:

Jayne Marino at Mistover, Buck Davidson, of Ringoes, NJ, and Karen O'Connor, of Middleburg, VA, are my coaches.

Jayne helps me several times a week here at Mistover. She is an FEI dressage rider and has a strong background in jumping and eventing. She and I are a great fit - she knows me well and helps keep me pointed in the right direction.  She's one of my best friends and is my biggest supporter!

I met Buck while horse shopping at Chesterland in September, 2003. He jumped smoothly into my education in a way that supported my efforts and pushed me to the next level as though he had been working with me for years. Maybe it's because he shares my ice hockey background and my lighthearted, adventurous approach to sports, or maybe it's just that he's very perceptive and communicates so well!

In winter, 2005, I trained with Karen O'Connor at Team O'Connor's winter location in Ocala, FL.  Karen pushes me to stay technically correct, to demand a higher level from myself and my horses every day, and to remain faithful to my training system.  Her own system and philosophies blend with and add to my own ideas and are a great help.  She is an inspiration and a driving force.  Luckily, Middleburg is not too far away to go for tune-ups during the summer season.

My Horse:

Ringwood Ping Pong
16.1 h 6 yo liver chestnut Irish gelding by Crosstown Dancer out of a well bred TB race mare by Chu Chin Chow.  Ping Pong might be the cutest event horse ever born. I found him in Ireland this spring when Buck introduced me to some great folks over there. What an amazing experience! I still can't believe this gorgeous horse bounces out of the barn under MY saddle every day! I am incredibly grateful to my students Cathy Medeo and Michel Sturm who encouraged me and then made the trip possible! Ping Pong did his first CCI-* in Kentucky in 2005.  He was great!  I made a steering mistake and collected 20 penalties on Phase D, but he was perfect in every way and we still  made the time.

Ping Pong suffered a series of unlucky minor injuries in 2006 and didn't compete, but I hope to have him back in full force in 2007.

                                                         Jeanie Hannen