TRAINER PROFILES

Rebekah Wesatzke

Rebekah is the manager for Hearthstone Riding Stables, as well as the primary instructor and trainer. She has been teaching and training in the Houston area for the past 12 years and has horses and riders successfully showing and competing from training to FEI. Rebekah is a USDF Bronze and Silver medalist, having met these goals on horses she trained herself. She has been training for the past nine years with Hans Biss of Hamburg, Germany, who focuses on the classical approach to training and problem solving. Her approach to teaching is disciplined and kind, and the well being of the horse always comes first. She is currently competing FEI on an Arabian mare Gisela MBI+ and on her Dutch  mare Modern Art.

Charla Gipson

Charla has been riding since age six and has competed in dressage, hunter/jumper, combined training, and endurance events. As a teen she was NIHJA Junior Hunter Champion. In recent years she has won many championships and reserves in dressage, hunter/jumper shows, and was GHCTA division champion in combined training for 2005. She is an Airport Ranger, is licensed by The California Horse Racing Board and worked with The Gallery Racing Team in Spring 2006. In 2007 she won 17 of 18 dressage classes entered, was open champion for the Sienna Fall series of dressage shows, and was awarded a Houston Dressage Society Premium Rider’s Certificate for the year. Her students won over 70 blue ribbons at schooling shows, two champion and one reserve champion awards at the Sienna Fall series and was awarded two HDS rider’s certificates and had a student named reserve champion at training level for the year. Her wealth of varied equestrian experience, along with being the mother and home educator of two sons, grants Charla a unique perspective to help beginner to intermediate riders reach their goals safely and in a positive, fun way. Charla says “nothing is more fulfilling for me than watching beginning riders of all ages develop their confidence and competence on horseback”.

Kristina Ehrle-Webb

Kristina is a trainer and instructor at Hearthstone.  She is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist.  Her experience includes a stint working for Pamela Goodrich and Pierre St. Jacques in New Hampshire, along with riding, training, and showing a variety of horses from training level thru FEI in the Houston area.  Kristina was also an active participant in the USDF Young Rider program, and through that experience trained with Conrad Schumacher.  Currently, Kristina is looking forward to competing her own horse Madoc Alexander the Greatest in the Brentina Young Adult Grand Prix.  She also finds great joy in working with horses and riders of all levels and helping each rider to attain their personal goals. 

Andy Phillips

Andy began to ride when he was 9 and has been a student of Rebekah's for the past 6 years. With her help, he has become a USDF Bronze medalist. He has ridden in clinics with Tom Noone, Sue Blink and Hans Biss.  He spent the last two summers training with Hans in Germany and  recently returned home with Caruso, an 8 year old Hanoverian gelding from Han's barn. He has just begun working towards his Silver medal on Caruso, and also competes on G-Sharp, Rebekah's young horse.