About Us
Hello and welcome to Hippophile Farm on Madeline Island. Let me introduce myself, I am Owner/ Trainer Kristin Carey, an
avid horse lover since I was a child. To this day I still remember the very first horse I ever saw at age 5, a large black horse with a glistening coat, and I remember the magic I felt when someone patiently put me aboard. It was a feeling I have never outgrown. As a kid I attended summer camps, but it was not until I became a young adult that I was fully able to pursue my passion for horses and the life long pursuit of learning to ride. From my very first lesson I was hooked.
As with anything, I started at the beginning. But finding someone to help me learn from the beginning was a challenge. In hindsight my first instructors were adequate but not excellent. If someone was a better instructor then another I did not have enough knowledge or experience to know. What I did know however, was that something was missing. The true basics of riding were not being taught, no matter where I looked.
My luck changed when I relocated from the Milwaukee to Madeline Island. Probably not a place you would encounter very many equestrians. But as fate would have it, I had the good fortune of finding riding instructor Cyril Pittion-Rossillon & Lynn Palm, both world class trainers and competitors. After my first lesson with Cyril I knew I had found an instructor that had more passion for what he did then any other I had experienced. His enthusiasm for teaching was infectious. We started at the beginning learning what I had not been taught before. After many lessons and lots of practice all the hard work paid off.
Twenty years later, I now own & operate Hippophile Farm. At Hippophile Farm it is my mission to pass on well founded principles of horsemanship, using the methods of dressage. for whatever the students goals may be, whatever the riding discipline.
It is my belief that the knowlege we have is nothing if we don’t share it. By sharing this knowledge through instructing students & training horses I hope to help make the world a better place, especially for our equine friends.
In this pursuit I now have something I never realized, patience. Without patience you never get to see a horse and rider understand a true partnership. And for that lesson I am eternally grateful.
I would like to thank my husband & partner Tibbs for helping make Hippophile Farm a dream come true. He always said be careful what you wish for, it just might come true.
Testimonial:
“Living on Madeline Island there are some things we just don’t expect to have access to; like shopping malls, arcades, movie theatres, etc. When my six year old daughter said she wanted to take horseback riding lessons I started looking into who gave lessons over on the mainland.
I was extra concerned about finding someone with the skills to not only teach Kaytie about horses, and keep her safe, but also to help accommodate her cerebral palsy. You see, Kaytie’s CP affects her flexibility, endurance, strength, and balance, but definitely NOT her determination. We found a woman by the name of Louise Vernon, out of Washburn, who did a great job of getting Kaytie started, and used to being around a horse in general.
Over time however, we found it increasingly difficult to keep regular lessons on the mainland and we had to give them up for awhile. It was Louise who told us that she knew of someone on the island who could give Kaytie lessons as she got a little older. So it was about a year or two later, when I contacted Kris Carey of Hippophile Farm here on Madeline Island, and that is how we found ourselves at one of Madeline Island’s best kept secrets…..a first class horse barn and training facility, right here on the island.
Kris and Kaytie hit it off right away and soon Kaytie was learning the ins and outs of grooming, tacking, and beginning riding. It was soon obvious that Kris had the knowledge, skills, patience, and ability to give encouragement that made her a great teacher, even for Kaytie. She adapted her lessons to meet the needs of each student, and I watched in amazement as she motivated Kaytie to stretch, balance, and use her body in ways she had not done before, all on the back of a horse! Even Kaytie’s doctor commented on how great Kaytie’s posture was when she was riding. Kris knows when to push Kaytie to try harder and she knows when to give her more time to learn. She celebrates every achievement no matter how big or small, and Kaytie leaves every lesson with a smile and positive attitude. Kris has also become Kaytie’s friend as they work together and talk over the things Kaytie has on her mind.
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Kris has given Kaytie so much; the knowledge and skills to really know horses and to experience the joy of riding, the self-confidence that comes from working hard to accomplish eachgoal, and the gift of a special friendship, built out of respect and
acceptance of differences, a discipline to learn, and a
shared sense of humor.
I too, have begun taking lessons, at “50-something”, and as a complete novice! While my lessons with Kris are definitely different from how she works with Kaytie, I too am learning, and loving the process. When you come down to it, that is the sign of a true teacher—one who can give each individual student exactly what they need---the knowledge, motivation, inspiration, and determination to achieve the goals they desire.
As I see more and more students coming for lessons from Kris each year, I see each of them walk away with not only an appreciation of Kris’ knowledge, but also with respect for her commitment to running her program and farm with honesty and integrity. How fortunate we are, to have Kris Carey and her incredible expertise, here on Madeline Island!”
Debbie Knopf
Madeline Island
