Miramonte Equine

Quality dressage horses, lessons and training in the central Kentucky area

 

Meet Our Team

 

Emily Brollier Curtis

Owner / Head Trainer
(316) 680-9758

Born in Steamboat Springs, CO and raised in Wichita, KS, Emily started her riding career before she could walk, accompanying her parents on pack trips in the Rocky Mountains. Emily began showing at age 7 in the Hunter/Jumper ring, but soon felt drawn to the thrill of eventing. Through eventing, she developed a passion for dressage. In 2001, Emily began training with USA Dressage Idol winner, Philesha Chandler. 


In 2004, at the age of 14, Emily purchased 3 year old Miramonte, an unbroken warmblood mare, whom she started under saddle. Since then they have worked in tandem to realize many accomplishments including the USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. They are currently campaigning at FEI Grand Prix and have claimed titles such as KDA Grand Prix Champion and AWS/USDF Reserve National Champion at Grand Prix. 


In addition to Miramonte, Emily has carefully developed several horses through the ranks, including the up and coming Dancer, a beautiful 18hh chestnut KWPN gelding and future Grand Prix mount. Emily is known for her ability to work with both young and difficult horses and especially has a talent for restarting Thoroughbreds off track and placing them into new careers. Emily participated in the Retired Racehorse Project Makeover Competition two years in a row for the dressage discipline and has found much success. In 2015, she claimed a 6th place finish on 3 year old OTTB, Market Light, owned by Christine Siegel. In the 2016 RRP, Emily earned an impressive 3rd place finish on Wendy Wooley's 4 year old OTTB gelding, Dancing Commander. She plans to compete again in the 2017 Makeover Challenge with two entries in the dressage. Emily is also a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a BS in Equine Management and Science and a minor in Agricultural Economics. Emily plans to continuously study and pursue the art of dressage and will do so out of her home base of Miramonte Equine located in the heart of the Bluegrass.

Jessica Turner

Assistant Trainer / Communication Administrator
(440) 487-2721
Jessica was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. At the age of six years old she started riding her horses and fell in love with them. She was an all around horse woman but focused her expertise on eventing. One of Jessica's proudest moments was competing in the Area 8 Eventing Championships. 

For three years during college, Jessica would purchase horses and resell them for profit after adding some training miles on them. While doing this she realized that training horses was her true passion. In 2016, Jessica took a risk and moved down to Lexington to further her horse training career with Miramonte Equine. 

In 2017 Jessica earned her USDF bronze medal. She continues to further her dressage skills and excel. 

Meghan Riviello

Assistant Trainer / Sales Coordinator
(610) 357-6202

Meghan grew up just outside of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. She was introduced to horses through her grandmother, who used to buy off the track thoroughbreds and retrain them into dressage horses. Starting to ride at the age of seven, she quickly fell in love with the sport.

At the age of ten, Meghan received her first horse and got a taste of training horses from the ground up. Her little western paint mare was retrained as an English riding horse and competed through beginner novice starter trials. With help from trainers, she continued to train multiple horses throughout high school, starting them off at the lowest levels of eventing up to novice level.


Meghan decided to come to Lexington to study at the University of Kentucky. She is starting off her senior year majoring in Equine Management and minoring in Agricultural Management. The highlight of her education has been attending Charles Sturt University in Australia for a semester where she studied equine exercise physiology. She looks forward to graduating in May 2018.


While she has spent her whole life eventing, she is excited to embark on this new chapter as a dressage rider. She earned her USDF bronze medal in 2017 and is working towards her USDF silver medal.
 
 

Additional Team Members

Teamwork makes the dream work! Get to know some of our most vital contributors!

Megan Van Son

Working Student

Megan was born and raised outside of Knoxville, Tennessee and attended her first horse camp at the age of six. From then on, she has been dedicated to all things horses, specifically focusing on dressage and three day eventing. Megan got her first horse, an off track thoroughbred, and has retrained numerous ex-racehorses in eventing and dressage before selling them to new homes. In 2013, Megan sold her horse and purchased a 4-year-old OTTB. Together she and Arioso trained and successfully competed through the preliminary level of eventing and second level dressage. Arie was recently sold to a wonderful home in Connecticut he is giving his new rider wings.

 

In 2015, Megan moved up to Lexington with her horses to attend the university of Kentucky where she is currently double majoring in marketing and management with a minor in sociology. After selling Arie, she purchased another 4-year-old OTTB who she plans to compete in dressage and eventing in 2018. She looks forward to pursuing her dressage education with Miramonte Equine and earning her USDF medals.

Danielle Dixon

Working Student
Danielle was born in San Antonio, Texas and grew up in northern Kentucky. She began riding at the age of five and was showing by age six in the hunter/jumper ring. At nine years old she switched to strictly dressage where she quickly fell in love with the sport. With the help of
multiple trainers, she advanced up through the levels with an emphasis on classical riding until she was schooling Prix St George.

Danielle later decided to try her hand at eventing and in 2014 she purchased her first horse, a 4 year old OTTB. The pair competed in multiple horse trials before switching back to dressage
where they continue to develop their skills.

Danielle is currently a junior at the University of Kentucky where she is working on a double major in Animal Science and Equine Science with a minor in Biology. She is following a pre-veterinary pathway with the hopes of attending Auburn University’s veterinary school in August
of 2019. She also works as a vet technician at Sheabel Veterinary Hospital in her spare time.

She is looking forward to continuing her dressage education and skills under Miramonte Equine with the goal of earning her USDF silver medal in 2018.

Anne Buchanan

Horse Specialist

With over 50 years of equestrian pursuits, Anne has a varied range of experience to draw from:  In Michigan, she started in hunter jumpers, then competed Arabians in racing, halter, English pleasure and stock horse, winning many prestigious competitions from regional champions to Scottsdale and National Top 10s in the USA and Canada.  From here, she was drawn to Quarter horses and NRHA reining.  When Anne moved to Kentucky in 1987, she started riding and showing American Saddlebred  three- and five-gaited pleasure, and switched to dressage around 2001. 

Anne’s educational and professional backgrounds involve earning advanced degrees from The University of Michigan and University of Kentucky in Reproductive Physiology and Veterinary Science.  She has been a  breeding manager, stallion handler, worked in the racing industry for Team Valor International, has been an Executive Director for breed organizations, founded her own equine entertainment corporation and is the President of the American Friends of the Spanish Riding School non-profit.

Anne also enjoys participating in launching new organizations. She came to Kentucky to become part of the first team to work in the Gluck Equine Research Center,  was the first Field Director for the Kentucky Equine Education Project, was Director of Administration for the 2010 World Equestrian Games, helped develop the online booking of horse farm tours concept for the Lexington area and was involved in the early development of online horse show competitions.

Now retired from a career in secondary education, Anne combines the knowledge gained from the many fields in order to differentiate training needs for individual horses.  She specializes in ground work and long lining, and focuses on creating a straight, supple and relaxed horse with an elastic connection.

 

Previous Working Students

Miramonte Equine is proud to continue to support and encourage our graduates!

Sarah Sivinski

Working Student
2013-2016

Rachel Causey

Working Student
2015-2016

Kellie Driscoll

Working Student
2014-2017


Previous Working Students Continued

Team work makes the dream work!

Miri Schwarzmaier

Working student
Summer 2016

Kelsey Lee

Working Student
2017

Emily Mercier

Working Student
Fall 2017