Joanne Vaughan, Business Woman & International Dressage Rider

Estonian Joanne Vaughan is not 'just another dressage rider'. She does not only have the aim to become a top international dressage rider, she is also a famous international business woman. Recently she took three horses to the Anky Education Center to train with Anky.

Joanne Vaughan brought three famous horses to the Anky Education Center. She trained her with the grey schoolmaster Quicksilver (by Latano I). In the past, this horse was shown by Jeannette Haazen. “This beautiful stallion is my schoolmaster, he teaches me all the tricks of the big tour. March last year was our debut in the Grand Prix and I will ride him in the Sunshine Tour, next month in the South of Spain. Prego, a chestnut gelding is my second horse at Grand Prix level. This horse was bred and ridden by the late Dutch Els Jansen and sold to Anna Campanella. I bought him from my friend Anna and will take him to the Sunshine Tour. The twelve year old Walkingstar (by Weltruhm) is my third horse here at the Anky Education Center. He has been here before to train with his former rider Janina Siemers. He is also my third horse that I will compete in Jerez de la Frontera”.

“This training week was a good preparation for me and my horses. Anky is a real expert and lets me realize what I am doing and what I have to do. Often you know what you’re doing wrong, but you don’t know how to solve it. Anky improves my timing, makes me give faster aids and I feel that the quality of my horses' paces improve a lot. The moment that Anky tells me it’s better or good means a lot to me”.

Joanne is a busy woman and tries hard to combine her job with taking care of her six years old daughter and her horses as good as possible. "It’s my second time on the Anky Education Center and it feels a bit like holiday. I can do what I love to do, horse riding under perfect circumstances and combine it with my business. The AEC is a unique center, because for both the horse and rider everything is perfect. For example, with the wireless internet I can continue working for my company. I would like to give the Anky Education Center a great compliment for creating the right atmosphere for the riders and the horses, supported by the perfect facilities”.

In the past she was a paratrooper in the British Army, but years ago she had an accident and had to give up that job. "My back was heavily injured and the doctors didn’t give me any chance to restart my riding career. After that I met a doctor who motived me to move more, and I decided to start side saddle riding. Five years ago, the right medical support gave me the change to start dressage riding”.

Joanne Vaughan is a business woman who operates in the IT-world and built up her own company in Estonia. She is the Chief Executive Officer and operates from their headquarters in Moscow. Her company, named HSR (Hotel and Restaurant Systems) is market leader in information technologies in the hospitality industry and operates in Russia, CIS and Baltic States. She also runs her own barn: Les Ecuries des Quatre Vents: “The stable of the four winds” and is situated in the Loire Valley (Saumur, France).

She is very ambitious and has a lot of plans for the future: ”My goal is to become a good rider at the Grand Prix level and to compete at international competitions with my horses. My daughter is a great fan of Anky and her clothing and I would like to come back to the Anky Education Center, together with my daughter. She will be glad to see me, coming back with a signed postcard of Anky”!

The Anky Education Center wishes Joanne the best of luck in Sunshine Tour!