26 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 28
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Kristen VanderVeen – Soul For the Circuit
By Lauren R. Giannini
K
risten VanderVeen brings a powerful set of
fundamental skills to the show world. She
is very business-savvy, having turned the
family hobby into her profession, Bull Run Jumpers,
when she was 18. She is family-oriented and a
“walk the walk” Christian whose show jackets are
embroidered with the fish symbol on the sleeves
and scriptures on the tail hem. Plus, she has been
harvesting wins on the jumper circuit.
“I finished high school and I had a gap year while
I decided what to do and, thankfully, my parents
were very supportive of my decision,” recalled
Kristen, now 24. “I love the process of training
young horses and the sales. Competing is the
cherry on top of the cake.”
Kristen’s father Keith worked at Wells Fargo, her
mother Beth raised the kids. “My parents weren’t
into horses, but we lived near neighbors (in Illinois)
who had western pleasure horses. I was eight or
nine and I got annoying enough that my parents
sent me to a nearby barn for lessons. That’s where
I grew my passion for horses.”
Her father caught the horse bug, then her
mother, then her brothers, Joshua and Jonathan.
They moved to a farm near Lamplight Equestrian
Center and competed on the Midwest circuit. When
their equestrian endeavors changed from family fun
to Kristen’s livelihood, they sold the farm, but the
family is still closely involved. Joshua still shows
horses for Kristen whenever he can.
“My father has really helped me out with the
business model and getting investors and running
it as a real business – not just as a labor of love,”
stated Kristen. “My father got people to invest in
me – he’s a phenomenal promoter. I go to Europe
to get the horses and train them to re-sell.”
Of course, the ultimate goal for most Grand
Prix jumper riders is that someday investors will
want their horse to go to the Olympics. “That’s my
hope, but right now, because we’re still building
the business, I’ve been more for higher volume,
fair prices and good turnover,” Kristen said. “I work
very hard to establish myself as a trainer. A good
reputation is everything.”
Kristen relies on a most powerful “aid” which
works with and enhances her horsemanship skills.
“Horses are God’s creation and my faith keeps me on the straight
and narrow for preparing my horses for showing and for selling,”
she explained. “When you train a horse, if you get there quick,
you’re going to lose it quick. But if you do it right, when you use
the building blocks, then it’s lasting and it’s sustainable. It’s also a
respect thing for all that God has created.”
Her Bull Run’s horses have inspirational names, such as
Guardian, Believer, Revive, Mercy Me, and her current star,
Eternal. Kristen spent a fair amount of time showing in the summer
series at the Colorado Horse Park. “June went well, but July was
over the top – it started a bit shaky with a Welcome Class. I didn’t
worry, I just prayed about it like I always do and then trust the
Lord,” she said. “I went on to win three Grand Prix and a Welcome
Class. The more we win, the more we sell, because everything I
ride is for sale.”
To quote his trainer and rider, Bull Run Eternal, aka Denver,
is phenomenal. “I got him this past fall before I went to Florida,”
Kristen said. “I went to Europe about one horse, but it wasn’t going
well and they didn’t want me to see it. We went to the horse show
and I saw Eternal and asked the dealer if he was for sale. It was
the first week the horse was in Germany. My dealer had never
seen him before.”
Kristen rode him in the pouring rain and jumped six fences. She
got off quietly and went to sit in the car. “This horse has changed
the whole sport for me,” she admitted. “I learned the hard way that
A jubilant Kristen after her big win with Bull Run’s Eternal in the $50,000 Parker
Adventist Hospital Grand Prix.
Photo by Mary Adelaide Brakenridge
