By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Shawna Whitty
With a grandmother, Charlotte Weber, who owns Live Oak Stud, a Thoroughbred breeding and racing operation, and an uncle, Chester Weber, who’s a 20-time USEF Driving National Champion for Four-in-Hand, it was only a matter of time before Chloe Reid discovered her passion for horses. “We often joke that the passion for horses skipped a generation and went from my grandmother straight to me, as my mom had no interest in horses before I came along. While my extended family is very horsey, my immediate family doesn’t ride, but they’ve grown to love horses over the years. They’ve been forced to,” Chloe chuckled.
Chloe’s introduction to horses took place at her grandmother’s farm in Ocala, Florida, when she was 4 years old. While the family was celebrating Thanksgiving, Chester and show jumper Lauren Hough, who was dating Chester at the time, asked Chloe’s mom, Juliet, if they could put Chloe on a pony and take her to Devon to compete in the leadline class.
“My mom said yes, thinking it was just a fun opportunity for me to look cute in another outfit for photos,” Chloe said. “I say that was the beginning of the end. After that first time in the saddle, I never wanted to get off.”
In the masses of children in Devon’s Dixon Oval, Chloe and Lauren—who sported the iconic Team USA pinque coat while leading Chloe around the ring—caught the judge’s attention and earned a ribbon. Little did either Lauren or Chloe know they would both represent Team USA show jumping on the same team in Sopot, Poland, in 2017.
“It’s funny; every time my mom sees Lauren, she reminds her that this is all her fault. We could be doing something else, but we’re at a horse show in the rain,” Chloe said. “It was a really neat full-circle moment to be on the team with Lauren in Poland. We actually won the Nations Cup, so that was special!”
Today, in addition to being an international show jumper, Chloe is co-president of her family’s Live Oak International competition. It’s the only event in the United States to offer both international combined driving and show jumping at the same venue. In fact, it was Chloe’s idea to have both family disciplines represented at Live Oak International.
Team Reid
After her Devon debut, Chloe could only think about riding. Although her parents weren’t horse lovers themselves, they wholeheartedly supported her interest from the beginning. Growing up in Washington, D.C., added an extra wrinkle to Chloe’s dream horse life, as there’s not a plethora of riding options within the city.
“My parents found a local barn, Meadowbrook Stables, and I went and had pony lessons there every day. When they knew I really wanted to do this more, we moved to a barn in Virginia. With an hour commute each way to the barn, riding quickly became all-consuming and almost a full-time job,” Chloe said.
Although Chloe has a passion for horses in her DNA, what she loves most about her journey in the equestrian world is it started as a simple love of the animals and the sport. “My parents weren’t the ones who pushed me into the sport. Since I wasn’t born to professionals, the reason I’ve kept riding throughout the years is really because of my own love for the horses,” she said.
Chloe worked her way through hunter ponies and horses, eventually making her way into the jumper ring. It was there that she immediately found her true calling. “I tried doing both hunter and jumpers for a while, but being a full-time student who commuted to horse shows every weekend, I reached a breaking point. I was like, I have to choose which one I want to do really well in and focus on it,” Chloe said. “I’ve always loved the exhilaration, fun and high that comes from doing the jumpers.”
When Chloe was turning 17, she decided she was ready to take the next step in her jumper journey. “I knew that if I wanted to be the best, I needed to compete with the best. So, I went to Europe to expand my knowledge by working with the Beerbaums,” she said.
Through the support of her family and trainers throughout the years, Chloe has been able to reach the top of the sport. “Even though my parents don’t love horses the same way I do, I’m obviously so fortunate to have their support. It helped me get to where I am today,” she said.
“My grandmother is a huge role model of mine. As one of the most distinguished women in racing, she has run one of the most successful racing operations for decades and her competitive nature is contagious to be around. I’m lucky to spend a lot of time with both her and Chester in Ocala,” she said. “Even though Chester, my grandmother and I aren’t in the same sports, I love being around their horses, taking pieces from their disciplines and bringing it back to my own.”
Team USA
In 2012, Chloe became the youngest person ever selected to represent the United States in international show jumping competitions. Since then, she’s been selected to be part of the U.S. team at competitions on multiple occasions including competing in Aachen, Rome, Wellington, Falsterbo, Barcelona and Sopot.
Chloe credits her stallion, Codarco, with helping her achieve her goals. Codarco was the horse who took Chloe to her first U.S. senior Nations Cup team at age 17. “He gave me the confidence that if I worked hard, I deserved a chance to represent the U.S. Without him, I wouldn’t have the confidence I do today to step onto the big stage and know that I can do well,” she said.
With an uncle at the top of his sport, Chloe was taught at an early age that the end goal was to represent her country in international competitions. “When I went to Aachen in 2022, Chester was also there competing. After years of knowing that being on Team USA, competing at Aachen specifically, was the ultimate goal, to actually reach it was really exciting,” Chloe said. “To be able to share the weekend with Chester was so special.”
In a sport where Chloe’s teammate is usually a horse, she enjoys the opportunity to be part of Team USA. “I always feel pressure to do well for myself and my horse, but when you’re competing on the team there’s another layer of pressure, not wanting to let your teammates down. It’s a different kind of pressure, but I truly enjoy it,” Chloe said. “I always do better with more pressure.”
Chloe believes the United States does a great job in trying to give younger riders experiences with more seasoned team members. “I’ve been on a lot of teams with Laura Kraut, McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Kent Farrington and others. It’s nice to have an opportunity to be with them and to learn from them in high-pressure situations. Instead of competing against each other, they’re cheering you on and helping you,” she said.
Live Oak International
2024 will mark Live Oak International’s 33rd year. Run on her grandmother’s Live Oak Stud, the event truly is a family operation, Chloe and Chester each with the role of co-president.
In 2010, while Chloe was visiting the tournament, she looked around at the venue, the beautiful grass arena, and asked why they didn’t host show jumping here on the field as well. “That was the spark for everyone. Chester always loves big ideas, and each year he tries to make the show bigger and better,” Chloe said. “So that was the start of making the show feature both of our disciplines.” Show jumping has now been a part of Live Oak International for the past 13 years.
At the time Chloe made her suggestion, her mother, Juliet, was helping run the Washington International Horse Show, which she did for nearly a decade. “She already had the knowledge of running a horse show, so I think it was an easy transition for them to add jumpers. My mom and Chester ran it together for a long time, then about four years ago my mom decided she was going to step back and my role in the show has grown since then,” Chloe said.
Chloe initially started helping out with merchandise and social media. Now she does that and has a hand in sponsorship and event management. “I love the event management side, because it’s like a four-day wedding; we have several days in a row of massive parties,” she said.
As co-presidents, Chloe and Chester each bring their own skills to the event. “We always say Chester is the big-picture guy, while I’m more the OCD, detail-oriented, check-the-box person. Chester likes to create big ideas and bring them to me, and then I motivate the team to make it happen,” Chloe said. “Without him, I’d stay in a little bubble in my comfort zone and never grow. I think we make a good team; he’s constantly pushing me, but I’m good at helping him make it happen.”
What they make happen is an event like no other in the United States, as combined driving and show jumping is running simultaneously. “Saturday is our big day as it’s the driving marathon, which runs from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. The show jumping starts at 10 a.m., so spectators can enjoy both. The last marathon hazard is at the top of the hill where the main arena is, so it’s a clear transition for the crowd to follow the marathon right to the jumping,” Chloe said.
Each year while traveling the world competing, Chloe and Chester witness how world-class competitions treat their exhibitors, support personnel and spectators. “We are so fortunate that we’re exposed to all these shows. I always find myself taking photos of how things are done at other shows—from the layout of the VIP to how the bathrooms looked, to what they gave the grooms for breakfast. I then bring those ideas back to our own event so we can make it the best possible tournament for everyone,” Chloe said.
Young Professional
Through working with her family and running Live Oak International, Chloe has gained a lot of knowledge that’s been beneficial as a young professional. “I’ve learned so much more about the FEI rules and USEF requirements through running the show, both for jumpers and driving. I would have never learned about the driving rules or the details of my own sport if it wasn’t for my role in the show,” Chloe said.
Chloe also recognizes the blood, sweat and tears show managers put into the events she competes at. “I view other shows differently now. I definitely won’t be the first to get to a show and complain, because I know the hard work that goes into putting it on,” she said. “When I go to shows and see they have put time into the little things, I have a ton of respect for that because I know it’s often a thankless job.”
Although running Live Oak International consumes a lot of Chloe’s time, she’s still able to run her own business and compete throughout the year. “I think it makes me a better competitor and event organizer when I have a lot going on. The best times in my career have been when my life is absolutely insane. When I was in college and competing in Poland, our chef d’equipe asked if I could please put my political science book down,” Chloe chuckled. “I said, ‘I need to finish this chapter.’ He told me, ‘We need you to jump the second round now.’”
By staying busy with each of her endeavors, Chloe is able to be distracted, in a way, so that she can focus on each task in the moment and doesn’t overthink anything in advance. So far, this has proved to be the ticket to Chloe’s success.
Currently, Chloe and her boyfriend, Rene Dittmer, are working together to develop and sell horses. Based out of Florida and Germany, the duo has been very successful.
“My best horse at the moment is Crossover. Rene was riding him when Crossover was 6 years old, and I quickly took over the reins. He’s now 11 and this past summer I took him to three five-star shows, and he’s been super consistent at the top level,” Chloe said. “It’s always been a huge goal of mine to take young horses to the top of the sport. I’ve been able to do that with Crossover, Codarco, Luis P and Souper Shuttle. It’s one thing to get a good result with a horse, but to earn a top placing with a horse you’ve ridden for years and raised to that moment is truly special.”
As she looks to the future, Chloe hopes to continue to represent the United States at the highest degree she can while continuing to have a role in Live Oak International. “I hope to bring along some nice young horses to their full potential, and hopefully one day I will be a Team USA rider at a championship.”
For more information visit Live Oak International at liveoakinternational.com and follow Chloe on Instagram @chloere
Photos by Shawna Whitty/SAS Equestrian, unless noted otherwise. Styling by Shawna Whitty. Purple dress and white dress/hat from The Farm Stand/Ella-Rue.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
