By Cheyenne Lord
Portraits by Kristen Scott-Crocker
From an early age, both Adam Steffens and Wendy Petrik had a love for the beauty and brilliance of horses. Adam grew up with his mother’s Quarter Horses just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and spent time trail riding with his mother and his sister, Jenna, before moving on to formal lessons. Wendy was born in Berlin, Germany, where her parents kept trotters and were involved in harness racing before the family moved to Sarasota, Florida, when Wendy was 7 years old.
Now the driving forces behind Candoit Stables in Jupiter, Florida, Adam and Wendy have turned their friendship into a business partnership where both are following their dreams. Although they have had different paths into the sport of dressage, they are able to draw on those experiences as they continue to develop a premier equestrian facility.
Nothing But Dressage
Adam was 9 years old when he started taking lessons at Callie Farm in Monticello, Minnesota. He trained and competed in dressage with their Arabians and Arab crosses, just having fun as a barn rat alongside the other kids. “I remember the Arabs being very spicy, which I loved, but now I’m too big to ride them,” he laughed. “I will say that having that background on the cheekier horses helped my bravery as a young adult, when I rode a lot of project and naughty horses. It’s probably why I enjoy a hotter horse now, too.”
At age 16, Adam moved to Wellington, Florida, to pursue a career in horses. He took a full-time working student position with Dottie Morkis and Oded Shimoni at Stillpoint Farm, finishing his high school classes online in the evenings after work. Because of how badly he wanted to ride in Florida since he was a younger teenager, his parents supported the move, but they had parameters: If he didn’t finish his schoolwork and maintain a high GPA, he had to go back to regular school.
“I wasn’t about to let that happen, so I did what I needed to do to keep riding,” Adam said. “I’ve been so lucky to have had amazing jobs in this sport. Everyone I’ve worked for has taught me so much about the industry, including the horsemanship and sheer passion that they all put in. Every horse has had something to teach me, and I’ve loved learning from all of them.”
Having also played piano since he was young, Adam was no stranger to putting in the work needed to grow as a rider. From practicing better posture and having a consistent rhythm at the piano bench to providing top-notch horse care at high-end facilities, he felt ready to start his own business at 29 years old.
A Professional Partnership
Before striking out on his own, Adam met Wendy through some mutual friends while working out of a jumper barn in Wellington. She asked him to teach lessons at her barn one evening, which developed into routine lessons every Friday after he was done with work. That turned into him teaching twice a week, then stepping in as a professional rider to help manage their clients’ training in October 2021.
“We had a vision to turn Candoit into a top-class training facility,” Adam said. “Through several conference calls between myself, Wendy, her family and my coaches, we made a plan of how we wanted to move forward in making both our dreams a reality. It truly is a dream come true, and I count my blessings every day for getting to live out those dreams alongside my best friend.”
Currently the only rider in her family, Wendy named Candoit Stables after her parents’ old racing farm in Germany. Although she’d been around horses as a child, her formal riding career started about six years ago, first taking lessons on a Western horse and then with her own warmblood.
“The first horse I bought was a hunter, but I was riding with a dressage trainer at the time,” Wendy said. “After about a year, I decided to switch to dressage and absolutely fell in love with the sport. The pure elegance and fluidity, along with the challenge of making everything look so effortless, is what drives me to work on my own knowledge every day.”
Wendy had a varied career between the U.S. and Europe before she built Candoit Stables. She earned an undergraduate degree at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, before moving to Switzerland to pursue a post-graduate program in hotel management. From there, she spent a year in Ireland working as a wedding planner for the Ritz Carlton, then decided to return to Florida for a master’s degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Seven years ago, she started working as the interior designer for Princess Yachts of America, and her reentry into the horse industry was just a hobby during that time. But her love of horses continued to grow into something she wanted to turn into a business of her own.
“Candoit is a passion, a challenge and a love,” Wendy said. “Anyone who has ever opened a business knows the hardships and ups and downs, but love is not just something you feel—it’s something that you do with your whole being. I’m very fortunate that Adam and I work unbelievably well together. Not to say there might not be any in the future, but so far, we haven’t had any challenges in building Candoit into the program we want.”
Coming Together at Candoit
With goals of developing international performance horses and one day representing Team USA, Adam knows he still has a lot to learn and looks forward to growing as a rider alongside his clients. He starts each day around 7:30 a.m. riding his and Wendy’s 
Candoit horses, including a 5-year-old and two 6-year-olds he is currently developing. His biggest mentors in the sport have been Debbie McDonald and Christine Traurig, who continues to coach him through virtual lessons.
“Some of the biggest challenges have been figuring out how to make it in this sport without my family backing me with horses,” Adam said. “I’ve had to work from the bottom up, and that has not always been easy. That being said, I wouldn’t have it any other way! I’ve been fortunate enough to work with so many amazing people, including Debbie, my coach, Christine, and the Petrik family. Working as hard as I have gives me a massive appreciation for everything I have now.”
Fueled by her competitive nature and passion for the horse, Wendy also looks forward to learning more about the industry and becoming a competitive amateur. “It’s never too late to start finding your way through this sport,” she said. “Don’t give up, and trust the process! It’s humbling when things don’t go according to plan, but they will always work themselves out.”
Adam agrees, saying that sometimes riders have to evaluate how they can improve themselves so their horses can thrive. “Find a program you love and stick with it,” he added. “Learn the system that works for you, keep up your education as a rider, and always remember that we started doing this because we love horses. That comes before anything else in the sport.”
Follow Candoit Stables on Instagram @candoitstables
Photos by Kristen Scott, www.sunsoarphotography.com
