SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Stallions
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Classifieds
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Sunday, March 13 2022 / Published in Weekly Feature

Catherine Haddad Staller: Trailblazing International Success

Portraits by Monica Stevenson

When Catherine Haddad Staller took a leap of faith and boarded a plane bound for Germany with one bicycle, two horses and $3,000 in her bank account, she never expected her European excursion would turn into a 20-year residency to develop her international dressage career. Ten years ago, Catherine returned to the States to marry her true love and build her business back home. Today, Catherine is thriving with her string of competitive Grand Prix horses and her own slice of paradise at her New Jersey farm, Khiimori.

Catherine’s journey begins in the small town of St. Louis, Michigan, with her parents and two brothers. “My father was an immigrant from Lebanon. He was born in the mountain village of Ain Dara and was the first of his village to go to high school. He went on to medical school and a residency at the Royal College of Surgeons in London,” Catherine said. “My mother grew up in Northern Michigan in a wood cabin without central heat or running water. Both of my parents came from impoverished families but were able to build a better life together. Work ethic and education were everything to them. But we also had a lot of laughter in our lives.”

Horses came into Catherine’s life at an early age with her first pony ride at a friend’s farm. “I can still recall the scent of that pony, the feeling of the leather against my skin, and the motion of his back,” she said. “It’s my first conscious memory, the first time my brain came alive.”

Catherine couldn’t shake the magic of that feeling, and a few years later she was given a pony of her own. “My mom drove me out to a Shetland pony farm and we chose a young, unbroken mare to bring home with us in the back of the station wagon—like a dog. We were completely ignorant about horses! Susie lived in our garage until we could get a shed and a paddock built,” she said.

In an early display of the tenacity which would later sustain her in the highly competitive environment of the German horse industry, Catherine said, “I got bucked off that pony every day for 100 days before she finally let me ride her.”

Growing up, Catherine competed in 4-H with Quarter Horses and Arabians, and later in eventing throughout her college years at Michigan State University (MSU). 

Chasing Dreams Overseas

College is traditionally a time for self-reflection, but for Catherine, it proved to be an exceptionally challenging experience. “My father died my freshman year, and quite frankly, I could’ve walked away from my college education right then—not because I didn’t care about my degree, but because I was depressed and overwhelmed with grief.”

Facing her own internal struggle, and looking for some answers, Catherine took a gap year from MSU and headed to Sydney, Australia, to pursue a journalism internship with the American Chamber of Commerce. “I visited 16 countries on my way to and from Sydney and at every stop I found a horse to ride,” Catherine said. “Clearly, I was really interested in business, in writing and in horses. But I didn’t yet see a path to combining those things.”

After a successful internship in which she was able to interview some of the top executives in the city about their secrets to success, Catherine traveled to the United Kingdom to earn her instructor’s certificate at the Moat House Equestrian Centre in Beneden, Kent. Still trying to find a way to turn her passion into a career, Catherine eventually returned home to complete her degree in international relations with a minor in Arabic language. She graduated with honors while accepting the top coaching position for MSU’s Intercollegiate Equestrian Team. 

“It was at this time that I met Bodo Hangen, who was one of the most artistic, elegant riders I’ve ever known. He brought the powerful visual of connection and throughness to my life,” Catherine said. “Bodo inspired me. I didn’t have the means to pursue a life with horses, but I was hooked, and I was determined to find a way.”

Recognizing her incredible drive to ride and train at the top of the sport, Bodo encouraged Catherine to go to Germany and hone her skills against the best riders in the world. “For Bodo, nobody could touch the system of riding taught by Willi Schultheis, so I left the United States with the goal of riding with him one day even though he was already semi-retired,” she said. “I booked a spot for my horses at his neighbor’s stable, but I hoped that if I could just find a way to meet him, he might give me a chance.” 

Catherine’s resourcefulness was apparent early in her life. Within a few weeks of arriving in Warendorf, Germany, Catherine met Willi at a local fair and politely asked him if she could visit his stable. After a morning of observing the training there, Willi granted Catherine a tryout, and allowed her to train with him.

A self-described risk taker, Catherine credits her drive to succeed and her eternal good humor for pushing her through the obstacles in her way. “I had no grasp of the German language when I left the USA. I once ordered dog soup instead of chicken soup for lunch, but since I’d originally planned to stay in Germany for two months, not 20 years, I figured I could just speak with my hands for the short duration,” Catherine laughed. 

When I was a young professional, riders couldn’t learn through video, which is a very valuable tool today. YouTube wasn’t yet a thing when I moved to Warendorf,” Catherine said. “I was trying to get an education in a time when anyone who was serious about dressage had to travel to the masters to learn from them. We had to sit ringside and steal with our eyes.” 

Open for Business

Despite being scolded for the occasional culturally inappropriate sarcasm, Catherine adapted to German culture and learned the language while training with Willi until his untimely death a few years later.  

Catherine was at a crossroads after Willi’s death. Her goal was international competition, but she had no means to buy top horses and support bids for major competitions. Undaunted by the challenge, she built her own training and sales business in Vechta, Oldenburg, in the heart of Germany’s highly competitive industry. Catherine was gaining traction with her training and riding, and when one of her mares could no longer be ridden, she began her breeding journey.

“In the height of my productive years as a breeder in Germany, I had five broodmares from various Hanoverian and Oldenburg lines,” Catherine said. “Later, I narrowed that group down to the two most successful mares and their offspring. These became the Elfenschein line and the Aronja line.” Though the two lines produced vastly different types, they were each capable of producing international quality foals. Catherine sold the highest priced foal at the Klosterhof Medingen auction in 2002. 

With her career supported by horse sales and the help of a new sponsor, Janet Schneider, Catherine began training with a protégé of Willi’s, Rudolf Zeilinger, and was able to work her way into the international arena in 2006. 

Success was not long awaited. With her beloved Maximus JSS, Catherine was invited to the U.S. Team Selection Trials prior to the World Equestrian Games in Aachen that year. “Maximus and I finished second to Isabell Werth in the final team outing at the Verden CDI3*, and I thought we had the team spot sewn up!”  

Selected as the Reserve Rider for the Aachen WEG in 2006, Catherine was thrilled to be representing the United States. “It meant the world to me. I was a newcomer to international sport even though I had been showing nationally in Germany for many years,” Catherine said. “I was so excited about the future and blown away by the doors Maximus and I were kicking open!” After sitting in the bleachers at that WEG, Catherine’s resolve to ride down the centerline on the world stage only grew stronger. She was inspired and determined. 

Centerline Celebrations

Together, Catherine and Maximus pushed toward their goals. “Maximus was my guiding light, my captain, my hero against all odds,” she said of the talented horse. Their partnership was palpable in the arena. “We earned a start at the World Cup Final the following spring, even though we had to compete against some of the toughest riders in the Western European League. We chased points through the winter, starting in six World Cup qualifiers across the continent to earn the FEI Wild Card for Las Vegas in 2007.”

Catherine rode to a seventh-place finish at that World Cup—her first international start on U.S. soil made extra special because of the location—Las Vegas. Not the only risk taker in her family, her mother and brothers showed up to watch her compete between rounds of blackjack and craps at the casinos. “When I returned home to Germany, friends from all over the country showed up at the farm for a celebration and I was awarded the key to the city by the mayor of Vechta.”  

New partners Cadillac and Winyamaro would eventually exceed Maximus’ success in the Grand Prix arena and bring Catherine to several World Cup qualifiers and Nations Cups. With Winyamaro, Catherine was Reserve to the 2010 Team for the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, then rocked the audience with a P!nk freestyle at the World Cup Final in 2011 in Leipzig, Germany. 

Moving Back Home

The 2010 Team USA Selection Trials were a turning point in Catherine’s life—and it had nothing to do with competition, it had to do with a man. Dr. Greg Staller was on the vet panel for the show at the USET in Gladstone. “He had me at ‘Hello,’” she smiled. “It was amazing how much we had in common as we got to know each other.” She reminisced about their first date which was spent fly fishing on the Raritan River in New Jersey. “I out-fished him, of course,” she grinned.

Catherine and Greg tied the knot just a few months later in New York City. “Catherine is beautiful—inside and out—and kind in a way that only truly strong people can be. We had an immediate connection and were almost inseparable by the time the Selections were finished,” Greg said. “Horses have always been a driving force in my life, and in Catherine I found someone who understood them as I do. She is an incredibly smart and empathetic trainer. I have watched her inspire her horses to a level of trust and ambition that I rarely see in other riders.” 

Catherine was still living in Germany when they met. She had a thriving training business and owned 28 breeding and competition horses. So even after their spontaneous elopement, it took two years for Catherine to downsize and prepare for a move back to the States.

With Greg’s equine veterinary clinic, Running S Equine Vet Services, thriving in Califon, New Jersey, it made sense for Catherine to set up shop in the same area. “A few years after I moved back, we bought our farm, Khiimori,” she said. Just a few miles from Greg’s practice, the 72-acre farm is Catherine’s sanctuary. “Khiimori means wind horse or spirit horse in Mongolian. The Windhorse is a diety in my faith, Tibetan Buddhism, which represents the soul of all sentient beings, and is said to bring peace, harmony and prosperity when it appears.” 

Now back in the States, Catherine has helped kickstarted the careers of several young professionals in her training stable while coaching a few ambitious amateurs to competition success. Her breeding program continues in Europe on a smaller scale, but Catherine’s legacy as a breeder is living on through her current top horse, Frankie, a spunky mare with her own fan club.

The daughter of Aronja, one of Catherine’s foundation broodmares, Frankie has captured the hearts of everyone around her. “Frankie is a great source of joy in my life,” Catherine said. “I’ve never had a horse that wants to be my top horse so badly. She has incredible heart and she’s not afraid to use it. Our connection is almost mystical.”

Moving forward, Catherine juggles her busy lifestyle of training and showing with the start of a new business: NorCordia ApS. Together with Danish partners, she is combining her business and training skills to launch a new approach to buying, training and selling top sport horses around the world—applying concepts that have become part of her and her journey with horses. “The NorCordia name is a combination of ‘Nordic,’ for Scandinavian traditions, and ‘cordia,’ for the pull of the heart strings,” Catherine said while tapping her heart. “NorCordia horses are partners for life. They run in our veins and make our hearts beat stronger. We want to help our horses find their best partners.”

For more information, visit catherinehaddadstaller.com

Photos by Monica Stevenson

Double D Trailers Info

Share this page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Tagged under: Catherine Haddad Staller, dressage rider, grand prix dressage

What you can read next

Tom Foley: Capturing the Luck of the Irish
Julie Ferris: Painting Her Passion
Equestrian Edibles: Recipes from Simple Pleasures by Cornelia Guest

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
It’s been a while since I’ve shown. After Indo It’s been a while since I’ve shown. After Indoors we turned the horses out and let them be horses. But now it’s time and I’m getting ready to head to Florida for the winter circuit. I’m feeling a bit anxious about getting back into the competitive state of mind, doubting myself and feeling more stress than I did when I was showing. Is this normal? What’s happening to me? What do I do to get back into the right place in my head? Why do I keep going back to this if it does what it does to me at the start of each season? - a Sidelines fan

"Throughout human history, people have enjoyed organizing competitions—the Ancient Greek Olympic Games go back to 776 BC. If you look around, you’ll notice that competition is everywhere in the modern world. Many historians believe that 'competitiveness' is a biological trait that co-evolved with the basic need for human survival. However, returning to a competitive state after time off from being a competitive athlete can be quite daunting," says sports psychologist Margie Sugarman.

"The proper mindset keeps you grounded in the present instead of solely focusing on the results. This automatically helps lower the performance brain state and allows for better focus, performance and results- Focus on what you can control."

Read the full column at the link in our bio!

📸 Ruby Tevis #paard #eventing #pferdeliebe #horsemanship #equinelife #jumping #horsepower #equestrianlifestyle #caballos #horsestagram #pferdefotografie #horsegirl #horseshow #equestrians #ponies #quarterhorse #horselovers #mare #thoroughbred #showjumper #equinephotographer #instagram #horsephotographer #equitation #horseaddict #horsetraining #horseoftheday #gelding #equestrianphotography #sidelinesmagazine
Emily Dulin has always been an animal lover, and h Emily Dulin has always been an animal lover, and helping others is in her blood. She’s the daughter of a Venezuelan ambassador and has spent much of her professional career working in social services and animal welfare. In 2015, Emily took on the role of chief executive officer of Brooke USA Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules, and helping the people that depend on them for survival worldwide. 

“We are making a difference,” Emily said. “We will evaluate an animal at the start of a new program, and then just one, two and then five years later, we see marked improvements in terms of how they are handled, husbandry practices, what they eat and even how crops are being grown just to feed their animals—how feed is stored—and more. To see that end result firsthand is what I find most satisfying.”

Get to know Emily and how she helps working equines as the leader of @brooke_usa at the link in our bio!

Thank you to Brooke and Cody Holcomb of Wyco Ranch in Ft. Pierce, Florida, for the use of your farm, donkeys and horses for the Sidelines photo shoot.

📸 Melissa Fuller #equine #horse #equestrian #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrianlife #horseriding #dressage #instahorse #pony #horselove #pferd #equinephotography #showjumping #horselover #horselife #cheval #horsebackriding #horsephotography #equestrianstyle #donkey #pferde #horseofinstagram #equestriansofinstagram #riding #photography #equinesofinstagram #caballo #dressagehorse #sidelinesmagazine
The February issue of Sidelines Magazine is here a The February issue of Sidelines Magazine is here and it's filled with love - including the love story of dressage riders Sarah Lockman Tubman and Lee Tubman! Thanks to photographer Kristen Scott-Crocker for the beautiful photos and Kimberly Gatto for sharing Sarah and Lee's story. 

We have so many amazing stories in this issue—get to know Sharn Wordley and Craig Martin of Wordley Martin Equestrian, LLC, the two Kiwis have had a fascinating journey in the equestrian world! And meet three day eventer Liz Lund who not only has a great story but wins the award for holding the most horses in one photo taken by Sidelines photographer Melissa Fuller. Hint, it's more than five but less than seven - and everyone had their ears up!! Amazing! 

Also meet hunter-jumper rider and photographer Kirsten Hannah Lafforthun, artist Vanessa Whittell Equine-art, dressage rider Brett Ingram and Emily Marquez-Dulin of Brooke USA, which is a great organization to support - make sure to visit them! 

Meet Madison Ibach and Reagan Ibach, sisters who work at the Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort and have a huge social media presence - make sure to follow them on Instagram! We are excited to continue our Women Entrepreneur stories and introduce you to Gigi Stetler, President/CEO of Broward RV. 

We also feature three great breeding and stallion stories and introduce you to John Almond and Margaret Hoffecker Almond of Loafers Lodge Welsh, and Craig Heckert and Patty Larson of Rivervale Farm, and Kelly Sigler Patterson of Looking Glass Farm. Mary Choate has great answers to share in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists Rob R.L. Jacobs, George Williams, Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing and Margie Sugarman. 

Make sure to sign up for a year's subscription to Sidelines by visiting our website, www.sidelinesmagazine.com so you can get a copy of the magazine sent to your house or barn every month! Enjoy reading this issue now - link in bio!
FOR SALE: $6.3M--Unique 80-acre, waterfront, eques FOR SALE: $6.3M--Unique 80-acre, waterfront, equestrian estate with expansive views of the Elk River is located in the luxurious horse country of Cecil County, Maryland. In close proximity to Fair Hill, Devon and all the indoor stops: Penn National, Washington & Capital Challenge.

An extremely rare Chesapeake Bay waterfront property, offering four meticulously renovated homes, barns, horse pastures, tillable farmland, a 14-acre vineyard, stables, private shoreline, sandy beach and a 300-foot private dock. The property is currently operated as an income producing premier winery/wedding venue. It can easily be transformed into a private family equestrian estate, training facility, competition venue or continue to be an income producing property in whole or in part. An additional land parcel of 70 acres is available for $1M allowing for a net option to secure 150 continuous acres. Non MLS Listing- Contact Brent Berisford- berisfordb@yahoo.com- (240) 372-0661.

#equestrianrealestate #realestate #luxuryrealestate #commercialdevelopment  #commercialrealestate #developmentrealestate #development #commercial #land #agland #agriculturalland #equestrianland #horseproperty #milliondollarlisting #equestrian #equestrianestate #pond #pondproperty #equestrianlife #dreamhouse #equestrianlifestyle #horselife #equestrianproperty #horsefarmforsale #horses #sidelinesmagazine
Load More... Follow on Instagram

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • Blades International Sporthorses
    Hunters-Jumpers-Equitation-Sales Melissa Blades 7346498069 Pittsboro NC melissa.blades@aol.com www.bladesinternationalsporthorses.com

    [Read more]

  • Redfield Farm
    Califon, NJ Ocala, FL Hunter/Jumper Sales and Training Integrity, honesty, and fair prices. 908-832-5848 espadone@aol.com www.redfieldfarms.com RedField Farms
    Emil Spadone Redfield Sales

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • Longines Global Champions Tour of New York Returns to Governors Island
  • A Paris Horse Adventure: Saut Hermes 2022
  • Better Business with Malvern Bank: Michael Meller’s Secrets to Success

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • Jung Ends as He Began — On Top — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™
  • ROLEX TESTIMONEE DANIEL DEUSSER WINS ROLEX GRAND PRIX AT 2022 DUTCH MASTERS
  • STABLE VIEW IN AIKEN POSTPONING ‘A’ RATED $400,000 H/J CHALLENGE SERIES DUE TO RESTRICTIVE MILEAGE RULE

Category

Recent Posts

  • Liz Lund’s Recipe for Success

    By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller Dedic...
  • Returning To The Show Ring

    By Margie Sugarman It’s been a while since I’ve...
  • Emily Dulin & Brooke USA: Helping Working Equines Around the World

    By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller Emily...
  • February 2023 – Table of Contents

    Subscribe for just $9.95 or Order Individual Is...
  • Looking for the Third (or Fourth) Generation

    By George Williams Warning, this column address...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!