Biography

After what seemed like a lifetime’s fascination and love of horses, my riding career began in 1982 at the Woodlands Equestrian Center in the Woodlands, Texas. My exposure to many disciplines of riding and horsemanship narrowed my interest to dressage and in 1984 I began more extensive training under the tutelage of Fran Dearing, USEF and FEl judge, and Lurena Bell at Windy Knoll Farm in Magnolia, Texas. Under their guidance, I progressed through the levels of dressage and competed extensively all over the Southwest United States. In 1986, I won the United States Dressage Federation Horse of the Year Award for Junior and Young Riders at Prix St. Georges and by 1988 I fulfilled the requirements to earn my USDF Bronze and Silver medals. During these years, I also rode regularly in clinics with Debbie Bowman and Charles DeKunffy. As a working student to Fran Dearing, I was introduced to training strategies of dressage horses for competition as well as stable management.

In 1988, I moved to Salzburg, Austria to complete my senior year of high school at the Salzburg International Preparatory School. This became an opportunity for me to continue my dressage training with European instruction first at the Reiterhof Moos in Salzburg and then at Gestut Moosmuhle, in Weilheim, Germany. I actively participated in the daily operations of this breeding farm as well as received daily instruction from Prinz Karl von Auersperg, a classical dressage master who formerly rode at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. I competed in Germany on numerous young horses produced by the farm as well as my own East German warmblood, Murillo. I learned all aspects of starting and raising young horses as well as marketing and sales of sport horses in the European community.

After returning to the U.S. to attend college at Transylvania University and later Florida Atlantic University, I began to train under Gunnar Ostergaard, multiple Danish national champion and instructor and mentor to numerous successful FEl riders. I competed my own horse, Murillo, through Intermediare I in open divisions in Florida and the East Coast. In 1992, I competed for my fourth year in the North American Young Rider Dressage Championships winning a team gold medal for Region 2 as well as the Captain Andrew DeSzinay Sportsmanship Award. Working at Gunnar Ostergaard’s Deerwood Farm in Florida, Vermont and Copenhagen, Denmark provided me the discipline and formality to manage top sport horses both in the stable and under saddle. Daily operations of this training environment included preparing horses for review to perspective buyers,complete management of high-level equine athletes, and dressage training at the Grand Prix level.

In 1994, I began to ride professionally and started my own business, Xanthopoulos Dressage Horses, together with my husband, Michel Xanthopoulos. We owned and operated a fourteen-stall boarding and training facility situated on 22 acres in Xenia, Ohio. Our farm was home to horses of all ages and levels of training from just starting under saddle to Grand Prix dressage. I worked with riders of all levels of training as well as riders competing in three-day eventing and show jumping. I incorporated a high standard of horsemanship together with my extensive dressage training to produce successful equine athletes and riders. In addition, I had an exclusive partnership with Stal Jensma and Paula Lakee, which imported and sold young sport horse prospects for careers in dressage and jumping. We handled all aspects of importation of high-quality horses from Holland to our farm and marketed them in the U.S.

Equally important to running my own business is my continuing education and the further development of my riding career. From 1997 until 2003, I worked with Nancy Smith of Cleveland, Ohio and Mount Dora, Florida and from 2003 until 2005 again with Gunnar Ostergaard in Ocala, Florida. During this time, I trained and competed two horses, September and Jester, to the Grand Prix level as well as started numerous young horses. I have produced regional champions and USDF Horse of the Year Award winners. I have coached riders in both dressage and eventing to national honors. I also met the requirements to earn my USDF Gold Medal on horses that I trained myself. In 2006, I trained intensively with Ulla Salzgeber, Olympic gold medalist and World Cup Champion, in Bad Worishofen, Germany. UIla’s inspiring example of horsemanship at the highest degree made a lasting impression on my desire to compete at the top level of international dressage. In 2006, I was selected to participate and ride at the Young Dressage Horse Trainer’s Symposium presented by U.S. National Young Horse Coach, Scott Hassler. I have participated every year since and continue to receive regular instruction from Scott. I have competed my own young horses in the U.S. National Young Dressage Horse Championships and continue to develop them as my next international level horses. I have participated in clinics with world-renowned instructors, including Michael Klimke and Debbie McDonald as well as USDF Symposium featuring Kyra Kyrkland and Walter Zettl. I have ridden in Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio with Steffen Peters and Nicole Uphoff.

In the Fall of 2012, the sale of our farm in Ohio prompted us to move to Maryland, where I became the resident dressage trainer at Wyndham Oaks in Boyds, Maryland. Wyndham Oaks is the home of Xanthopoulos Dressage Horses, located in the heart of the horse industry in the Mid Atlantic. With an  abundance of training and showing opportunities, I have established myself as a rider, trainer, and coach at a farm that boards 80 horses as well as other facilities in the area. From the beginning of my residency at Wyndham Oaks, I have shown several client owned horses at national levels as well as qualified them for regional and national championships. I also developed my horse, Vega, to FEI level. Another highlight to my coaching career has been supporting Kristin Counterman to a team bronze medal at the 2018 North American Youth Championships. Attending these championships as a trainer and coach has tied in my professional career and brought it full circle to the very start of my international riding career. I have continued to teach numerous clinics after my move to Maryland both locally and out of state, including Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York. 

Riding and training continue to be an absolute passion. My most recent partner is Laredo HTF, who I purchased as a two-year-old and started under saddle at Wyndham Oaks. He began competing nationally in 2024 and his first show season resulted in being undefeated at training level and we became the 2024 Great American Insurance Group Region 1 Open Training Level Champions.