Credit Deb Kail photography
Located in Chester County, PA, Paula and Evie Oliver are making waves in the dressage ring and trying their hand in the breeding realm. With Paula’s background in genetics and breeding knowledge, and Evie’s riding skill, the pair has been unstoppable in both facets of the industry.
Paula got her first pony, Pierre, at 10-years-old and was immediately hooked. She would spend her summers at the barn with him, building jumps out of anything she could find around the barn. “He had a naughty side and was a challenge to catch,” said Paula. “But we had such fun together!” Evie was introduced to horses when she was 12-years-old, but was not quite convinced it was for her at that time. She started by taking a weekly lesson on a schoolmaster named Bear, and soon after competed at her first schooling show in Introductory Test A and B with him which sparked her love of dressage.
Now, Paula and Evie have several competition horses that they are working with to bring up the levels. Paula’s main show horse is Shiloh, a 13-year-old mare that she purchased as a broodmare, pregnant with her third foal. After foaling her out, Paula restarted her under saddle, and trained her up through the Prix St George (PSG) level.
Evie has been riding her main competition horse, Shading for about two years, but she and Paula have owned her for nearly seven. Paula purchased the mare as a yearling and competed on her through second level before turning her over to their trainer to expand Shading’s education. Evie then took over the reins and a year later took her to the North American Youth Championships (NAYC) as the leading junior rider for the Region I team. “She was a bit young for us to be truly competitive that year, but it was a great experience for her. I have been training her ever since and we are schooling PSG hoping to do NAYC next season,” said Evie.
More recently, Evie has partnered with an 8-year-old mare, Tempi, who had several other owners before making her way to Evie and Paula. The new pair has made great progress in their training since Evie first started riding her in mid-May; first competing at schooling shows, going to clinics, and one recognized show at second level before moving forward in Tempi’s training. “She is the sweetest mare and really works with me in the ring,” said Evie. “I just have fun every time I get in the saddle.”
Paula and Evie have also been trying their hand at breeding. “I have a background in genetics; my PhD thesis was in the genetics of disease. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of studying the attributes of the mare and then matching her to the best stallion to get a top performance horse; in both mechanics and sensibility,” said Paula. With top competition mares to use as donors for embryo transfers, Paula is confident that their breeding program includes quality competition bloodlines from both the mare and sire.
Paula enjoys choosing the best pairing possible for the mare, and watching the results of her work in the foal. After studying bloodlines, conformation and movement of both parents, Paula noted that as she watches the foal develop she is able to determine if the pairing was optimal. Although it will be years before she knows if she has been successful in her pairing, often she and Evie are able to see hints even in the young foals. “I learned that I have to keep my sights on the long game- I’m not breeding for foal inspections,” said Paula. “I work to incorporate Grand Prix bloodlines and top rideability in my breeding strategy. I’ve learned to gather information on every stallion I use, from likelihood of success of the frozen semen, to quality of offspring.”
Evie and Paula have hosted two open house events to educate their local community about what they have learned about breeding thus far. In the future, they plan to make this an annual event to showcase local expertise in the realms of dressage, young horse training, conformation judging and riding. They are striving for a combination of both a social and educational environment for these events, and are especially catering it toward the local community. “While I am not the most social person, I do enjoy educating- so we know this aspect will grow,” said Paula. “I hope our farm can provide expertise on breeding and developing young horses.”
Looking ahead, Paula and Evie are planning to take their young horses to local breed shows to get them comfortable in the show environment. Once started under saddle, they will compete them in young horse classes and help them build the confidence needed to be top show horses. “I am incredibly excited to start the youngsters and do the young horse tests with them,” said Evie.
Evie’s competition goals for the future include giving Shading Concours de Dressage International (CDI) experience and taking her to NAYC in August of 2023, or showing her in the Brentina Cup in the coming years. With Tempi, she plans to show her at third level in the coming year before moving her up through fourth level, PSG and CDI. Paula hopes to develop Shiloh as a small tour horse and begin showing at CDI competitions.
No matter where the industry takes them, Paula and Evie will always enjoy being able to do what they love together. “I love learning from my mom,” said Evie. “She has always had the most incredible eye for horses and their movement, and it has grown exponentially over the years.” Paula finds it fun to have a partnership with Evie where she can bring the expertise in breeding, and Evie in riding. “I love bouncing ideas around with Evie about training,” said Paula. “We basically chat regularly about every aspect of dressage riding, breeding and running the business.”