Employee Biographies
Autumn Rae
Autumn rode her first horse before she was a year old in a front-pack that her mother wore, and hasn’t stopped riding since. When she was six years old, Autumn began taking riding lessons with natural horsemanship guru Durlene Meck. As she progressed in skill levels, she was given the challenge of training an “unmanageable” pony that Durlene had bought from a slaughterhouse. If she could tame it, the horse would become hers. This is when Autumn fell in love with training horses and found that communicating with them came naturally to her.
Autumn has continued her equine education and in 2003 became the founder and president of Scattered Acres Sport Horses, LLC. She has international riding experience and continues to train, compete and coach avidly throughout the year.
Autumn has trained with many excellent coaches and riders including Kim Severson, Craig Thompson, Wendy Shaffer, Eric Horgan, Phyllis Dawson, Sharon White, Allison Springer, Bob Orton, Jimmy Wofford, and Linda Zang. She is currently training with Jan Byyny (XC & stadium), and Britta Johnston (dressage).
Autumn also holds a dual degree in Experiential Education and Conservation Biology from George Mason University. She has a rich background leading outdoor education trips and coaching people to push themselves towards reaching their goals, empowerment, service, and working as a team. She has facilitated the personal growth of many students through adventure activities such as backpacking, rock-climbing, kayaking, and wilderness survival all over the U.S. and abroad. Since she started Scattered Acres Sport Horses, she has been applying her training in experiential education to riding instruction and coaching.
Autumn has trained hundreds of horses from in-hand work and saddle breaking through FEI levels in eventing and dressage. Likewise, she has coached hundreds of students from beginning riders through Preliminary eventing and Intermediate I in dressage.
Autumn is highly educated, skilled, focused on, and excited about helping students to reach their personal goals and about training horses to become athletes and willing partners. Her experience and education includes, but is not limited to:
- Founder and President of Scattered Acres Sport Horses LLC.
- Vice President and co-founder of HorsePower Equine Assisted Learning foundation
- Apprenticeship in Germany with Falk Shubert studying dressage
- Multiple USEA Year End High-Point Awards for her students, her horses and herself
- Successful competition through FEI levels on self-trained horses
- International equine import experience
Autumn is an active, competing member of the USEA, USEF and USDF.Jimm
Lisa Hannan
Lisa has been riding since she was 12 and started competing soon afterwards. She has been with Autumn and Scattered Acres since 2005 when she answered an ad Autumn posted on Virginia Equestrian. She serves as the Barn Manager responsible for all aspects of farm maintenance and equine care. Lisa not only manages the barn and all horse care, but she also competes. Lisa won the 2012 USEA Adult Rider of the Year and Adult Amateur Rider of the Year.
As Barn Manager, Lisa is charged with the health and safety of each horse. The care and attention that she places into the upkeep of each horse is meticulous. No scrape, bruise or injury no matter how mild goes unnoticed. She is the perfect match to Autumn’s training capabilities as well as being an integral part of the business management team.
Lisa own 8 horses, 5 of which are stabled at Scattered Acres.
Christie McKitrick
Christie is an upper-level Event rider and “A” Pony Club graduate. Currently she holds the position of Horse Management Officer on the board for Virginia Region Pony Clubs.
After competing at the FEI 2* levels through high school and college, Christie trained and sold multiple young event horses from first backing to the Preliminary/2* level. In addition to producing well-schooled horses for Eventing and foxhunting, Christie has taught students from 7 to 70, from the first introduction to horses through Training level Eventing. Her patient, energetic teaching style encourages dialogue and understanding of the horse’s needs, creating an environment wherein both horse and rider can be successful.
Caitlyn Siwek
Caitlyn has been riding horses since the age of three. Living in Maryland/Virginia Horse Country, she has worked under many local professionals and judges at the national and international levels. Caitlyn has a strong background in hunter jumper, equitation, and more recently has migrated to riding more dressage and eventing.
Through her journey, Caitlyn has found a love of teaching people how to ride and care for horses. After working hard for every single riding opportunity she has ever been given; she fully believes in giving back to the equine community by creating new opportunities for everyone to be around horses.
After completing 13 months as a working student for Scattered Acres, Caitlyn went on to start her own lesson, training and sales business; WOWSporthorses LLC.