About Us
We offer riding and horse management lessons for people of all abilities, ages, and experience in a kind, encouraging environment. Middleburg Riding follows international safety standards, employs qualified instructors, and maintains well-schooled lesson horses. We aim to set horse and rider up for success from the ground to the saddle!
Meet The Team
Jennifer Lee
Owner and Instructor
Jennifer grew up riding ponies with her best friend through the woods of Virginia. With retired racehorse, Meet the Challenge, a gift from the venerable Eve Fout, Jennifer earned her “B”-rating with the Middleburg Orange County (MOC) Pony Club.
During college at St. Lawrence University, she rode on their Equestrian Team and after graduating, worked for Yale University managing and teaching in its riding and summer camps programs.
Jennifer moved to Hong Kong in 1993 where she was hired by the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s retired racehorse retraining program.
At that time she took on the diminutive You Bet, an American thoroughbred by Afleet. With the 15hh You Bet, Jennifer broke Hong Kong’s ten-year standing Puissance record, setting a new record that still stands.
Jennifer was named to Hong Kong’s international showjumping team, and represented Hong Kong in Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, India, and South Korea. She won an Individual or Team medal at all but one of the competitions she attended. At home in Hong Kong she competed in the FEI World Jumping and World Dressage Challenges and won the Hong Kong leg of the World Jumping Challenge three times.
With Hong Kong set to host the Equestrian events of the 2008 Olympics, Jennifer paired up with the Australian-bred Mr Burns, a pet food factory rescue, retired racehorse turned Grand Prix jumper. Jennifer was selected for sponsorship by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and took Mr Burns to Europe to compete. There, she and Mr Burns qualified for the Olympics and were named to Hong Kong's showjumping team. Unfortunately a lameness while in quarantine meant they couldn’t compete, and Jennifer became broadcast commentator for the showjumping portion of the Games.
After the Olympics, Jennifer was named to Hong Kong’s Asian Games Eventing team with Strong Scotch, a UK-bred thoroughbred that had raced and retired in Hong Kong. The team placed fourth, missing bronze by a fraction of a point. Following that, Jennifer rode Tommy Kwan’s Magical Lot to Hong Kong’s “Eventing Horse of the Year” title.
At the showjumping qualifier for the London Olympics held in Aachen, Germany, Jennifer placed third in the Group G Individual portion with her Holsteiner Carry Star.
Although she trained with George Morris and Katie Monahan Prudent early in her career, in Hong Kong she had to work problems out on her own, figuring out how to get the best out of retired racehorses. This led to her insightful way of teaching which gets to the root of how to achieve a horse and rider’s best showjumping round. Jennifer has been referred to as an instructor “who thinks things through”.
Teresa Pilegaard
Instructor and Program Director
Teresa is passionate about promoting inclusion and is excited to help build a program that offers riding lessons for people of all abilities. She cares deeply about the physical, mental, and emotional independence horses stimulate and desires to provide expanded access to equines.
Teresa grew up as a recreational rider, but dove into the sport head first after becoming a mom. Teresa found her passion in adaptive riding due to the physical needs of her oldest child. Teresa is a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and teaches "adaptive" (formerly known as "therapuetic") riding lessons, beginner lessons, and specializes in dressage.
Teresa operates North Star Stables NOVA, a non-profit whose mission is to increase access to horses, especially for children with disabilities. She enjoys working with her vast array of horses ranging from her Chincoteague pony to OTTB's and her Hanoverian, Loki. Teresa's therapeutic riding mentor is Saebra Pippoly of Hooffalls and Footfalls and regularly continues her riding education in both dressage and hunter/jumpers. Teresa is passionate about ground work and classical dressage for the well-being of the horse.