Stopek Stables

Below are our beloved school horses. Horses that are suitable and trustworthy enough to be used to teach riding lessons are very special and worth their weight in gold! Blessed be the school horses!!! Carrots are always appreciated!!!

Some of our school horses are available for our Half Lease Program. Leasing a horse provides an excellent way for potential horse owners to test out what it would be like to have a horse of their own. The horses are available to be used by their lessees on the days they are not used for lessons (3-4 days per week). This would include weekends since we do not teach lessons on the weekends. Some restrictions do apply:

1. Leases are only available to students who are currently taking lessons at Stopek Stables.

2. You must be able to demonstrate that you are able to catch, groom, tack, ride and put away the horse correctly, safely, and without the help of an instructor to qualify to lease.

3. Horses may not leave Stopek Stables property without permission from Karen.

4. Lessees get first dibs on showing “their” horse at a show. Plus, if you are leasing a horse and take it to a show, you only pay the coaching fee, not the school horse fee, thus saving money!

5. Tack may also be available for lease (if you do not have your own).

6. Leases will be available in one month terms; therefore you do not need to make a long term commitment!

Since you will be only “half” leasing the horse, you only have to cover half of the horse’s expenses! Board will be paid by the lessee, but vet bills, farrier bills and insurance will be covered by Stopek Stables. There is no long term commitment required. If you are interested in half leasing a school horse, please discuss this further with Karen.

Jewel--1998 13.3 Hh Palomino American Quarter Horse mare-- Used in English, Western, Hunter Over Fences, Equitation and Trails and has foxhunted.

"Misty"-1991 gray Arabian/Quarter Horse mare-Misty is talented in English, Hunters, Equitation, Dressage through First Level, Lead-line, Western, Trails and has foxhunted.

"Trinket" is a Thoroughbred mare that is approved by both the American Trakehner Association and the Oldenburg NA. She has become a hunter/jumper since retiring from a successful career on the race track. Trinket is a very scopey jumper and a beautiful hunter. Trinket is available for full or half lease.

"JR" is an off the track gray Thoroughbred gelding. He stands a hefty 16.3+ hands and is a very gentle and quiet lesson horse.

Untouchable is an imported approved German Trakehner mare. She stands an impressive 17+ hands high. Untouchable is sired by the legendary German Trakehner sire, Habicht. Habicht was a Premium stallion at his German approval and Champion of his Performance Test. He was a successful international event horse in Germany and has sired Olympic contenders including Livius, part of the US showjumping team in the LA Olympics and Windfall, 2004 Olympic Bronze Medal winner in Eventing in Athens. "Touchy" was ridden 2nd Level Dressage in Germany.

*Update; Touchy is recovering from her November 2005 colic surgery.

*"Touchy" represented the Trakehner breed at the 2006 Iowa Horse Fair in Des Moines on April 7, 8, &9. She was ridden by Karen Stopek.

Touchy produced a bay filly by our approved Trakehner stallion, Prelude By Mozart in 2009! This filly is eligible for the Official Stud Book of the American Trakehner Association and for the American Trakehner Futurity. More about "Uma" on our Foals page. Touchy has now retired from her motherly duties and is a wonderful addition to our lesson program.

"Squirt" is a 2000 Section A Welsh pony gelding. He is broke to ride and drive. Squirt loves to stand still while kids learn how to groom him and pick out his hooves. He'll do almost anything for a peppermint!! Owned, groomed, loved and shown by Hailee Huntoon.

"Zoey" (shown as "Funky Poodle") is a branded and approved Holsteiner mare. She is trained through 3rd level dressage and is a very talented jumper with famous international jumping sensations "Cor de le Bryere" and "Landgraf" in her pedigree. Zoey represented the Holsteiner breed at the 2009 & 2010 Iowa Horse Fairs and participated in the Richard Shrake clinic with Karen Stopek in the irons. She is a big mare standing close to 18 hands high. Zoey is in foal to Prelude for a 2012 foal, so she is currently on "maternity leave" from lesson duty.

Electa is a 1989 17 hand liver chestnut Swedish Warmblood mare. She is by Elektron, a black Swedish Warmblood by Gaspari by Parad and out of Farah by Favorit by Magnifique. Electa has competed successfully in dressage and is a schoolmaster. Known around the barn as "Lexi Lou", she is currently being shown at First Level, and still performs Third Level movements from time to time.

"Big Lexi" is currently being leased.

Aly V. and Ponylicious

Hailee and Ponylicious in Lead-line.

Click below to see Ponylicious' Hunter Debut at 2'.

13 hh black Medium Pony mare. She is registered with the American Quarter Pony Association and Pinto Registry. "Panda" is a beautiful mover and exhibits text book form over fences. Panda can take a beginner into a Walk/Trot class as well as take an advanced rider into the Hunter ring. She loves to jump and has automatic lead changes. Panda is pictured above at her first show with Stopek Stables where she won Pony Hunters and won her hack class against horses in the 2' Hunter Division. For Sale Currently in North Carolina.

USHJA 2009 Horse of the Year Awards:(First Year shown USHJA/Ridden by Aly Vukelich)

Reserve Champion Zone 6 Gren Pony Hunter-Medium

Reserve Champion zone 6 Meium Pony Hunter

Pony Hunter-Medium Division Zone 6-6th Place