Half Halt Stables
Half Halt Stables Dressage- Training Staff
Susanne Benne - Pferdewirtshaftmeister FN
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Head Trainer
Susanne has her masters degree in Dressage riding and jumping from Germany with the honor of the Stensbeck Placque and USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. The outstanding achievements of her students are testament to the excellent Dressage training she provides. She is successful in training horses to the best of their potential, while keeping them happy and content with her friendly way of training. Susanne Benne is a CLS 5 star rider.
Jana Reich - FEI Trainer / Barn Manager
Jana Reich was born in Germany and moved to the United states in 2009, after gratuading high school. She always had a passion for horses much like her mother Head Trainer Susanne Benne. Jana is a very driven person and loves to compete and take on a challange. She takes big part in being a member of the family business and funktions as Susanne's right hand.
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In 2012, after only a short time in the U.S., Jana achieved double Regional Champion in 4th level and Prix St. George and has earned her bronze and silver medals. Through hard work and extensive training, she has worked her way up from Trainer Assistant to FEI Trainer and now has her own training program at Half Halt Stables. She excels in training young horses through the FEI levels and competing them at shows.
Jana's excellent organization skills and ability to work and communicate well with our clients have made her a valuable asset.
She has also been a great help as coach at shows during our busy show seasons. Since 2015 Jana has been very involved with the Half Halt Stables sale department and took over the marketing for our farm.
January 2016 she earned the Certificate for the USDF/USEF Young Rider Graduate Program.
since 2017 she has her own string of training horses and clients. she has trained multiple training horses as well as students up to the FEI levels.
Jana's goals are riding internationally for the United States.
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Chase De Marco - FEI Trainer
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Chase DeMarco has over 20 years of horsemanship experience with a diverse background in both riding and teaching Western, English and Dressage. As a teenager, Chase was known as a fearless rider eager to work with even the most challenging mounts, and this reputation showed his blossoming patience and skill working with horses. In 2007, his journey through Dressage began with an apprenticeship under Susanne Benne at Half Halt stables. Eager to compete, he was eventually given the opportunity to debut one of Susanne’s training horses after only 6 months of formal training. This new partnership was so successful that they became 2009 USDF Region 3 Champions!
After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida, Chase was confident that coaching riders and developing horses would be his path in life. He founded “DeMarco Performance Horses” in 2010, and quickly acquired a client base of all levels and disciplines, from 4-H Western riders to classical Dressage adult amateurs. As his clients have seen their own success over the years, Chase has kept pursuing his own personal goals of becoming a USDF certified trainer and an FEI-level Dressage rider. In 2016 he earned his USDF Bronze medal, followed quickly thereafter with his USDF Silver Medal in 2018. Chase has now set his sights on his USDF Gold Medal and achieving a USDF Dressage Trainer Certification. In addition to being a Silver Medalist, Chase is well on his way to acquiring his 3-Star CLS rider rating during the 2018 season.
Chase lives by the quote, “The day you think you know it all is the day you stop learning.” Keeping true to those words, Chase returned to Half Halt stables as an Assistant Trainer and worked his way up to his own program and is an FEI Trainer .
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Hanna Benne - FEI Assistant Trainer
Katie Honeywell - Dressage Kids Program
Katie has been at Half halt Stables, training Dressage with Susanne Benne, since 2012 starting as a working student. She is now resposible for the Dressage kids program. Katie loves teaching children as well as adult amateurs. She has ridden and trained under Susanne Benne for many years and has a good base teaching Dressage. Katie Honeywell started riding at the Tally Ho Eventing Academy, in Utah. In 2011 Katie rode for 8 months as a working student under the guidance of a Canadian Olympic Eventer. In 2014 she Qualiefied for Regional Championships in First level with the very talented mare Roslyn. In the 2016 show season, Honeywell and the 7 year old Oldenburg mare Roslyn VT owned by Toni Pastermack performed their 3rd level debut.
In 2016 Katie earned her Bronce Medal. Her next goal is to become a certified usdf Dressage trainer and eran her silver medal!
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Ryan Mattson - Weekend Manager
