Mary Mielenz - Head Trainer / Owner

Operating Horses LTD for more than 30 years, Mary Mielenz brings a unique perspective and a depth of knowledge of the hunter/jumper industry to the Memphis community. Her career has taken her from Texas and the mid-west, to both coasts, and now the mid-south.

Mary has traveled to AA horse shows from Del Mar and Indio, CA through Arizona, Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Texas, and Oklahoma. Her east coast experience spans from Wellington, FL to Vermont. She has shown horses at prestigious shows  such as WEF, Devon, Lake Placid, and many places in between. 

Mary's equestrian education came in large part from industry legends Jimmy Kohn and George Morris. It's rooted in the basics of riding and horsemanship, and is based on classic riding principles. Mary believes that learning to ride is a process that never stops. A rider must develop a fundamentally strong foundation on which to build future skills and successes. She has years of experience starting both first time riders and young horses and cultivating their skills, making them successful competitors at national level competitions.

The Mielenz  family lives on their 68 acre farm in the Memphis suburb of Collierville. They have three children, Chris, Alder, and Zoe, who are an integral part of the family businesses. 

Lori Hudson - Trainer / Rider

Jennifer Knisley - Director / Trainer of The Riding School

Jen started riding at the age of eight in Chicago, Illinois. She quickly developed her passion for the sport, and was competitive through high school. After a brief break from the sport due to injury, she started riding again and found a love of coaching and riding professionally. From there she was able to be mentored by some great professionals such as Diane Carney, Nancy Whitehead, and Steve Haight. She had the added benefit of tutelage by George Morris, Peter Pletcher, T. Whitehead, and many others.

After moving to Memphis in 2011, she taught and trained at a couple local facilities before joining us at Horses Ltd in the spring of 2023. Jen’s passion has always been to develop the whole rider. She takes the time to teach concrete basics and to form a personalized program for each rider. She brings her passion for teaching to The Riding School to help riders learn to ride for the joy of a hobby, or to develop further into a competitive career with Mary.