Kris

Kris Wellstein: A Brief Biography

Kris is a second generation horse trainer, who grew up on a thoroughbred racing and boarding stable in Oakville, Ontario. She was breaking horses and ponies by the age of ten, though it was often a question of who was breaking who. Her mother, Joy Lindvik, was the first licensed female track trainer, show rider and later, a senior judge and master of the Enisclaire hunt. Under her tutelage and with great coaching from great coaches such as, Jim Day, Gordie Kirton, Torchy Miller, Sue Christensen and Wilson Dennehey (USA), Kris found a spot on three consecutive Junior International Teams from1970 to'72. She went on to win Reserve Open Jumper Champion for 1972, Zone II, behind Ian Miller. The folowing year, Kris won Open Hunter Champion for Zone II, Ontario.

Years of living on small west coast island deprived Kris of much of the horsey involvement she craved. By the time she moved to Edmonton in the mid 90's she'd built up quite a head of steam.

Nine year old daughter Katie, and her newly acquired four year old thoroughbred "Remy" (a track reject), received the brunt of Kris' compulsive need to teach. Beginning in 1996, the "green team" exploded into the hunter/jumper show ring. Their go for broke approach made them winners. In 2001, Katie, at fourteen, and Remy won the Alberta West-Can Award for top Junior Amateur Jumper.

More Recently Kris has become a certified CEF coach. She is currently affiliated with Royal Farms.

Kris' passion to coach and train arises from her desire to see riders and their horses grow together the art of balance and relaxation in their flat work and over fences. She encourages riders to learn how to solve their own problems, in effect, to become their own trainers.

At present, Kris is teaching people of all ages and levels and has several young horses in training to bring to the show ring.