Location
The Riding Centre is located at 1117 East Hyde Road in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The grounds occupy 60 acres of land that is part of the 1,000-acre Glen Helen Nature Preserve, owned and overseen by the Glen Helen Association. Through the generosity of Antioch College and now the Glen Helen Association, the Yellow Springs community, and countless volunteers, we have been able to offer lessons, therapeutic riding, and day camps to the Miami Valley at affordable cost for over 60 years. Facilities include two barns, rolling pastures, a large outdoor ring, a lighted indoor ring, a cross-country hunt course, several wooded trails, outdoor shelters for the horses, and stables.
History
Louise Soelberg
The Riding Centre was the brainchild of Louise Soelberg and was founded in 1959 as an educational, nonprofit project dedicated to teaching the love, care, and understanding of horses. Following a back injury that ended her career as a professional dancer, Louise turned to her other primary love – horses. A unique woman, Louise created a one-of-a-kind equestrian facility. She convinced Antioch College to lease her 15 acres of farmland that was part of Glen Helen, a large nature preserve held by the college. The property included a broken-down barn and a dilapidated, house she would come to call home.
By 1961, a formal lease agreement between Louise and Antioch College set aside 60 acres of Glen Helen farmland for the development of The Riding Centre. Its purpose would be to provide educational and recreational services for Antioch College and Yellow Springs. Horsemanship was offered as a physical education class for Antioch students, and costs were kept to a minimum. We are a unique nonprofit charitable learning institution for horsemanship that exists thanks to the pioneering spirit, dedication, and love of a remarkable woman.
Always putting the needs of the horses before her own, Louise lived out her life in voluntary poverty and died peacefully in 1994, at the age of 90. Her legacy is carried in the hearts and minds of those running the operation today.
Adriene Kramer
Executive Director
Adriene Kramer, a native of Yellow Springs, is the current Executive Director of The Riding Centre. Adriene is responsible for the Centre's organizational planning, management, and resourcing. She is also responsible for the Centre's daily operations including facilities, equine care, the boarding program, and leading the equine educational and therapy programs.
Adriene has been a horse lover for as long as she can remember. She started lessons at The Riding Centre as soon as she was old enough to and began teaching lessons at 16.
Adriene holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Equine Business Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence Rhode Island, which is well-known nationally for its equine studies program.
Adriene is a certified instructor through PATH International, the American Riding Instructor Association, and Centered Riding. These programs have rigorous requirements for competency in horse care, riding theory and teaching and include many continuing education hours and recertification requirements.
Adriene has also gained knowledge and furthered her education through experience and collaboration with other riders. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University Adriene worked for a top Canadian rider at the Pan-American games, followed by a job at an international eventing trainer's barn. She then moved to Idaho where she worked as a wrangler at Hidden Creek Ranch, a dude ranch in Harrison, Idaho for 3 seasons. There they focused on Centered Riding®, an innovative way of learning and teaching classical principles of riding, using body awareness, centering, and imagery. Adriene’s experience with Centered Riding® at Hidden Creek piqued her interest, and in 2001 Adriene took her instructor course and became an official Centered Riding instructor.
Although Adriene's passion is equine education, Adriene is also an accomplished rider. She has competed at the national level in eventing and show jumping. In 2023, Adriene purchased an OTTB Chocolate Bunny (Choco) and achieved her goal of training a green horse to compete on the national level at the Thoroughbred Makeover, which is the largest Thoroughbred retraining competition in the world for recently retired ex-racehorses. Choco remains with Adriene today and calls The Riding Centre home.
Present Day
Today we are a thriving organization with an active lesson program, offering both regular and therapeutic riding lessons, horse boarding, and a strong foothold in the community, thanks to Carolyn’s dynamic leadership. With Carolyn’s steady management, we are continuing Louise’s legacy of promoting a love and understanding of horses.
In 2009, we celebrated our 50th anniversary, and we look forward to 50 more years of sharing our love of horses with others. Read Lauren Heaton's wonderful article published in the Yellow Springs News.
Read the wonderful Yellow Springs News articles about The Riding Centre here...
The Riding Centre Association
Board of Trustees
Adriene Kramer, Executive Director
Jill O'Banion, President
Carol Van Ausdal, Vice President
Stephanie Lawson, Secretary
Nicole Suzel, Treasurer
Sylvia Ellison
Mark Luzader