Mary Morrison
Owner & Head Trainer
Mary brings over 30 years of training experience to Ivy Gate's intermediate and advanced riders. Although she has worked and ridden with many of the country's top professionals, by far the most influential person in Mary's life was her mentor, Victor Hugo-Vidal, with whom she studied and taught for the last 10 years of his life. "Victor always referred to Ivy Gate as his home barn," says Mary. "And even though he is no longer here with us, his love for the horses and boundless enthusiasm is still felt by the many riders who worked with him at Ivy Gate." Mary gained international attention in 2005 when the French Federation (the equivalent of the U.S. Equestrian Organization) hired her to teach hunter-style clinics in France, where they have just recently begun to promote the hunter-style riding disciplines.
Cristin Stewart
Assistant Trainer/Operations Manager
Cristin joined Ivy Gate Farm back in 1994 and has been a huge asset to the program ever since. With over 30 years of riding and showing experience, she has a keen ability to know horses quickly, manage each equine personality individually and help horses overcome challenging training and behavioral issues. Growing up in Northern California, Cristin has extensive experience in the Hunter and Jumper rings as well as working and bringing along young horses. After graduating from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences, she spent time abroad in the Caribbean employed by a private entity, where she provided individual instruction as well as managed the care of their equines. She is an asset for her riding expertise, ability to develop each horses unique strengths and make them more rideable and ultimately better able to perform for our clients. Cristin has a keen eye for detail with her training experience, making it easy for her to suggest changes that benefit both horse and rider. Cristin is also a mom to Charlie, Molly and Johnny. We are so blessed to have her here at Ivy Gate!
Jonathan Bradford
Assistant Trainer
Jonathan grew up riding in Orange County at a very early age with his mother and his first horse trainer who was a family friend. Having her Masters in Horsemanship, Training and Instructing from the British Horse Masters Society, he learned very classical techniques from her. He held many working student positions with different professionals in the area until he landed at Ivy Gate Farm the first time. In 2000, a successful sales business was created with his then mentor Dale Pederson. After returning to school for a few years he moved to Los Angeles and formed his own business, Granite Hill Farm, in 2007. In Los Angeles his business saw success in the show arena in the hunters, equitation and ponies. His biggest successes were in sales, young horses, investments, and teaching clinics, In 2014, he had the opportunity to return to Ivy Gate Farm and is happy to call it home ever since. He is truly dedicated to building the business at all levels and is happy to provide whatever is needed at home, or at the shows. He enjoys riding, showing and teaching all age groups and tries to make learning fun and a positive experience.
Gabby Lupica
Riding Academy Instructor
Gabby grew up riding in Atlanta, Georgia. She began riding as a young child and horses have been a huge part of her life ever since. She started out in the ponies where she had a lot of success with her large pony. They went on to take 14th place over fences at pony finals in 2014. From there, she moved on to the junior hunters where she got a lot of show miles in the 3’3 and 3’6 large juniors. Gabby attended the University of North Georgia where she pursued a degree in biology. She brought her junior hunter and 1.20 meter jumper with her and competed throughout college. She later took on a 4 y/o warmblood and got experience developing a young horse. After college, Gabby was offered a job as a trainer and rider at a top show barn in Georgia. She continued to develop her riding skills and found an intense passion for teaching young riders. Gabby absolutely loves to share her passion for the sport with others and always ensures a positive experience for both horse and rider. Gabby recently joined the Ivy Gate Farm family and is so excited to share her knowledge and experience.