Melanie Carson, White Barn Manager

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Melanie grew up here in Montgomery County, but also lived in Savannah, Georgia and Chicago for a while. As a child she rode horses for a few years and returned to the the sport as an adult as a form of exercise, focusing on posture, form, and balance. Her training has been focused on biomechanics and dressage, but is interested in a wide variety equestrian sports, including endurance racing, competitive trail riding, and most especially, mounted archery. 

“I’m very passionate about good horse care and ground training, so I went to the Equine Management Training Center at Sandy River in 2018 for their professional groom certificate program to make horses my full-time career. I’ve groomed and cared for 4**** event horses, 3 year-old OTTBs, and 38 year-old retirees with Cushing’s, and believe they all have something valuable to teach us'”

Melanie went to the Savannah College of Art and Design for her bachelor’s degree, and specialized in comics. Drawing and a variety of other crafts fills up her leisure time. On her days off, Melanie usually goes to the archery range or for a hike with her family’s two dogs.

Colleen McAleer, Red Barn Manager

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Colleen grew up riding at Waredaca and got her first job here as soon as she was old enough. As the Red barn Manager she keeps an eye on the horses in the red barn, hayfield, and our school herd. She is a CHA certified instructor and enjoys spending summers working at our riding camp. She especially loves working with our lesson horses.  Colleen is also the Program Manager of our Pony Kids program.

Travis Fisher, Assistant Facilities Manager

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A current Waredaca field boarder and now staff member, Travis started riding here 20 years ago, and for several years, taught in our lesson and summer camp program. After finishing high school, Travis managed a small farm that focused on physical and mental rehab of horses, near Richmond for six years. His mom, Vickie, is a frequent face you see around the farm and his sister Lauren, a schoolteacher, makes an appearance at times also! A couple other fast facts about Travis, he is a national gold medal speed skater and a certified welder!! Expect to see Travis working in the barn, teaching in the ring and assisting Robert and Rob with maintenance around the farm.

Gayle Mahaney, Lesson Manager

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Gayle works as Waredaca’s lesson manager. Her many years of experience help guide the lesson program. Her CHA master instructor certification allows Gayle to make sure that the program runs safely. When not busy working, Gayle loves trail-riding. She is also our Bar T Summer Camp Director.

Rob Lang, Facilities Manager

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Rob Lang started at Waredaca full in time in 1989 after graduating from Towson State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1994 Rob and his wife Andrea were married and settled down in the Woodbine area of Carroll County. The spring of 1998 brought big changes for the Langs when they were blessed with the gift of twins, Nathan and Emma. Both children are very active in multiple sports programs and keep the Langs on the move. The family is also very heavily involved in their local Methodist church, with Rob singing in the choir and on the Board of Trustees, Andrea on the Education ministry team and both children involved in youth functions. Rob’s job at Waredaca of Facilities Manager encompasses a wide range of tasks. It could be anything from feeding and haying horses to fixing the phone or computer in the office. The variety of work is what keeps him actively involved in the day to day operations at the farm. His one true joy is being outside. His other love is building either cross country or stadium jumps for the multiple competitions and shows at Waredaca.That drive to build, led him to the creation of his own jump building company, Gunner Woodworks LLC. He designs and builds cross country jumps for local shows, pony clubs and backyard farm operations in the area. When not working at the farm or at home building jumps, he can be found in the woods hunting or on some body of water, kayaking or fishing.From the Carroll County Times Sports Section, November 2010….If you are either brave enough to go to Waredaca to ride in one of their events or sanguine enough to brave the current economic conditions and go there as a vendor you will probably see a fellow named Rob Lang.You may hear him before you see him because he has a cheerful “outdoor” sort of voice and he is usually saying something that is both helpful and funny. But once you hear him, pretty soon there he will be doing whatever needs doing in the line of maintenance and general “fixing up” on the farm.His actual title there at Waredaca is Facilities Manager and I know this because I asked him.In the course of his work week he might manage to facilitate several cross country jumps into existence or he might manage to facilitate the repair of a stall that a horse had managed to encumber with several non-designated-in-the-blueprints holes in its walls. Horses are like that and Rob knows this and deals with it.He may neither like it nor approve of it, but he deals with it.

Steph Butts Kohr, Head Trainer, Equine/Activities Operations Manager

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Growing up at Waredaca, Steph has been around horses her whole life. She got her first pony for her 7th birthday and did her first event at age 8. It was around that time that she decided she wanted to compete at the upper levels of Eventing.

SKE trailride

Steph had the perfect kids horse, Sir Maxwell, who taught her the ropes at Training level and gave her the skills she needed to bring along young horses.

When she was 14 Steph bought Bungee, a 4 year old Canadian horse. Steph and Bungee started out Novice and progressed all the way up to being on the North American Young Riders CCI** Gold Medal winning team in 2002 and finishing the Foxhall CCI*** in 2003.

After graduating from University of Delaware, where she was a working student for Phillip Dutton, Steph moved to England. She spent 2005 in England and Holland working and riding with top Eventers, Show Jumpers and Dressage Riders.  Returning home in 2006, she was given the opportunity to ride her mom Gretchen’s Rolex horse Zydeco. This was a great experience and she was able to finish 2nd at the Ocala CCI**, win the Pine Top Advanced HT and finish a CIC*** before Zydeco unexpectedly was forced to retire.

Since then Steph has been based out of Waredaca. She has students of all levels in Dressage and Eventing as well as horses in training and sales. Over the past few years she has brought multiple horses up through the Preliminary and Intermediate levels, and helped many students further their riding careers.

Read more at Stephkequestrian.com

Robert Butts, President

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Owner Robert is ‘the’ man in charge at Waredaca, having managed the farm for over forty years. Assisted by his wife, Gretchen, they oversee the entire operation of the farm.  Robert has grown up here, moving to this current site in the early fifties when he was just a child, with the family from their farm in what was then ‘rural’ Bethesda.  He has been an active and instrumental part in the business virtually all his life. Upon graduating from UMD with a degree in International Ag Economics, he was envisioning a job elsewhere but the timing proved otherwise. R. B Butts, ‘Mr. B’ as he was affectionately known by many, was ready to turn the management of the business over to his youngest son and the transition began. Now, many years later, some aspects of the business have remained while many show a different focus and direction. Robert began riding Western, was very active in the AQHA competitions, and had his own herd of Quarter Horse broodmares and two approved AQHA stallions.  He has fox hunted and actually did some eventing in the late 70s with Gretchen. As Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors for the Montgomery branch of the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Robert stays active in the current trends in Ag management and Ag tourism. Based on his stewardship and business practices, he received the 2008 Cooperator of the Year Award in recognition of his outstanding commitment to conservation in Montgomery County. Thru his leadership, Waredaca is now a Maryland Farm Stewardship Certified Farm. When not at the farm, Robert’s passion is the water, specifically the Bay.  Summer weekends find him racing on the Jay Dee, one of the few remaining historic Chesapeake Bay Log Canoes. Or he might be out sailing his own 343 Beneteau ‘Gaviota’ as often as time and schedule allow.  Crew anyone?

Gretchen Butts, Administrator

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With a BS and MS in Nursing, as well as a MA in Management/Human Resources, Gretchen spent 25 years as a Nurse Practitioner while gaining her vast experience in Eventing. Her Equestrian Experience is broad: Eventing competitor at the International Four Star Level, Event Organizer-Waredaca since 1979, FEI International Event Technical Delegate, USA Equestrian Eventing R Technical Delegate, FEI International Eventing Judge, USA Equestrian Eventing R Judge, FEI Steward, past member of the Board of Governors and Vice President of Education–United States Eventing Association, Chief Jump Judge for the 1996 Olympic Three Day Event in Atlanta, International Technical Official at the 2008 Olympic Games, Assistant Technical Delegate for the 2010 World Equestrian Games, contributing author to the USEA Eventing magazine and past educational consultant to the Association.  Gretchen is also a Level 3 ICP instructor and sits on several key United States Equestrian Federation and Eventing Association committees. She currently competes thru the preliminary level. Gretchen will tell you that managing the business with Robert at Waredaca has always been a welcomed opportunity for her.  And marrying into a family business and being an instrumental part of its future is a unique challenge!  Rarely are two days ever alike! And life on the farm is far from boring, as everyone works diligently to uphold the high standards of the business and enjoy the many faces who share Waredaca! In her spare time, she is a long distance runner and avid sailor with husband Robert on the Chesapeake. They have 2 daughters, Steph, a Biology grad, ICP Level 2 instructor and graduate A pony clubber with experience thru the 3 Star Level.  She is part of the Waredaca staff and business team. Her younger sister, Devon, is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy, currently practicing in Asheville NC.