LAUREN ORGO
Owner, Trainer, Rider
Lauren Orgo spent her junior years apprenticing for Frank Madden, learning the ins and outs of the hunter and equitation rings. While in college she got certified for therapeutic riding instruction and started training at a therapy center. Lauren created and ran the therapeutic program there bringing students to special Olympic finals at the prestigious Hampton classic. In 2010 she decided to start her own therapeutic riding program, Happy Tails. After a few years Lauren started her jumper career, training under the eyes of Carol Thompson, Hugo Huesca and most recently Devin Ryan. While chasing her riding goals she started Copper Hill Stables in 2014 and since then has focused on bringing young riders up from the beginning to numerous finals up and down the East coast. In April 2022 Lauren gave birth to her beautiful baby girl and has now switched her focus on bringing a select few riders to the top shows as well as importing quality horses for sale and lease to the US.
ALYSSA PEREZ
Barn Manager
Alyssa Perez has had a lifelong love of horses and starting taking lessons at age 10. She frequently spent extra time at the barn and shadowed her trainer to learn as much as she could. She graduated with a degree in Social Work from Centenary University, where she also rode on the IHSA team. Alyssa has also been involved in therapeutic riding, volunteering and teaching lessons. She started at Copper Hill in 2017, worked her way up to head groom and presently barn manager. She is an integral part of the Copper Hill team, ensuring that our everyday operations run smoothly and all of our horses are happy and healthy. Alyssa loves seeing the horses and riders turned out at shows and watching them progress.
KIM GUESSFORD
Trainer, Rider
Kim grew up in Connecticut successfully competing in the hunters, jumpers, and equitation rings while she was a working student at Westbrook Hunt Club. She then went on to represent Mt. Holyoke College on their IHSA team. While she was in college she continued her career in the amateur ring up and down the east coast. In 1989, she went on to start her own Hunter/ jumper business, Willow Lane LLC, in Camden, South Carolina. Kim's students went on to compete at multiple national shows with many wins at some of the most prestigious events. She then went on to be a private trainer for a very well known family, and those riders went on to all of the big USET and equitation finals. In 1999, Kim moved to New Jersey and was the assistant trainer to Olympic rider Nona Garson. Kim has remained in New Jersey since then and currently travels to numerous barns in the area riding and teaching.
Lori Thompson
Trainer, Rider
Lori's love for horses began at a very young age. Growing up in Monmouth County, she started lessons at a local barn at age 7. From there she rode with Carol Thompson at Quiet Winter Farm competing in the pony hunters, junior hunters and jumpers on the east coast. As an adult, her education continued with Hugh White in California, where she successfully showed in the jumpers on the west coast.
From there her passion has brought her to many corners of the country and even abroad to Sydney Australia. She has experience riding in local shows, fox hunting, top A rated shows, and Dressage. Lori has been a certified therapeutic instructor, farm owner, barn manager, IEA coach, trainer, and instructor for beginners to professionals.
Her philosophy is to always continue learning and enjoys participating in hunter/jumper clinics with professionals like Bernie Traurig, Peter Leon, Joe Fargis, Frank Madden, and Karen Healey to name a few. Before being a team member at Copper Hill, she was a trainer and winter manager for Stonehenge Stables in Colts Neck NJ.