Profiles

 

Julie Kaufman

---

Profile Coming Soon.

 

Joe Elam

---

Joe Elam is the head trainer at Blue Willow Farm. It has been nearly a year now since Joe joined the Blue Willow family, but to everyone at the barn, it feels as though Joe has always been around.

As any of his long time customers will tell you, Joe's infectiously positive personality elevates the mood of everyone around him. Always having a joke or a complement for a friend, Joe's presence at Blue Willow has blended perfectly with the family atmosphere that already existed here.

A native of North Carolina, Joe Elam has spent all of his life around horses. As a youngster, Joe "showed a little bit of everything". However, his focus quickly switched to American Saddlebreds.

Joe has been training horses for approximately 20 years. He has worked with WC CH Sass with Class, WC My Main Man, WC The Secret's Out, WC Stormwind, RWC I'm A Lucky Charm, National Champion Multiplatinum, WC Tango at Sea, Helen's Charm, I'm Something Wicked, WC Buckwheat, WC Heirrithmatic, and RWC Hellen's Charm.

Joe currently is a resident of Versailles, Ky, where he lives with his wife Kim and young son Alex who can be frequently found around the barn wearing a cowboy hat and bearing a lasso in hand.

 

Andrea Steponaitis

---

Originally from Chicago, Il, Andrea Steponaitis currently serves as the lesson instructor at Blue Willow Farm. A graduate of Midway College with a Bachelor in Science in Equine Science, Andrea first fell in love with Saddlebred Horses while riding under Julie Kaufman 15 years ago. At Midway, Andrea served as the captain of the IHSA western riding team for three years, showing at nationals every year beginning as a Freshman. Andrea's passion for Saddlebreds and for horseback riding shines through her work as a lesson instructor, work that has allowed her to pass her passion on to others.