Molly Bull is a Level II Certified Instructor through the US Eventing Association's Instructor Certification program. She began eventing as a teenager in North Carolina, then attended college at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.  After college she began riding with Kim Severson and was hired as a groom for Kim and Plain Dealing Farm in the spring of 2000. 

Under Kim's tutelage, Molly competed successfully up to the four-star level and brought 2 horses from green prospects to the advanced level. Molly purchased her most successful event horse, the Irish-bred Kiltartan, in the spring of 2001. With him she placed 9th at the Fair Hill CCI***, 10th at the Jersey Fresh CCI***, and completed the Rolex Kentucky CCI****. They were named to the Winter Training List in 2005 and had numerous top placings and wins along the way.

Now Kiltartan is competing at the preliminary level with Molly's husband Eric Bull, who also builds cross country courses when not riding Tartan. Molly and Eric have a new baby, Henry Elliott Bull, so Molly is now focusing on being a mom, teaching lessons, and managing the barn at Plain Dealing. She will be competing her new Selle Francais gelding Round the Twist this spring at Beginner Novice and Novice.

Molly is currently accepting new students and is available to ride horses in training as well. Call 434 286 4592 for availability.

Lucia Strini

Lucia began her eventing career on her pony Natty Bumppo after Kim Severson was hired by Plain Dealing Farm.  She competed up through training level with Natty before purchasing a gray mare named Stella from Courtney Cooper. With Stella, Lucia successfully made the jump to Preliminary level and completed in her first CCI* in 5th place. She was then selected to represent Area II at the NAYRC at the 1* level, where she placed 4th individually and her team placed 3rd.  Stella also introduced Lucia to the Intermediate level before she was retired.

Lucia then purchased her next horse, a promising youngster named Pantalaimon, through Holly Hepp. "Pan" and Lucia won the CIC* at Southern Pines in 2007 and competed through the Intermediate level.

Pandora, a bay mare, was Lucia's next horse. With Pandora, she placed 2^nd in the Intermediate at Morven Park and won the Virginia CCI* in 2004 before reselling her.

Addis Abba, or Gabby, has been Lucia's most successful mount.  She brought him along herself, from the lower levels up to the 2-star level.  Along the way, they had numerous wins, including the CCI* at Morven Park in 2004. They also placed 5^th at their first CCI** at Radnor in 2005, where they won awards for the highest placing young rider, highest placing young horse, and best-conditioned horse.  The same year they placed 6^th at the Virginia CCI**.  Lucia had hoped he would be her first Advanced horse but in their first attempt at that level Gabby unfortunately injured himself and has not yet returned to competition.

Lucia's current top mount is Liste de Folie, or Leo, a chestnut Selle Francais gelding. Her partnership with him began in the spring of 2005. They spent that year competing at the training level and then moving up to preliminary.  In 2006 they placed 2^nd in the CIC* at Poplar Place and went on to place 2^nd in the CCI* at Morven Park.  This year Lucia and Leo have continued their success by moving on to Intermediate level, placing 2^nd in the OI at Seneca Valley and 4^th at Plantation. Lucia hopes to compete at the Ocala CCI** later this fall.

In 2007 Lucia also purchased two outstanding young horses, Oudo, who competed through training level with Kelli Temple, and Futurama, a gray Sachsen-Anhaltiner gelding. Oudo will be moving up to Advance in the Spring of 2011.

Benita Strini

Benita Strini got her start in eventing at age 10 with her sister Lucia's pony Natty Bumpo. Her early training came from Lucia, Kim Severson, and Molly Bull. She continues to train with her sister and with Will Coleman.

Since outgrowing Natty she has owned several Connemara crosses, which sparked a love for the breed. With one of them, Cameron Creek, she got lots of experience at the Preliminary level and completed her first CCI*. She was also chosen for the Area II Young Riders team with Cameron in 2009, and the pair had numerous top placings and wins at Preliminary.

Now Benita is competing the Irish Carlingford Merlot, a.k.a Murry, at the Intermediate level. With him, she is hoping to qualify for the North American Young Riders Championships again this year, this time at the two-star level.

Murry may have some competition from his stablemate Gibstar, who Benita will be moving up to Intermediate with in March at Southern Pines. Gibbie was previously ridden by Emily Butcher of New Zealand, who worked at Plain Dealing for a year back in 2001.

Benita's third mount is the feisty mare Petit Filou, also known as Fi. Fi is a small but fancy young Westphalian cross from England that Benita recently moved up to Preliminary.

In addition to all of her time spent on horseback, Benita is a sophomore at the University of Richmond, where she is majoring in Environmental Studies.