Our Trainers

Owner/Trainer

Stephanie is our head trainer and owner that lives on property. She is a fourth generation horseman with a great love for horses and teaching. Coming from a family of horse people she knows the end and outs of the business. Growing up Stephanie started showing at the age of 6, spent time in the hunt field with Grandfather William Russell Sr. Who was huntsman of the Mecklenburg Hounds until he was 74 years old, father, William Russell Jr, helped Belle Meade Hunt Club get established and then went on to run Pine Top Farm as the head trainer. In the late 80’s Stephanie held her Trainer’s License at the Birmingham Race Track, while training hunter/ jumpers. In the early 90’s she took a full time training position at Rolling Meadows and Meadow Wood Farm making her main focus hunters/ jumpers.  She established  Step- N-Free Stables in 1994, where she started her family with Husband Damon Free. Stephanie’s background in the sport gives her a vast knowledge for horse care and with 50 years in “the business” it has allowed time for her to develop riders and horses to the top of the sport. Along the way, Stephanie assisted in founding the Georgia State and Georgia Tech IHSA programs, sat as Vice President of GHJA, started two show associations on the south side of Atlanta (Britches and Boots and Southern Hunter Jumper Association), is a founding board member of The Bill Russell Memorial Foundation, a foundation that steps up to help horseman in their time of need, and most recently has helped to found the Woodward Academy IEA Team. Stephanie’s creative outlook for progression in our sport helps her to continue to find avenues for success for our program and her students. It is very important to her to create a family atmosphere in the barn and still enjoys the barn families that have been created over the years.

Trainer/Rider

Victoria works as our full time rider and trainer dedicating herself to our programs success. As a fifth generation horseman she has grown up in the barn and truly has a love for all aspects of the sport with a passion for riding, training, and developing young horses. Victoria works hard to connect with her students and horses to bring out the best in them. 

Victoria was on a horse as soon as she could sit up and started showing at the age of three in the walk trot, which paved the way for a successful junior career in the pony, junior hunter, equitation and jumper divisions on horses and ponies that she and her Mother, Stephanie Free and Aunt Liza Munoz worked to bring along from scratch. During her junior years Victoria  picked up many catch rides and numerous accolades at USEF Pony Finals, USEF Junior Hunter Finals, The DEVON Horse Show, The Washington International, The Pennsylvania National, ASPCA Maclay Regionals, as well as top placing for year end GHJA, USHJA Zone 4, and USEF and participated in USHJA’s first two years of the Emerging Athletes Program. Victoria is also one of the few finalist to ever Win both the GHJA J.D. Pounds Medal (2012) and GHJA Laura Tyson Adult Medal (2015) as well as second in the GHJA Pony Medal (2008). After graduating High School in 2013 Victoria Received a Scholarship to ride on the IHSA Equestrian Team at  Converse College in Spartanburg, SC.

After graduating from college and going professional in 2016 Victoria put her experience to work, dedicating herself to developing quality horses and helping her students reach their goals while also helping them become well rounded horsemen. In 2017 Georgia Tech’s IHSA equestrian team returned to SNF with Victoria as head coach. In 2023 Victoria rode “Step Up” to the Highest scoring American bred horse at Green Incentive Finals. Victoria has started a number of students in their first lesson and taken them all the way to National competitions, winning ribbons at big venues such as Pony Finals and Indoors. 

Victoria’s passion for the horses under her guidance is apparent in everything she does. Her love of the sport and the students she works with is evident in her dedication every day. 

Trainer

Karina works part time within our academy program, teaching lessons, taking students to shows and hosting camp. She loves all things horses, growing up in central Florida she was bitten by the bug at the age of 9. Her parents were firm believers in working for what you want, so she worked cleaning stalls and taking care of her horse was her life everyday after school for opportunities to ride.  After a couple of years of riding whatever came her way, her parents agreed to purchase a pony and then riding lessons and horse show life began. High school years were spent in Georgia where she joined Stephanie Free’s program at Rolling Meadows Farm. Her professional career began in 1994 where she took her first job teaching at Meadow Wood Farm. She took some time off to have her children and returned to teaching & training in 2006 at Rock House Riding Center where she stayed until 2015.  In early 2015 her daughter began riding full time with Stephanie at Step-N-Free which lead Karina to join our academy program and start sharing her passion for horses and teaching with students in our program.

Assistant Coach - Georgia Tech IHSA Equestrian Team

Paige Harvey of Capstone Farm joins us as our Assistant Coach of the Georgia Tech IHSA Equestrian Team, handling their weekly lessons and competitions.