Our Staff
Janet Salem - Trainer
Janet Salem is a native Atlantan. She and her sister, veterinarian Susan Wynn, got their first “free” horse in 1969. Her parents were sure the appeal would quickly die. That was not the case. Janet pursued her passion for horses throughout her childhood, riding at the original Chastain Stables and Huntcliff Stables and showing at the venues of the day, including the newly constructed Wills Park. After finishing college with a major in History and a minor in Education and becoming a mother to daughter, Lauren Hulen, she became a professional in 1987, establishing Patchwork Farm in Woodstock, GA.
Janet is a lifetime student of riding and horsemanship and is a USHJA Certified Instructor. Not only does she board horses at Patchwork Farm; she has been a boarder at various farms and appreciates her clients’ priorities where their horses are concerned. Janet’s lifelong passion for horsemanship is evidenced in the program which has evolved over her many years “in the business.” Patchwork Farm is a happy and healthy place for both humans and horses.
Janet is proud to show off both horses and riders at Local and “A” rated shows. The show ring successes of Patchwork Farm students are evidence of the care and individual attention given to her clients and their horses. Patchwork Farm students have won year-end awards at the state and national levels, from Short Stirrup, Pony Hunters, Children’s Hunters to Junior Hunters. Her riders have won the GHJA Pony Equitation Final, the JD Pounds Equitation Final and the t he GHJA Adult Medal Final, sending those trophies home with multiple Patchwork Farm riders over the years. She has had top 10 riders in the USEF Pony Medal Finals, has qualified Junior Riders for the Maclay Regionals and Harrisburg and has qualified many horses and ponies for the Devon Horse Show. Many of her riders have received college scholarships to ride for NCAA riding teams winning numerous NCEA National Championships. She has also sent students off to IHSA Collegiate Teams. Over the years Janet's students have gone on to be professionals all over the country which is a testament to the program's ultimate goal, to not only instill knowledge both in and out of the tack but more importantly to foster a life long love for the horse and the sport.
Check out Janet's interview with The Good Neighbor Podcast about Patchwork Farm!
Lauren Kissel - Rider/Trainer
PWF is proud to have Lauren Hulen Kissel on our full-time staff. Lauren serves as our Professional Rider and Trainer. She brings years of successful riding and training experience to our team as evidenced by her show ring accomplishments on ponies and horses which she trained from scratch. Awards include numerous championships and year end awards on her equine partners Yankee Doodle (2 time GHJA small pony champion), Texas Pete (GHJA Medium Pony Champion, GHJA 11 and under Equitation Champion, 11th USEF National Medal Finals), Millpond Showtime (GHJA Large Pony Champion, 12-14 Equitation Champion, Ribbon Winner National Pony Finals, GHJA Pony Medal Finals Winner) and Van Gogh (2 time GHJA Regular Junior Hunter Champion, 2nd Zone 4 Junior Hunter Champion, Ribbon Winner National Junior Hunter Finals, Qualified Harrisburg USEF Final, GHJA Adult Medal Finals Winner, Stacey Ann Boe Equitation Finals Winner). Lauren also borrowed Kelli Sherrill's High Five to win the JD Pounds Medal Final. To date, Lauren is the only GHJA member to win all of the coveted GHJA Equitaton Finals: Pony Equitation, JD Pounds Equitation, Adult Equitation and Stacey Ann Boe Equitation Finals (now GHJA Equitation Challenge).
Lauren also had a very successful two years on the NCAA Auburn Equestrian team, contributing to the team's 2006 NCAA Varsity Equestrian National Championship win. She is happy to talk with any young rider aspiring to be on a NCAA Equestrian team about her experiences.
Lauren's professional accomplishments include a blue ribbon at Devon in '09 in the First Year Green Working Hunter Division riding Janet Salem's "Water Music". This horse is a product of the Patchwork Farm training program from his first jump to his current successful record through the Pre-Greens, First Year Greens, Second Year Greens and on to be an Children's and Junior Hunter. Lauren continues to have a presence in the professional divisions at shows in Zone IV and National Finals such as The Devon Horse Show, PA National Horse Show, and Washington International Horse Show.
Lauren's training philosophy is the perfect fit for Patchwork Farm: Careful, Classical and Kind training which produces confident horses, sound in both mind and body. We're very excited to have Lauren's training talents and formidable show ring abilities on the Patchwork Farm team.
Quinn Larimer - Assistant Rider and Trainer
Quinn grew-up with the love of horses in her blood as her mother was an amateur eventer. She began taking hunter/jumper lessons at the age of 4 and competing at the age of 6, spending her entire junior career and beginning of her amateur years riding with and learning from Janet Salem and Lauren Kissel. With Patchwork Farm, she primarily competed in the pony and junior hunters, earning top 3 placings at Pony Finals, Devon, and all of the major indoor shows. In 2012, Quinn earned the USEF Horse of the Year National Championship for the Younger 3'6 Small Juniors with her own Concierge and again in 2015 for the 3'6 Amateur Owner Hunters 18-35 with her own Zazou. During her last junior year, she stepped into the jumper ring, at which time, she qualified for and attended the Emerging Athletes Program National Finals in 2015 where she earned team gold in the Nations Cup competition.
Quinn attended Georgia Institute of Technology, graduating with Highest Honors and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering in 2020. While in school, she continued competing up through the High AO jumpers and Grand Prix levels, earning top finishes across the east coast. Quinn was awarded the Champion Equine Insurance Jumper Style award at the Winter Equestrian Festival and in 2017, she earned team and individual gold medals at the Zone 3/4 Jumper Team Championships in Culpeper, VA as well as an invitation to the USHJA Gold Star Clinic. During her time at Georgia Tech, Quinn was also a member of their IHSA Equestrian Team, serving as team captain for a year and president for two years. In 2018, she earned the Zone 5, Region 2 High Point Open Rider title, won the Zone 5 Cacchione Cup Qualifier, and competed in the Cacchione Cup at Nationals.
Quinn has ridden with and taken clinics from top professionals including Richard Spooner, Andrew Welles, Peter Wylde, Kim and Taylor Land, Rudy Leone, Jeff Cook, Geoff Teal, Scott Hofstetter, Eric Glynn, Stacia Madden, and Linda Allen. Most recently, Quinn worked as the assistant trainer to Jan and Jill Humphrey at JH Sporthorses in Sacramento, CA. While in California, Quinn coached riders from short stirrup to the 3'6 equitation and hunters to 1.45m jumpers. She also competed in the 3'3 Greens, 3'6 Performance, National Derbies, and up through the 1.40m with great success.
Quinn is so excited to be back at Patchwork Farm along side Janet and Lauren to share her love of horses with the next generation through a focus on horsemanship, precision in the saddle, and sharing in her students' successes.
Hannah Gannon - Assistant Rider and Academy Instructor
As the daughter of a hunter/jumper trainer, Hannah has been immersed in the horse world since she was in preschool. She was raised at MSF Sporthorses by her mother Deborah Gannon, where she began developing both her riding and teaching skills. Hannah has had the opportunity to learn from top professionals such as Paul Macrae, Amelie Nabad, Sunny Stevens, Janet Salem, Jens Wawrauscheck, Robert Gage, Edward Doyal, and Denis Flannelly. She spent her junior career showing on the A/AA circuit at renowned facilities such as WEF, WEC Ocala, Tryon International Equestrian Center, and the Aiken Horse Park. Hannah has experience in the jumper, hunter and equitation rings, having competed successfully in many NAL Jumper Classics, USHJA Jump Seat Medals, Maclay Medals, GHJA JD Pounds Medals, Ariat Adult Medals, and Performance Hunter classes.
Hannah began her professional career by teaching alongside her mother while continuing to train with FEI rider Amelie Weick. In 2021, Hannah moved to Germany to continue her education with 5* FEI rider Jens Wawrauscheck, where she had the opportunity to ride and compete at top levels.
Hannah focuses on students learning the correct and effective way to ride while also putting an emphasis on horsemanship. Hannah enjoys teaching new riders because she loves to watch their passion for horses grow while they develop their skills in and out of the saddle.
Aimee Gahl - Academy Instructor
Aimee began her riding career as a hunt seat rider but has explored different disciplines as well, giving her a broad base of horsemanship. She loves passing on her knowledge and has been helping riders to grow their understanding of correct riding and horsemanship for 15 years. Mother to a fledgling rider, Elise, she runs her own small boarding operation in Cumming, GA where she also teaches beginner lessons, trains a few "problem" horses and organizes pony parties for little ones. Aimee makes and sells beautiful custom Horse Show Bows in her spare time.
Patchwork Farm sought out Aimee after working with a new student that impressed us with her impeccable basics and horsemanship. We were in need of an Academy Instructor and these results spoke for themselves. We are so pleased to have Aimee and her unique talents on our team!