Ana Mittelstadt
Ana Mittelstadt | Assistant Trainer
Ana is one of the Assistant Trainers at Via Nova and our resident hunter/jumper! Growing up in Tampa, Florida, Ana has been riding since she was 7, starting with western lessons before later moving to a hunter/jumper barn at 11. It didn’t take long to catch the bug, and shortly after, she entered the competitive showing world.
A childhood surrounded by horses meant by 17, Ana started teaching and schooling horses, and by 21, she made horses her career and began seriously training both people and horses. This was a natural progression for Ana, with horses (in particular, working with younger and more sensitive horses) being her lifelong passion; the number of horses she has helped or given a positive start and continuation to their jumping and showing career is, to this day, one of her greatest achievement.
After her eyes were opened to some parts of the traditional competition world, Ana grew an interest in R+, which eventually led her to Via Nova. Ana has worked through the Priority to Positive® program and is helping to train happier and more willing horses using the tools she has learned.
Ana is dedicated to teaching and informing other equestrians about R+. After seeing shut-down horses return to productive and happy lives through Positive Reinforcement, she is passionate about helping every horse find its meaning and purpose again.
When Ana’s not riding or teaching horses at liberty, you can find her in New Mexico’s scenic wilderness harnessed to a rope climbing up the face of the mountain.
