Lynn Gillespie Chater and Toby (TN)
Team #946: Lynn Gillespie Chater and Toby
From: Columbia, Tennessee
Ages: 76 & 24
Combined Age: 100
Test: USEA Starter Test
Lynn Gillespie Chater was born in Newark, New Jersey, and after earning a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, she lived and taught in France. Lynn decided to pursue her dream of being a songwriter in Nashville. She was Executive Director for the Nashville Entertainment Association for five years before finally breaking out as a songwriter. (To see her songs, visit chatersongs.com). One of the earlier publishing companies Lynn was signed to wanted to give her a re-signing bonus and asked her what she wanted. She said…a horse.
Chater’s love of horses started when she was five. Her father would take the whole family to a barn where one could rent horses by the hour. Growing up three miles from New York City, farms were just a dream.
Chater’s dream finally came true seven years ago when the dream was purchased, and Hidden Springs Stables (a training and boarding facility) was realized. Chater, her daughter, trainer Jesse Kirchhoff, and her husband Drew run the farm.
Just as ballet is the foundation of dance, dressage is the foundation of riding. Chater was introduced to dressage on the first day of three-day eventing and immediately fell in love with the sport. Trainer, Lisa Schapira-Starks, introduced her to the Century Club.
“We talked about it right before I had my second “never ride again” accident. That was last September, and with her help and a lot of rehab, I was back on the horse by the end of March. It was slow going, but we had a goal to shoot for. Since I had to retire my horse after the fall, I had to borrow a horse for my ride. Enter Toby….a thirty-year-old Quarter Horse. He and I spent six weeks together, and I did my Century Club ride on October 18, 2025, at dressage rider Jenni Hogan’s Double H Farm.”
Chater continues, “What a thrill that was! I had a PR for that test, scoring a 29! I would like to thank The Dressage Foundation for sponsoring the Century Club and keeping us ‘girls of a certain age’ doing what we love.”
