Meet the Silver Eagle Stable team – from the owner to the instructors.
Tom Russell – Owner
Tom Russell is the owner of Silver Eagle Stable. He’s a retired, service disabled Marine Corps Colonel and the son of an Army officer. Tom grew up on military installations in the country and started riding in 1973 at military base stables. His riding was interrupted off and on with military maneuvers, college and then with deployments when he became a full time Marine.
Upon retiring, Tom established a successful consulting company and has now decided to pursue something that he has enjoyed since his days in the 70’s. Tom has shared his life and love of horses with his wife, Vicki Russell – together they have three children and one granddaughter.
Tom established Silver Eagle Stable in late 2014 and is committed to preserving a rich equestrian tradition in the state of Virginia. He recently opened the Park Gate House into a Corporate Retreat & Event Center.
Chris & Tammy Noakes – Managers
Chris and Tammy are a co-managerial team who have an engineering and law enforcement background. Tammy has had a love of horses since an early age and is a proud Army Brat. Chris embraces the challenges of property management. They have been married for over 30 years and have many plans to keep improving Silver Eagle! tnoakes@sestable.com
Instructors/Trainers
Alexis Warthen – Lead Riding Instructor & Trainer
Alexis has always loved horses but didn’t start riding until she asked for lessons at 10 years old. She went to her first shows on a thoroughbred named Trickster who started her adoration for the breed. OTTB’s have a special place in her heart, and she has a lot of fun retraining them.
Her first experiences were in the hunter/equitation ring, competing locally, at rated shows, and on IEA teams. As she gained experience on trail rides and eventually foxhunting, she loved the thrill, and so she found out about more disciplines outside of the ring. That led her to learn about eventing.
Dressage, show jumping, and cross country are her passions, but she loves to guide students to find their own interests. she believes every rider, no matter how experienced, is always learning. Horses teach us so much every day!
Taylor Deal – Riding Instructor & Trainer
Hi my name is Taylor Deal and I am originally from North Carolina. I recently relocated to the DMV area and started working at Silver Eagle Stable. I can’t wait to bring my own horse to the farm and start working with him.
At the age of four, I started riding horses; by age six I was doing low level barrel jackpots to compete at on weekends. My love for horses stemmed from there and I learned everything I could from anyone and every horse I could ride or work with!
I began training and colt starting around fifteen with the help of my own trainer until I ventured off by myself to start training for various clients. I eventually went on to compete in state and out of state barrel racing competitions until I turned seventeen. After that, I have focused more on training and flipping horses.
My love is not just for barrel racing, but also for pole bending, trail riding, colt starting, and restart projects! The most gratifying part of my passion is not only helping owners/riders build confidence and skill but also their horses. I’m a firm believer that anyone can learn to ride or work with horses at any point in their lives and there is always something new to learn everyday!
Barbara Lawrence- Riding Instructor & Trainer
Barbara is a student of classical dressage with Nuno Oliveira and Dominique Barbier and eventing with Jimmy Wofford.
She has trained mounts from unbroken to advanced level eventing, Prix St. George dressage, and first-flight foxhunters. She also has trained students to the same levels of competition. She brings her experience to Silver Eagle Stable and enjoys teaching in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Kelsey Powell- Riding Instructor & Trainer
Kelsey began riding horses when she was 6 years old, getting her first pony for her 7th birthday. She was a member of The United States Pony Club for 11 years, achieving her C3 rating.
Originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, she spent her childhood traveling across the Midwest for various camps and events. Kelsey has spent many summers living with trainers and working with horses. As she grew as a rider, she began giving lessons and training horses. Kelsey worked with a therapeutic riding program for multiple years, assisting children and adults with various disabilities both on and off horses. She has taught riders of all ages about horsemanship and developing a strong foundation both in and out of the saddle.
Currently Kelsey is a middle school art teacher in Prince William County Schools. She has a passion for education and making learning fun and looks forward to doing the same thing at Silver Eagle Stable.
Samuel Ruwe – Riding Instructor & Trainer
Sam has been riding horses for 8 years. He started taking lessons but quickly realized it was a passion for him so he began volunteering as help for riding camps. At that point, he met an AQHA professional horseman and started riding under him everyday learning everything he could. Sam was one of the Top 100 youth point earners in the nation in 2018 for AQHA Western Pleasure Shows. After some time, he also started training and breaking horses for clients with his mentor’s guidance . He loves how you can learn a lot from a horse and how they responded to different ques if you’re patient and attentive.
Sam is focused in teaching all western disciplines including ranch riding, western pleasure, horsemanship, and trail patterns – which requires riders to have good communication with their horse and all parts of the horse’s body. He focuses on basics first and then improving to progress to the specialty disciplines.
Alyssa Marzilli – Riding Instructor
Alyssa graduated from the University of Findlay with a bachelors degree in western equestrian studies and has worked for and trained with some of the top trainers in the AQHA industry.
She specializes in western pleasure, horsemanship, and trail and also has experience in reining, barrels, and ranch riding. She loves sharing her passion and teaches advanced western lessons in any of these areas.
Alyssa is only available for certain advanced criteria.