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
Carlyn Weatherill – Head Instructor & Trainer
Recently relocating from Southwestern Montana, Carlyn brings over fifteen years of equine industry experience and a passion for horses and teaching to her position at Silver Eagle
Stable.
Carlyn has nearly a decade of professional training experience with various trainers, including AQHA and NRHA professionals in Washington State and Montana. She also has over ten years
of competition experience in both western and English disciplines, ranging from 4-H to breed level shows. To broaden her knowledge further, Carlyn studied at the University of Montana Western, home of the nation’s only Natural Horsemanship program offering its students a Bachelor’s Degree in such studies.
While specializing in reining, Carlyn also enjoys providing quality instruction and training in western horsemanship and pleasure, trail, ranch riding and English riding. Carlyn’s belief is that true horsemanship is built on a solid foundation of trust and confidence between the horse and rider, and helps them achieve this by ensuring a relationship is developed on the ground that can be transferred into the saddle. She also helps students develop a sense of feel, timing and balance, all of which will help prepare students for any direction of horsemanship they choose.
Carlyn will ensure the success of both horse and rider in the basics of horsemanship and beyond.
Kelsey King – 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.
Alexis Warthen – 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!
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.