Hometown: Wellington, Fla. Sport/Disciplines: Jumping

Kristen Vanderveen has been competing professionally at the Grand Prix level for over thirteen years. She began riding at the age of nine, noting that her neighbors in her childhood hometown in Illinois had western pleasure horses, which inspired her to ask her parents to enroll her in riding lessons. This led to her once non-horsey parents and siblings to become involved in the horse industry when they purchased a farm near Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill. 
 
At 18 years old, Vanderveen transformed the family’s hobby into a professional venture by founding Bull Run Jumper, now based in Wellington, Fla. In 2021, she received the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla. 
 
In 2024, Vanderveen achieved notable success, particularly with one of her top mounts, Bull’s Run Jireh. Highlights include a strong performance at the CSI5* MLSJ in Thermal, Calif., where they placed in the top 10 in the $200,000 MLSJ FEI CSI5* Classic and third in the $32,000 MLSJ FEI CSI5* Qualifier. She also earned sixth place at the Longines FEI World Cup Toronto. Throughout her career she has made two FEI World Cup Final appearances and will make a third at the FEI World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland.