Vogt Riding Academy
History of Vogt Riding Academy
They met at horse shows in Germany where they both ran riding stables. Later Joe and Theresa Vogt (pronounced ‘vote’) immigrated to the United States where they briefly settled in North Atlanta’s Chastain Park. In 1954 they opened Vogt Riding Academy (VRA) on the property of the now historic Houston Mill House on Houston Mill Road in Atlanta. Joe bought their first four horses at the Atlanta Stockyards on Tenth Street. More than once, Theresa rode a new horse home while Joe followed safely behind in their car. Four years later, Joe successfully purchased a barn down the street called Windy Hills Stables. Nestled in the heart of the city, Vogt Riding Academy has been located there since 1958.
History of Vogt Riding Academy
Passionate about horses, the Vogt’s helped launch Tri-County Hunt and Belle Meade Hunt fox hunting clubs in Georgia. Their students attended hunts, as well as horse shows in and around Georgia. Since the beginning, the Academy has hosted two riding shows per year for those students who wish to participate. Additionally VRA teaches non-competitive vaulting on horseback, equitation (or show) jumping, dressage, and high performance Grand Prix dressage. The Academy teaches approximately 20 group lessons per week all year round.
The Vogts were masters at choosing classic horses for the academy, whether their origins were a racetrack or cow pasture. Some of the horses, such as Schale, were born, raised and trained at VRA.
For several decades, the Vogts were the only breeders of Lipizzan horses in the southeast. The Lipizzan, is a breed of horse that dates back to the 16th century and is closely associated with top European riding schools. These are where the finest Lipizzan horses demonstrate the haute école or "high school" movements of classical dressage, including highly controlled, stylized jumps and other movements. The Vogts went down this path in 1964 when Joe went to Yugoslavia to purchase Maestoso, a stallion, and then on to Austria to secure two mares. At one point, the VRA stables held approximately 40 horses of various ages and four Lipizzan stallions. One of the Lipizzans, Tulipan Neopol, was trained by the Vogt’s daughter Anneliese, and made it to national awards for Grand Prix Freestyle.
Thanks to Joe and Theresa’s leadership, expertise, and passion high quality instruction and training is available to the Atlanta community. VRA is incredibly honored to have been able to share a passion for horses with beloved clients over the decades.
We embrace old-fashioned family values such as sportsmanship, responsibility, tradition, and continuity. We nurture and encourage these qualities in our students with the support of the community.