Stella Original
Stella was always very close to nature, she grow up in the beautiful Italian countryside near Verona where she was born in 1989.
How all it started...
Stella was only 4 when she started asking her family to go at the local riding club in Verona to look at horses. She had her first lesson fairly soon and started competing at shows as a 5-year-old child, determined, competitive and fast against the clock, she collected her first placements and wins. None of her parents was involved in the horse industry, her mother always said that Stella looked extremely comfortable in all situations around horses.
Life brought her family first to Milan and then to Switzerland in 1997. She then restarted riding more frequently in 2000 in Pauzzella, a popular show jumping yard in Ticino where she got back into shows with her own first jumping pony Goldiestar. She discovered the world of eventing through a friend at the age of 12 and then took part in the Junior European Team at the age of 17. Her first experience abroad was at the age of 16 at Stall Van Paesschen in Belgium working young horses for René Van Paesschen. Stella started competing at international level and after her high school degree in 2006 at 17 years old she moved away from her family and friends to pursue her dream of becoming a professional rider.
She moved to Avenches (SUI) at Haras National IENA where she was based for few months before heading to France to the Olympic Rider (Nicolas Touziant) with her string of horses and the ambition to learn and explore. Stella’s main goal was to learn from the best riders and challenge herself on the international circuit. She then moved back to Switzerland in 2010 and was based for few years at Stall Notz , a show jumping yard in Kerzers, where she improved her riding skills with some of the best Swiss jumping and dressage trainers.
Stella won the bronze medal at the Young Riders Italian Championship and was 3rd at her first CIC4* the same year in Breda in 2010. In 2011, Stella aachieved the highest level of sport competing twice in Aachen, 5* Pau, Nations Cup in Boekelo, World Cup Malmö and she was selected for London Olympics 2012 with her mare Miss Wanted Fast. In 2012 Stella signed a contract and become part as athlete of the Italian Military Air Force. She then moved for short time to Germany where she was based with the Olympic Riders (Dirk Schrade) and with Andreas Dibowski competing internationally with her string of horses. In 2015 Stella moved to England, and based herself in the Cotswolds, where she build her own competition and business yard. She competed (at national and international level) with her own and her owners horses until 2020.
In 2020 Stella decided to temporary stop the competitions and explore and approach the breeding and trading world during Covid time. She was still riding at home and kept producing young quality horses for sale until 2023. Her first foal was bred and born England in 2020. She followed up courses at the Twemlows Studs where she obtained a couple of certificates for breeding and stud management and passed the DEFRA exams for the artificial insemination. Stella bred 7 foals in the meantime.
In 2023 Stella purchased a farm in Emly and moved to Ireland with her own string of broodmares and foals and a couple of retired old friends. She started renewing the property and brought Starlove Stud to life in 2024.
Stella will be producing her stock and compete in both evening and show jumping.