Pieter A. Ruig
Pieter A. Ruig has an MBA degree from the College of William and Mary. He held senior positions with Allied Signal, Bristol Myers Squibb, E.I. Du Pont, and The BOC Group before creating his own investment advisory and capital management services business, Ruig Capital Management, LLC. In 1999 Pieter sold his company to build Paard Hill Farms in Shelter Island, New York with his wife, Ellen Lear. In 2001 he opened Paard Hill Farms in Manheim, PA with Dee Osborne, who manages the facility.

Since opening Paard Hill Farms Manheim, Pieter has developed a viable business in the highly competitive young horse market by importing well-bred Dutch Warmblood foals that he carefully selects and eventually has trained by highly skilled professionals. The ultimate objective is the sale of each horse to the appropriate amateur or professional rider who has the talent and the passion to help these horses realize their potential. Since Pieter began his work in 2000, his horses have won numerous regional and national awards and championships.

In addition to importing young horses, Pieter is breaking into the breeding business. His Dutch Warmblood mare, Valerie, gave birth to her first foal, a beautiful colt, on June 10, 2007.

Dee Osborne
Our Barn Manager in Manheim is Denise “Dee” Osborne. Dee has been handling, breeding and training horses for 35 years.

Dee started out handling and exercising foxhunters and thoroughbreds for John and Sally Dupont’s racing stable. She then spent 9 years at Deep Meadows Farm, a thoroughbred racing farm where she was responsible for their therapeutic program, including the use of lasers, ice machine and swimming pool. In addition, she took care of the mares and the thoroughbred foals. For the past 17 years Dee managed a very successful dressage-breeding farm in Lancaster County, PA. She cared for the mares and foals and trained young horses for the show ring. Dee handled all aspects of horse care, including breeding, birthing and stallion care. Dee has taken numerous young horses to the Championship Ring in hunter and dressage breeding at major shows including Devon.

Dee and her husband, Ron, live in a house overlooking the farm where they keep watch on their equine residents 24 hours a day.