Memories for a Lifetime.
Our Staff
Friendly, Outgoing and Fun! Here to introduce riders of all ages to the next level of equestrian sport.
Beanie Cone
Owner | Head Trainer
Beanie is a native of Germantown, Tennessee. He has been riding since the age of four. By the age of eight, Beanie was training ponies for his family. The Cones owned and operated Cedar Lake Stables. Beanie was responsible for training the National Pony Champion, "Shanessy". He began traveling the east coast, from Canada to Florida at the age of thirteen. He has successfully competed on the "A" Circuit in the pony divisions, the junior hunters and jumpers. He earned his successful record under the instruction of Jerome Robertson and his brother, Canadian Olympian Mac Cone, winning at all levels of competition.
After training under Fuzzy Mayo and attending course design clinics with Richard Jeffries, Beanie spent eight years designing courses from Oklahoma to Mississippi. With over eighteen years of experience, Beanie has a strong background in stable management. He knows how important a comfortable environment is for the horses, and strives to provide it for their wellbeing and for our owner's peace of mind.
Catie Beth Varian
Rider | Assistant Trainer
Catie Beth joins Hunters Edge from Naples, Florida where she grew up competing at the nations top horse shows in the hunter, jumper and equitation rings. She has earned many ribbons in National Hunter Derbies at Fox Lea Farm in Venice, and was a working student at Benchmark Equestrian, where she learned barn management, organization and high level horse care. She has ridden under the tutelage of equestrian greats such as George Morris, Linda and Don Coulter, Steve DiCarlo and Mac Cone, to name a few.
Catie Beth attended Auburn University, and competed on their IHSA team. During her time at Auburn, she was awarded MVP, served as the Hunt Seat Team Captain and was in charge of running meets. In the Spring of 2021 she was elected to serve the IEA as Region President of Zone 4 Region 10, working to further the opportunities of young riders in the Southeast. In the Spring of 2022, she was elected the Zone 5 Region 2 President of the IHSA, continuing to show her ability to help continue to bring excellence in the IEA and IHSA fields. CB brings her knowledge and attention to detail to HES, Ole Miss Equestrian, Rhodes College Equestrian and Mid-South IEA. She is known for her bubbly personality and eye for perfection in and out of the show ring.
Leslie Gattuso
Assistant Trainer
Leslie grew up in Memphis and has been riding since she was little. She grew up riding at Hugh Frank Smiths where she spent most of her time riding, grooming her horses and learning the fundamentals of riding and horsemanship. As a junior, she competed with her horses Instant Replay and Concorde, and has ridden under the expertise of Jerome Robertson, Melanie Smith-Taylor, Margie Clark, Phoebe Sheets and Suzy Young. Since having a family of her own, Leslie has gotten back into the horse industry and has taught at many farms across the horse community, as well as bringing along her own small group of students. She LOVES to teach because she loves being around people who love horses as much as she does! Her goal is to influence her students to be self-confident, happy and responsible horse men and women.
Alexa Rose
Assistant Trainer | Beginner Specialist
Alexa was born and raised in Memphis, where she grew up riding locally first in the western divisipline and then joined the hunter jumper world when she was in high school. She graduated from MTSU and took time away from Memphis, spending 7 years in Leadville, Colorado. Since returning, she has been the head of our beginner program, teaching all of our smallest riders the fundamentals of riding.
Kate Duke-Echols
Assistant Trainer - Part Time
Kate Duke has grown up in the Memphis horse community, starting young with her lessons at Hunters Edge Stables. She competed multiple times at USEF Pony Finals with her pony Champ aka "Mission Accomplished" before moving on into the Junior Hunters. She competed throughout her junior years in the Hunter and Jumpers and moved on to college at the University of Kentucky. Since graduating in 2020, Kate has moved back to the area and has continued riding and being apart of the Hunters Edge family. We are excited to have her knowledge and expertise in the ring!
Candy Cone
Billing | Office Admin
Candy has been a part of the Hunters Edge family for over 12 years. Candy and her daughter have had a love for horses their entire lives and have shown true horsemanship in and out of the show ring. Candy is a bright and smiling face around the barn. She can answer all billing questions and keeps things running smoothly!
Celestino
Horse Management | Maintenance
Celestino has been apart of the Hunters Edge Family for nine years and is the head of our horse management team. Known for his intuition with the horses, he makes sure all of our horses stay safe, healthy and happy.