I was intrigued…guess it’s that getting older thing. My husband turns 50 in a few weeks and I’m just 2 1/2 years behind him. So I’ve been thinking a lot about getting older. Wondering what our golden years will look like. So when I met Karen, who runs a horse farm, trains horses, trains riders and breeds champion Weimeraners as she inches towards 80, I was intrigued! Click here to contact us about your own custom portraits.
A client of mine, Anna, lost her beloved Weimeraner, Astro last year, not long after her son’s senior portraits. We’d been kicking around getting a dog as my twins asthma has improved tremendously over the last 8 years. Anna said, once trained, Weims are the best dogs ever. I’ve always been drawn to the beauty of this breed, so we started checking around for a reputable Weim breeder. 
We found Karen’s horse farm, Linden Farms, where she breeds Weimeraners. We met the friendliest bunch of Weimeraners who barked out their warning when we arrived, then welcomed us after they realized we were safe. Karen abounds in energy and is a force to be reckoned with. She commands her Weim pack with grace and clearly loves them all! This is where we decided to get our little (and not so little anymore) Macy Mae. Macy Mae will have her own Instagram account coming next week, which we will be sharing on my FB account as well: macymae_the_weim!
Karen’s first love was horses. As a young women she competed in National Competitions on Hunters and Jumpers. Today, she passes on that love to riders who desire to grow in their riding prowess. She is certified by the American Riding Instructor Association. Hundreds of students later, she shows no signs of slowing down. Karen competed herself as a member of the International Side Saddle Organization and was a State Champion for two years in a row. She also fox hunted side saddle until an unrelated injury forced a retirement from the sport in her 60s. During the last Horse Show Season, Karen’s riders received 14 year-end Championships and 12 Reserve Championships. At 78, she still teaches five days a week and will be coaching at five horse shows this coming year.
Karen has owned several Weims over the years, but in 2008 she bought a beautiful male named Linden’s Cobalt Blue Dog. He was the best dog she ever owned. He was beautiful, well-trained, loyal and an Obedience Champion. She realized that to perpetrate his line she would need to begin breeding dogs herself. She looked for a female whose genes carried a strong hunting background to ensure that the dogs she bred had all the qualities of this noble breed.
Since 2014 she has bred 16 litters from her own dogs and her males have sired three litters from outside females.Her dogs carry the genes of seven conformation Champions, the genes of her Obedience Champion, Cobalt, and now the genes of Linden’s Joyful Wilhelm who has been successfully competing in Field Trials.
The puppies you see from “Blue & Gray Weimaraners”, are beautiful, have solid hunting instincts, and yet have the relaxed and calm disposition most desired in a family pet. Blue & Gray Weimaraners is open to visitors by appointment only, but it is worth a visit to meet these lovely dogs and their intrepid owner.
After we met Karen when we went to check out her Weims the first time, I knew I wanted to feature her in my People of Intrigue project. After spending time in her office, I remembered Annie Liebowicz’s portrait of Gloria Steinam and was inspired to create a lifestyle portrait with Karen surrounded by a few of her beloved Weims. Click here to chat about your own custom portraits.
