About Us

Karen Zierler

Karen Zierler began riding in California with 5 years of age. With an obsession for horses that worried her parents to no end, she pursued horse back riding in different forms at various times. While they lived in Los Angeles in the early 70s, she had several friends that owned their own horses, and also cared of other people's horses. There was always an extra horse to ride, whether it was Jill Wade's mustang, named Dusty, or Debra Murphy's palomino. Rides took place several times a week, and most of it was done free riding about the San Fernando Valley bareback in open country, such as at Hansom Dam. The group were all in the age range of 11 or 12 at the time and unsupervised (yes, of course my parents worried like crazy, but it was the 70s!). The picture at the right shows Karen at Circle K Ranch in 1973 riding Crowder.

Through these friends, Karen was invited to join a camp in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the region of Teluride. The camp, Circle K Ranch, provided lodging, campfires, food and horses to ride on long mountain trail rides (including overnight stops) and ponies available for free riding about the ranch. Twenty or more children were in attendence. Karen attended the camp two years running (and missed the overnight ride twice due to brochitis both times!).

Given that her obsession for horses never waned, her parents provided her with formal English and Hunter Jumping training at a riding school in the Newhall area for several years (to stop her from running off and becoming a racing jockey)! Here she focussed on proper technique, cleaning and care of tack, horse handling and jumping. With the age of 20, Karen's allergies to horses became so servere she could no longer ride. In the mean time, Karen worked in business in accounting, is a studied Chemist holding a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, and a studied Biophysicist, having studied for her Doctorate at the University of Connecticut, the University of Cambridge, England and held positions at the University of Innsbruck, Chemistry Institute, the University of Vienna, Chemistry Institute, and the FMP Berlin. Her work has focussed on the determination of three dimensional protein structures. After about a 20 year wait, she was blessed to hear about Curly Horses and able to make her long standing dream come true: to own, train and ride her own horses. Karen takes Curlies Austria very seriously, it is a business designed to provide services to its customers, good care and training to its horses, and make a contribution to the conservation and European gene pool of the Curly Horse.

Erwin Zierler

Erwin Zierler got dragged into this through his wife's interest in horses! Actually, Erwin is a studied architect and is a partner in the firm ArchVisu which produces three dimensional visualizations of buildings, bridges, and even furniture, that are not yet constructed, from three dimensional drawings or plans. He grew up in the Alps of Austria next door to his aunt's farm and has helped with such things as haying, calving, and other various farm chores and is happy to be a member of Curlies Austria to balance out the computer work. He has actively participated and supported Curlies Austria from its conception. He enjoys the days he works with the horses, sitting until evening by the creek after a long day on the pastures. He has a practical knowledge of agriculture, construction, and business.

Karen and Erwin on holiday last summer.

How Curlies Austria was Formed

The concept for Curlies Austria was formed one day after Karen and Erwin received an email from Karen's half-sister Valerie Jo. She wrote that she had seen the Rose Bowl Parade (a big parade in California famous for the floats decorated with flower petals and seeds, in which bands march and horse clubs participate). Her email described a group of riders representing the American Bashkir Curly Association riding Curly Horses and that the commentators on the television stated they were hypoallergenic, so caused no or minor reactions in people with allergies! With skepticism Karen began researching the breed, and Curlies Austria was born. Thanks Valerie Jo!