Emily Peck

Owner, Barn Manager, & Certified Trainer 

Emily found her passion for animals and animal welfare are as a small child and began riding in middle school. She quickly became a top rider at her barn and bought her first horse at 16. She showed in the hunter ring into college then chose to pause shows and focus on learning new training techniques, different disciplines, trail riding, and building her business. She graduated from Christopher Newport University with a business management degree in 2015, took on more rescues (horses, goats and pigs) and brought her horses home. With the help and support of her husband and family was able to create Campfire Critters Animal Sanctuary in 2018, started teaching students to help support to the sanctuary in 2019,  and in 2021 created Equivalent Exchange Equestrian Academy at Willowdale Farm. With a 'less is more' foundation, Emily trains horses with minimal tools/equipment and R+ training and is a certified trainer through the Animal Behavior Institute.  

After starting a family and moving to Fredericksburg to start the business, she has been able to focus in recent years on her love of eventing with plans to go as far as her horses are happily willing to go. 

Lauren Fritsch

Trainer (part-time)

Lauren grew up in the heart of horse country in Maryland and started riding and competing as a small child, working with some of the top trainers in the country. She found a passion for training early on, starting hunter show ponies by age 12 and teaching beginner lessons and managing foxhunting barns by 16. While completing her PhD in Neuroscience at Virginia Tech, Lauren took a part-time position as an instructor at a local barn and found her love for eventing. She joined the EEEA family as a part-time trainer in 2022 after moving to King George to begin her career as a scientist.