Dressage At Diamante Farms 
High-Level Facility Is Home To Terri Kane And Dressage Riders/Trainers Devon Kane And Kevin Kohmann

By Mike May

At Wellington’s Diamante Farms, the focus is on dressage all day, every day for the past 22 years and will be for the foreseeable future.

Today, the farm is home to Terri Kane, her daughter Devon Kane and Devon’s husband, Kevin Kohmann. Both Devon Kane and Kevin Kohmann are accomplished dressage riders and trainers.

Their equestrian-focused lifestyle in Wellington started more than 20 years ago, when Devon was still early in her quest to become a top dressage rider.

“It all started in 2002 when my husband Richard returned to our home in San Antonio, Texas, to inform us that he had purchased Diamante Farms in Wellington,” Terri recalled. “We started with one barn and one horse, which was a chestnut mare.”

Terri, Richard and Devon started traveling between their full-time Texas home and their second residence in Wellington, joined by son/brother Dalton, although Dalton was not an equestrian enthusiast. He spent more time in Texas, where he played soccer and tackle football in high school, followed by rugby in college.

Over the last 22 years, a great deal has changed with Diamante Farms and the Kane family. According to Terri, the original Diamante Farms was sold in 2022, and the current Diamante Farms was purchased in a different part of Wellington.

“When you sell a farm, you keep the name,” Terri said. “It’s your brand and logo.”

Another big change was losing Richard, who passed away in 2022.

“He was the reason that we came to Wellington, because he bought Diamante Farms,” Terri said.

From that first chestnut mare, the new Diamante Farms has grown to 34 horses, as well as three rabbits and two dogs.

“The three bunnies are rescue rabbits,” Terri said. “They are MooMoo, Roxie and Bimbo. The two dogs are Emmy, who is a German shepherd, and Harley, who is a Jack Russell. They are best friends.”

Of the 34 horses at Diamante Farms, nine of them are owned by the Kane family, including two that are retired.

“Douwe was one of Devon’s first dressage horses, and he’s now 34,” Terr said. “The other retired horse is Destiny. Devon’s two current Grand Prix horses are Giulietta and Vamos. She also rides Superstar. Kevin’s horse is Dünensee. We call him Denzel. The other horses are Scala, Ozzie and Lira, which is my horse.”

The other 25 horses living at Diamante Farms are owned by outside riders, ranging from amateurs to Grand Prix riders. All the horses receive daily care from Devon, Kevin, Katie Riley and six staffers. Terri has a role, too.

“I do a lot of the daily laundry,” Terri said. “I’m washing blankets, saddle pads and wraps.”

Devon is an experienced and accomplished dressage rider; a talented, successful dressage trainer; and a proven, respected dressage clinician. While she is firmly entrenched within the dressage discipline today, that wasn’t always the case.

“Growing up in San Antonio, I started my competitive career in hunters and jumpers and was surrounded by western riders,” Devon recalled. “I’ve always loved being around horses.”

But two fairly serious accidents led to a change in disciplines.

“Both my mom and I got thrown off horses,” Devon said. “Mom broke her arm, and I broke my jaw.”

The accidents didn’t negatively impact Devon’s passion or her mother’s interest in horses, but it changed their equestrian path.

“I still loved being around horses, so I had to get back in the saddle,” Devon said. “I decided that dressage was an easier way to transition back into riding horses. I found out that dressage fits my personality, and I quickly grew to love dressage.”

Devon has remained in the dressage arena ever since.

In addition to being a dressage rider, Devon looks after dressage horses, trains dressage horses and is a clinician for riders of all levels and abilities. She thrives in dressage because of her relationships with horses.

“I learn from the horses, and they learn from me,” she explained. “Each horse is different, and I try to understand them.”

Devon takes pride in being able to communicate with each horse at Diamante Farms. The relationship that she has with these majestic dressage horses starts soon after sunrise and continues late into the day.

“We’re at the barn by 7 a.m. to give the horses a morning ride,” Devon said. “After the horses have their morning ride, they return to the barn for a bath, have ice applied to their legs, get dried off, eat and have turn-out time outside in the meadow.”

Meals are very important for the horses at Diamante Farms.

“The horses eat three or four times a day,” Devon explained. “Each horse eats a bale of hay a day. We also feed them food from Purina, which is one of our sponsors. They also eat lots of oats every day. In all, each horse eats nine or ten pounds of food a day.”

While Devon is busy walking horses, training horses, coaching other riders and working on her own dressage skills, she still gets involved in the basic equestrian tasks such as cleaning the stalls, bathing the horses and feeding the horses.

“I try to get my hands on the horses and their legs at least every other day,” Devon said. “I’m checking on their tendons and muscles in their legs and the condition of their backs. Horses have big bodies, which are supported by small, thin legs. I’m always checking on them.”

The horses know it’s her when she touches them. That familiarity comes from years of interacting with them.

As an award-winning dressage rider and coach, Devon implements and shares what she has been taught by world-class and Olympic-caliber coaches such as former U.S. Olympic dressage rider Michelle Gibson, Danish Olympian Lars Petersen and German dressage icon Hubertus Schmidt.

While Devon has vast experience at national and international competitions, her husband, Kevin Kohmann, is also a talented dressage rider.

Originally from Germany, Kohmann now rides for the United States. He is expected to represent the U.S. at the World Cup in Saudi Arabia in April. If so, Devon will be there to support him. “I always go along and help groom his horses,” Devon said.

While Devon has strong aspirations as a dressage rider, she also takes great pride in seeing other riders that she coaches and horses that she trains do well in the ring.

When not spending time with horses in both Wellington and during visits to Europe each summer, Devon enjoys reading, going to the beach, traveling, watching movies and eating the delicious meals prepared by her husband, who she said is an amazing chef.

Learn more about Terri Kane, Devon Kane, Kevin Kohmann and the high-level dressage facilities at Diamante Farms at www.diamantefarms.com.