NEED TO KNOW
On Aug. 5, Teddi Mellencamp broke her silence on her alleged affair with Simon Schroeder
Mellencamp, who filed for divorce from her husband Edwin Arroyave in November 2024, has been working with Simon since 2023
Simon’s wife, Karli Schroeder, filed for divorce in December 2024
Teddi Mellencamp has responded to speculation about an alleged affair with her horse trainer, Simon Schroeder.
While appearing on The Jamie Kern Lima Show on Aug. 5, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum addressed the rumors.
“I’ve never talked about it at all, just because of the kids, and I’ve never wanted anybody to have a guarantee whether it happened or didn’t happen, but what I can say is, did I do things that hurt other people? Yes,” Mellencamp shared.
News of an alleged affair between the reality star and Simon first circulated in November 2024 — just days after Mellencamp filed for divorce from her husband, Edwin Arroyave.
Simon is also going through a divorce. His wife, Karli Schroeder — with whom he shares two kids — filed in December 2024, citing irreconcilable differences.
Simon hasn’t commented on the affair rumors and did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment in January 2025.
So who is Teddi Mellencamp’s horse trainer? Here’s everything to know about Simon Schroeder.
He’s from Germany
Simon Schröeder/Instagram
Simon Schroeder in 2024.
Simon is from a small town just outside of Frankfurt, Germany. He began riding horses before he could walk. Each morning before school, his mother and two older siblings would lead six horses from their family barn to a pasture more than a mile away.
“My mother couldn’t carry me anymore because I got too heavy and I couldn’t walk, so she sat me on the horse,” he told The Chronicle of the Horse in February 2024.
Growing up on his parents’ small breeding farm — home to around 15 horses at its peak — Simon and his siblings each found their niche. His sister focused on dressage, his brother became a farrier and Simon gravitated toward jumping.
Simon is a decorated horse rider
As a young adult, Simon moved to the U.S., where he trained with Mexican Olympian Jaime Guerra, who helped him refine his riding techniques.
Simon is now a decorated rider. Most recently, he took home the win in the $75,000 Tack Warehouse Grand Prix atop Charlie Red Wine CS in July 2025.
Prior to that, Simon won the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby – Hunt & Go at Blenheim Summer Festival on Mellencamp’s horse Totally (“Toad”) in July 2024. Two months later, Simon and Totally returned to the winner’s circle at the $5,000 Hunt and Go Hunter Derby.
He co-founded Schroeder Sporthorses in 2020
Teddi Mellencamp/Instagram
Teddi Mellencamp with her horse in March 2024.
Simon co-founded Schroeder Sporthorses with his wife, Karli, in 2020. Based in Moorpark, Calif., the organization offers a boutique training experience for clients like Mellencamp.
He began training the reality star’s horse, Totally, in 2023, per The Chronicle of the Horse.
His wife filed for divorce in December 2024
Karli filed for divorce on Dec. 30, 2024, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. She requested spousal support from Simon as well as payment of her attorney fees.
The filing stated that they wed on April 14, 2024, and split on Sept. 22, 2024. However, just last year, The Chronicle of the Horse reported that Simon and Kari initially married in 2019. According to Us Weekly, they had their marriage annulled in February 2024 before remarrying two months later.
Simon and Karli share two kids
Simon and Karli welcomed their first child, daughter Lena Marie, on Sept. 20, 2021, per Karli’s Instagram. Their son, Henry, arrived in May 2024.
Since birth, Lena and Henry have been around horses, often joining their parents at the barn and competitions.
“It’s how I grew up; it’s how he grew up — it’s a great way to raise a kid,” Karli told The Chronicle of the Horse in 2024.
Simon allegedly had an affair with Mellencamp
Maya Dehlin Spach/FilmMagic
Teddi Mellencamp in 2025.
During an interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show in August 2025, Mellencamp broke her silence about her alleged affair with Simon. She admitted to doing things “that hurt other people,” but didn’t directly confirm or deny the rumors.
“To this day, does it still hurt my heart, and [do] I wonder if that’s why I got cancer? Yes. Like it was my payback,” Mellencamp said. “I was so broken as a human being at that part in my life that I did things out of my better judgment.”
Allegations of a possible affair between the reality star and Simon began circling in November 2024, shortly after Mellencamp filed for divorce from Arroyave. The dissolution of their marriage was later put on hold when doctors found multiple brain tumors in February 2025, which she later confirmed was stage 4 cancer.
Read the original article on People
