Teddi Mellencamp Leon Bennett/WireImage

Before news broke that Teddi Mellencamp had an affair with her horse trainer, Simon Schroeder, Mellencamp got to know Schroeder’s wife, Karli.

Mellencamp, 43, confirmed earlier in November that she filed for divorce from her husband, Edwin Arroyave. Us Weekly confirmed on Wednesday, November 13 that Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Mellencamp had an affair with Schroeder.

Mellencamp and Simon met when he began working with her 10-year-old Westphalian horse, Totally, whose nickname is Toad. As Karli put it in a February 2024 interview with The Chronicle of the Horse in February, Mellencamp remained involved in Toad’s training.

“You know, [Mellencamp] was super excited about him, but there were some bumps in the road, and she needed some help,” Karli said in the story, which profiled the horse-trainer couple. “She went around the horse show trying to figure out who might be the strongest rider to help her in the situation, and pretty much everyone pointed to Simon.”

A source told Us exclusively that while Mellencamp and Simon had “a thing” several months ago, “it’s not still happening.” (Daily Mail was first to report news of the affair.)

Simon Schroeder Courtesy of Simon Schroeder/Instagram

Karli continued to gush about Mellencamp’s handling of Toad, who Simon described as playful — similar to his own personality.

“Teddi was unique in a lot of ways, because she saw the potential in this horse, and she saw all the beautiful pieces,” Karli added. “A lot of people probably would have given up in the process of trying to put it all together, because it hasn’t necessarily been the most straightforward process. But she stayed the course. On good days and bad days, she’s found nice things to say about the horse and reasons to keep going. So I think in that way, she’s a special amateur, in that she doesn’t give up.”

Karli would know. As the February profile revealed, she and her husband have spent their lives around horses, building their pᴀssion into a family business. The couple married five years ago and founded Schroeder Sporthorses in town, Calif. shortly after, where lifelong equestrian Teddi brought Toad to train.

Related: Teddi Mellencamp’s Sweetest Pics With Her 3 Kids

Teddi Mellencamp may hold a diamond on TV, but her husband and kids are the real gems in her life. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and husband Edwin Arroyave are parents of daughter Slate and son Cruz. The Skyline Security Management founder is also the father of daughter Isabella from a previous relationship. […]

“When we had the idea, it was that we wanted to build a family and build a life and have a lot more control,” Karli said. “It all started around the idea of wanting to do it differently — like build successful horses, but maybe not be at a horse show every single week.”

Karli and Simon, now parents of two, have begun raising their kids the same way they were brought up — fully immersed in horse life. Simon described his wife as the planner in the family while he is the “doer,” making for the perfect combination to run a successful business.

As a source previously told Us, Karli suspected her husband’s affair this spring, when she was in labor with the couple’s second child — and Simon was absent. She later found text messages on Simon’s phone that exposed his relationship with Mellencamp, and the two confessed when she confronted them.

“Teddi isn’t excusing her behavior but this was the first and only time she strayed outside of the marriage and says there’s two sides to the story,” a source told Us. “They are both to blame.”

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Mellencamp and Arroyave share three kids, daughters Slate, 12, and Dove, 4, and son Cruz, 10. Arroyave is also father to daughter Isabella from a previous relationship.

Another source told us that while the divorce may have come as a surprise to some of Mellencamp’s fans, it was “a long time coming.”

“This isn’t the first time Teddi has wanted a divorce, and it has been an ongoing conversation between them for years,” the source said.