My journey with horses started over 40 years ago. My life’s passion is and has been everything horses and I have dedicated my life to my horses and my pursuit of being the
best horse person and rider I can be. Dressage for Wellness is a combination of good horsemanship, a solid dressage education, groundwork, understanding of how the horse learns, and the importance of correct posture, flexion, and balance. When one takes the time to focus on these fundamentals, you develop a calm, focused, balanced and willing partner.
My desire to ride started at a very early age, according to my parents, my first word was “horse” not Mom or Dad. I was probably around 8 years old when my parents started to give in to the constant nagging of wanting to ride. This is when they found “Mr. Patrick’s” place, a backyard horse farm where I would be dropped off for the day. It was truly my happy place. I would pick a pony from the field and just ride all day
. My initial years were from the school of hard knocks. Looking back I am probably pretty lucky I am still here, galloping bareback with nothing but a lead rope around my pony’s neck, pure freedome and joy.
When I turned 10 my Dad traded his 2 snow machines for my first horse and saddle. There I was, with my first horse. She was a Quarter Horse, Appaloosa cross mare named Pride. She didn’t have much training, but I was determined. Pride and I learned together, with no professional help. I read books and had friends that would provide some guidance. Mr. Patrick, (whom I mentioned above) was instrumental in my horsemanship knowledge. He was a VERY old horseman and had years of knowledge to share and loved sharing it. Above is a picture of Pride and me at one of our many open shows. These shows were a family affair. My mom made all my show clothes and saddle pads and my dad was always there for the heavy lifting.
A few years later I was introduced to Pony Club and my passion for Dressage began. I was an avid 4-H and Pony Club member. I wanted to learn as much as I could, not just about riding but about the care and well-being of these magnificent animals. My next horse was a Clydesdale, Arabian, Morgan cross named Sentimental Vision or fondly called Patches. As much as my parents supported me, we never had the extra m
oney to buy a fancy horse so I had to make do with what we could afford. Patches was my primary Pony Club mount. She carried me through C-3 Pony Club ratings and I earned my USDF Bronze medal on her. Above we are practicing at the water obstacle my Dad built and pictured to the right as a member of the featured Pass de Trois at the Mozart Festival at the renowned Shelburne Farms in Shelburne VT (I’m the one on the left).
At the age of 18, I ventured off to Germany, where I was a working student a
t the Klosterhof Medigen and participated in the German FN Bereiter program. This was an amazing opportunity. I rode 5 young horses a day under the watchful eye of Herr Eugen Wahler and Burkhard Wahler in preparation for the annual Trakehner auction. I was honored to be one of the few chosen to ride in the auction as a demo rider.
During my college years, I did not own a horse but was able to continue my riding by half leasing a 
very talented Trakehner mare named Little Drummer Girl. We qualified for both First and Second Level National Championships in one year and this is a picture of us at those Championships held in Virginia.
After college, I started a career with a large financial firm in order to support my passion and put food on the table. I never gave up on my pursuit of becoming the best horse person and rider I could become, (and am still becoming). I continued to train with renowned trainers and competed in dressage, hunter jumpers, and eventing. Fate would have it that while I was at the National Championships in Virginia, I purchased my next mount, Clair. She was just 2 years old Holsteiner mare. It was clear early on that Clair was not going to be an upper level dressage horse. However, she was quite talented over fences. Below Clair and I are showing at First Level, Cross Country and Hunters. I listened to her limitations and found enjoyment in what she was good at.
At the age of 33, I had the opportunity to buy a very well bred, 4 yr old, Hanoverian gelding names Bengali. He was fondly called Benjamin and was just started under saddle. He would be my partner for the next 18 years. Benjamin was my rock. We were together through some of my most trying adults years. I trained Benjamin through 4th level and earned two of my 
scores towards my USDF Silver medal. But this is not what I am most proud of or what I will remember him for–it was his big, kind heart and what he taught me. Benjamin taught me to think outside the box for training a horse, to follow my intuition and to take my focus off the competition ring. I started to search for a different approach to my training. I wanted a horse that was light and relaxed, not stressed and holding. And so began my approach to us
ing Dressage to improve the horse and not use the horse for Dressage. Above Benjamin and I are competing at a Zone 8 USDF Dressage show and to the right we are schooling at home.
In Loving Memory of My Benjamin 1989-2016
As Benjamin approached retirement, I purchased a 3-month-old Oldenburg named Spartan 
EMP. He is now seven and I can tell you that I have learned more from this horse than I have ever learned from any other horse in my life. Spartan has been challenging in so many ways. He has taught me that you really need to take a holistic approach to every and all challenges you face. Some things can be improved with training, others 
may be nutritional, while others may be health related. This journey I started with Benjamin 10 years ago has now grown and morphed into an even broader scope of finding ways to improve the well-being of both my horse and myself. This is Spartan and me in some of our groundwork and riding.
To learn who I have trained with and who has impacted my life’s journey, please click here: Resume
Dressage for Wellness 