Tell us a little about yourself (your location, awards/other certifications you hold, etc):
I live in Six Mile, South Carolina. My husband and I built our house on Lake Keowee and moved in December 2019 – unbelievable timing given the pandemic in 2020. Prior to South Carolina, we lived in Northern Illinois for 27 years.
I have competed at local, regional, and national levels in dressage. I have earned my USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold Rider Medals and Freestyle Bars, and earned the USDF Diamond Achievement Award initiated in 2021. This endeavor took 16 years and four different horses to achieve.
My highest competition achievement was earning the Adult Amateur Intermediate II Reserve Champion and placing third in the Adult Amateur Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle Championships at the 2016 US Dressage Finals Presented by Adequan®.
I have been active on the Illinois Dressage and Combined Training Association (IDCTA) board as IDCTA President from 2005 to 2006, Vice President of Dressage from 2002 to 2004 and 2007 to 2010, and Secretary from 2015 to 2018, putting in many volunteer hours.
How long have you been involved in the sport?
My first horse was a palomino Quarter Horse that I trail rode. In 1988, I was introduced to dressage at a seminar in California that showcased Hilda Gurney with Willy the Great and several of her students. That inspired me to explore dressage, but I also wanted to try eventing, which I did for about six years – my trainer was paralyzed in an eventing accident, and then Christopher Reeves was severely injured, so I switched to just dressage in 1994.
How long have you been a USDF member?
Since 1994.
What made you decide to participate in the USDF L Education Program?
I was showing at the lower levels, and I wanted to learn more about what the judges were looking for and better understand the USEF rule book descriptions of gaits and movements. My local Group Member Organization (GMO) at the time, IDCTA, offered an L Education Program, making access to the program less onerous since I worked full-time.
How long did it take to complete the program, start to finish?
The program took less than a year; I graduated from the USDF Learner Program as an L Graduate with Distinction in 2002. I was fortunate to travel for work and was able to complete the required sitting hours in Florida.
Do you plan to further your dressage education and to continue to apply what you learned in the program to become a licensed official?
Unfortunately, once I retired and had the time to advance in the USEF Licensed Officials program, I would have to repeat several parts of the L Program and then apply. The travel and time commitment to advance in the program just didn’t mesh with my retirement plans.
Do you serve as a judge for schooling shows in your capacity as an L Graduate? If so, on average, how many per year?
Yes, I judge about two to three schooling shows per year.
What impact did the program have on your dressage knowledge?
The program and continuing my education, as well as scribing, have improved my test riding tremendously. It has also added discipline to the daily work with my horse by having goals and a plan to achieve them. The program provides a much greater appreciation of the judges’ scores and comments!
Name three things you took away from the program that you think every rider should know.
The tests are a mirror of the training scale. Reading and understanding the overall purpose of the level and then the description of the movements – not just the test pattern – is very important and not stressed enough by trainers. Use the tests as a training guideline in your daily riding, not just for competition. Also, read the rule book.
The horse is always right. The rider should question their actions first and then ask if the horse is comfortable with what’s being asked of him. Horses need a greater level of respect, and riders need to listen to them, not just assume they have an ulterior motive – because they don’t. Ask if they are sore, uncomfortable, or being asked to do things above their capability. They deserve our utmost respect.
Judges are human, and the sport is inherently subjective. Respect their assessment of your test ride, take away their input, and utilize it to improve your skills as a rider and/or trainer. Too often, I hear the judge was too tough or didn’t score the ride the way the rider felt it went. Videotape your rides and look at the judge’s scores and comments to understand what the judge saw and how they scored the movement; it will improve your test accuracy and appreciation of their feedback!
Have you served in any other official capacity with USDF (council/committee member, council/committee chair, PM/GM delegate, board member/Regional Director, etc.)? Please describe.
At the GMO level, I have been active on the IDCTA board as IDCTA President from 2005 to 2006, Vice President of Dressage from 2002 to 2004 and 2007 to 2010, and Secretary from 2015 to 2018, putting in many volunteer hours.
Tell us about your horse(s).
I have been privileged to have had many horses in my life, five of which contributed to earning the USDF Diamond Achievement Award. Bailey’s Irish Cream and Gorbi were my eventing horses that contributed to my USDF Bronze Medal in 2000. That year, I went to Germany and bought a 3-year-old Hanoverian by Weltmeyer and out of a Brentano II mare. Weltano (Grady) was my first dressage horse and a wonderful horse that took me to Intermediate I. We earned my Bronze Freestyle Bar in 2004, my Silver Rider Medal in 2005, and my Silver Freestyle Bar in 2006, plus part of my Gold Rider Medal. Zabaco came into my life for too short of a time in 2015 and 2016. He was Dutch, by Contango, and US-bred (Beth Goodwin) – a truly amazing talented horse that was my soul mate. We achieved Intermediate II and Grand Prix, earning my Gold Rider Medal and partial Gold Freestyle Bar in 2016; in addition, we were the Adult Amateur Intermediate II Reserve Champions and placed third in the Adult Amateur Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle championship classes at the 2016 US Dressage Finals Presented by Adequan®. One week after Finals, he died from colic surgery at 12 years old. I bought Hudson 18 months later in Florida. He is an Oldenburg, Trakehner (Hohnenstein), and Dutch. He had amazing training but was not the simplest of horses to ride, and he has some metabolic issues that have taken a long time to sort out. Still, Hudson helped me earn my Gold Freestyle Bar. As with Zabaco, Andi Patzwald helped me learn to ride these amazing horses at the highest level of the sport and take care of them for the athletes that they are. Currently, Hudson is with me in South Carolina, and I enjoy him every day.
Contact:
Email: amy.grahn@comcast.net
Phone: 224-321-3066
