Dressage-News

Jan. 4, 2024

Christine Traurig was named Thursday as the United States dressage development coach to lead America’s team for the Paris Olympics where she will also be chef d’equipe.

Christine, Sydney 2000 Olympic team bronze medalist and U.S. Equestrian Federation young horse coach since 2015, has been the longtime coach of Sabine Schut-Kery who led the U.S. team to silver at the Tokyo Olympics.

Christine, 66 years old and based in Encinitas, California, succeeds current Development Coach, Charlotte Bredahl, who steps down April 1.

The role of Technical Advisor that had been essentially U.S. team coach will remain open. Debbie McDonald resigned from that post six months ago. As personal coach of Laura Graves, Kasey Perry-Glass and Adrienne Lyle the team that was headed up by Robert Dover that won silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and then Debbie took over the team leadership post for Tokyo.

With her appointment as chef d’equipe, Christine will “immediately focus on supporting and liaising with athletes and their personal coaches who are targeting the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” the USEF said in a statement. “Traurig will work closely with Managing Director of Dressage Laura Roberts to best maximize the U.S. dressage team’s field-of-play performance.”

The federation described the restructuring to “broaden the opportunity to engage with qualified coaches and allow for greater accessibility to program-affiliated resources, creating a more sustainable pathway for the future, while also increasing the depth of coaching support in the United States.”

A USEF Dressage Coaches Support Network will be expanded and help provide greater support across the U.S. program, in coordination with Christine and George Williams, who remains High Performance & Pathway Development Advisor and Youth Coach.

“I am excited to be stepping into the Development Coach role for the program,” said Christine. “Our sights are set on the future and how we can continue to strengthen our development pipeline of talented horses and riders.

“It’s also an honor to be appointed as Chef d’Equipe for this summer, and a full circle moment for me in my career, as I hope to share my knowledge and past Olympic experience as an athlete and coach as guidance and support to our high-performance combinations on the road to Paris this summer.”

The USEF said it “will continue to strengthen coaching support through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games with the appointment of additional coaches and educational opportunities to support across the programs.”

The network includes 2016 Olympic team rider Allison Brock and Ashley Holzer, a multi-Olympian for Canada but who now rides for the U.S.

Christine was born in Nienburg near Verden in Germany. Before she was a teenager she attended the National Riding School at Hoya with the trainer Otto Meyer. She rode sale horses at the Hanoverian Elite Auction and worked for the late German national trainer, Holger Schmezer, in Verden before she moving to the United States in 1982.

She returned to Germany in 1999 to train with Johann Hinnemann, competing at three consecutive Bundeschampionat in Warendorf on Limited Edition.

Christine on Etienne was selected for the U.S. team at the Sydney Games, earning a personal best score, and helping America win a third consecutive bronze medal. She was named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Female Equestrian Athlete of the Year in 2000.

However, she was the center of controversy over the sale of her Olympic mount, Etienne, following the Olympics. The horse was owned by Colleen and Robert Haas, former CEO and chairman of Levi Strauss, of San Francisco, whose daughter was a jumper rider. The Haases maintained Etienne and paid Christine through the Olympics.