Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 8, 2025–Some of America’s top dressage riders and trainers have formed an unofficial group in Wellington, Florida to maintain standards of harmony and excellence developed by Debbie McDonald who is spending more time with her family in the West after helping guide the United States to Olympic and World Games silver medals.

Adrienne Lyle, the top ranked American on the world standings, fellow Olympic riders Kasey Perry-Glass, Allison Brock and Ashley Holzer and team mates Katherine Bateson Chandler, Olivia LaGoy Weltz and Katie Duerrhammer are all active in the group, some with horses relatively new to Grand Prix.

Formation of the group came about with the absence from Wellington this winter season of Debbie, Olympic and World Equestrian Games medalist and the first from the United States to become World Cup champion. She was also personal coach of several riders including Laura Graves, Adrienne and Kasey before following Robert Dover as official leader during a golden age of American dressage from 2014 through the Tokyo Games. Noticeable during that period was the camaraderie and support of team riders, grooms, horse owners and prominent supporters whenever Americans were showing no matter where in the world.

“After a lifetime of living on the road, competing and coaching, Debbie has decided to slow down and spend more time with her family in Idaho,” Adrienne explained of her coach and mentor.

“I’ve been working with Debbie for 20 years, so obviously the goal is to continue to carry on her legacy and her way of riding and teaching and she is always in my brain even if she’s not here physically in person. She will always be part of my life and I plan to continue to work with her in some capacity, either in person or virtually, for a long time to come.

“Our goal at our barn is to carry on her legacy of soft and compassionate training. I have expanded my network of eyes on the ground so I have people who are based in Wellington able to help as well. We have such a great pool of knowledge riders here in Wellington to help each other, and the camaraderie between riders is fun to build as well.

“I am looping Ali Brock into the coaching pool and she’s been fantastic, as well as some outside clinicians, and I have Katie Duerrhammer (who has been my student for 11 years) keep an eye on me and make sure I’m holding myself up to the standard of excellence I want in my daily work.

“I think it can be so beneficial to have your peers there to watch you a little each day and make sure you don’t allow bad habits to slip in. All the riders at my barn do this for each other.  It elevates us all when we hold each other to the highest standard and support each other.”

The possibility of changes emerged almost a year ago at the TerraNova CDI on the west coast of Florida as riders sought a berth in the group to go to Europe for final selection of the team for the Paris Games. U.S. Equestrian had already appointed Christine Traurig, a Sydney 2000 Olympian as chef d’equipe to coordinate competition schedules and provide advice when requested.

Ashley Holzer, a four-time Olympian for Canada before switching to ride for the USA, at the time described behavior at TerraNova as an “incredible thing to see so many of us all friends and trainers of each other and all supporting each other. The atmosphere is quite amazing!

“We’ve got this one and that one warming up; this one’s coming in for this one. There’s no ill will; it’s all positive will. And that is a really nice thing. And I think from that, team America will flourish again. We will be really strong again. Because that’s always been our strength, that we can bind together and find a way forward.”

A year later, Adrienne believes camaraderie is being restored–‘I really feel like there’s a good energy from a lot of these riders coming together at the moment and noting that and talking about that and trying to find ways to get that feeling again.

“We’re very much in communication, like Kasey and I for example all the time, even if she’s in the national ring we’re exchanging videos, we’re sharing tips, you know, we’re still trying to raise each other up. So hopefully we’ll all get to the same point and then we’ll be back there.”

A recent private clinic with six-time Olympian Kyra Kyrklund, world renowned trainer, was arranged by one of the riders and more may be staged.

Other aspects of the group include a book club with one title, “Inner Excellence” recommended by Kasey that was first sent by her father who was a professional baseball player.

“All these girls like a book to read because it’s it’s changing the competitive mindset,” she said. “We’re competing against each other, but we’re all friends and want to elevate each other.”