Christy's Bio

 

HiHigh Highlights:ghlights:Hih

1986- USDF Bronze Medal, on Trabour (age 5)

1988- USDF Silver Medal, on Trabour (age 7)

1999- USDF Gold Medal, on Trabour (age 18)

2002- USDF Silver Freestyle Bar, with Upan

2004- USDF Bronze Freestyle Bar, with Romeo and Sjolling

2006- USDF Gold Freestyle Bar, with Upan

 

...also, at the national level

1987- USDF National Champion, 4th level, All Breeds/Trakehner, Trabour

1988- USDF National Champion, 4th Level Freestyle, Trabour

1989- Bronze Medal, US Olympic Festival (PSG, I-1), Trabour

1989- USDF National Reserve Champion, I-1 Freestyle, Trabour

1992- Trabour and Christy's Grand Prix Musical Pas de Trois Exhibition with Trabour's sire (Troubadour, Olympic reserve horse) ridden by Christian Plage, and brother (Triomphe, Pan American Games medalist) ridden by Jennifer Miller, at Navy Pier in Chicago. Benefitting the Lincoln Park Zoo

1994- USDF National Champion, I-2, All Breeds/Trakehner, Trabour

2003- USDF National Champion, 1st Level Freestyle, Sjolling

2005- USDF National Champion, I-2, All Breeds/Westfalen, Upan

2005- USDF National Reserve Champion, 3rd Level Freestyle, Sjolling

 

...and at the regional level

1987-2006- Top Three Placings at regional finals on various horses (Trabour, Daktari, Adriano, Arielle, ValBlanc, Romeo, Tropez, Imposant, Upan, Sjolling, Winston) at USDF Region 9 and SWDC Championships, including:

1987-Trabour, AHSA (USEF) Central States Champion Fourth Freestyle

1989-Trabour, SWDC Champion Intermediate 1 Open

1991-Trabour, SWDC Champion Intermediate 2 Open
SWDC Reserve Champion Grand Prix Open

1999-Romeo, SWDC Champion Training Level Open

2001-Imposant, USDF/GAIG Reserve Champion PSG Open

2002-Upan, SWDC Champion I-1 Freestyle
USDF/GAIG Reserve Champion I-1 Open

2003-Upan, USDF/GAIG Champion I-1 Freestyle

2005-Upan, USDF/GAIG Champion Grand Prix Freestyle

2005- Sjolling, USDF/GAIG Champion Third Level Freestyle

2011- Donnertanz, SWDC Champion Second Level Open

 

Dressage Teachers over the years:
(Chronologically from 1984, some regular, some clinicians)
Robert Dover, Jan Ebeling, Christine Traurig,
Hans Biss, Gary Rockwell, Jennie Loriston-Clarke,
Ralf Isselhorst, Albrecht Von Zeigner,
Sabine Schut-Kery, Charles DeKunffy, Steffen Peters,
Felicitas Von Neuman-Cosel

 

 

...the rest of the story...

Like many little girls, Christy was horse obsessed from an early age, sparked when her father plunked down a couple of dollars for a pony ride for his little girl at a carnival. Surely he had regrets, because from that point forward Christy had a singular focus, and years of "But whyyyyy can't I have a pony" ensued. Realizing her parents couldnt be cajoled, young Christy saved every birthday check and odd job coin for years, determined to buy herself a horse. The only money she'd spend out of her vault went toward horse books, so that she'd be ready when she had enough for that horse.

When Christy was eleven, her parents caved in a little and signed her up for riding lessons at a St. Louis area hunter barn. She became a barn rat, happily scrubbing tack or grooming horses, anything to be allowed to spend as much time as possible at the barn between lessons. She progressed enough to be allowed to take some of the school horses to local hunter shows.

After three years taking lessons, showing, and volunteering around the barn, Christy was offered a paying job doing stable work at a private foxhunting barn. It was there that she met her first horse, a two and a half year old, half Quarter Horse, half Saddlebred gelding that could be had for $800. His name was Mister Nice, and it was love at first sight. Christy used her savings to buy the horse and some used tack. Rather than being paid for the barn work, she worked off her horse's board. Christy's parents saw her digging trenches and building fences at the farm in return for board, and decided that was a bit much. From that point on, they found a way to subsidize her passion, and moved the pair to a local boarding barn. A year later, the family moved to Houston Texas, along with Mr. Nice, of course. It was in Texas that Christy and the horse switched their efforts to eventing, the sport of choice at their new barn.

Christy and "Nicey" evented through Training Level, usually doing very well in the dressage phase, but then often finding one fence on cross country that wasn't quite to the horse's liking. During these years she was invited to ride in clinics with USET eventing coach Jack LeGoff, who's knowledge and empathy for horses was a huge influence on her. When Christy went to Texas A&M University, Nicey went along. They became members of the school's intercollegiate team, travelling to the Kentucky Horse Park to compete in the intercollegiate championship. It was clear though that Nicey preferred dressage to cross country, and so Christy's interests started focusing on dressage during college. It was then that a friend suggested that they participate in a clinic with a guy who was coming to the Austin area to visit his sister. The friend said that the guy was planning to try out for the Los Angeles Olympic team, so Christy figured he must know something and signed up. The guy was Robert Dover.

Robert, Christy and Mr. Nice in Texas

Christy continued to ride in Robert's clinics whenever he came to Texas to visit his sister. Robert did make the 1984 Olympic team, with Romantico. In the fall of 1984, Robert offered Christy a working student position at his new facility in California. Christy stayed in Texas until graduation the following Spring, getting her degree in Psychology and Biomedical Science, but then left for California immediately after, bringing along Mister Nice (who's show name had changed to a more respectable "Harbor Lights" by this time.)

Christy worked for Robert six days a week, mostly grooming, saddling and cleaning tack. But she also got to have a private lesson with Robert every day, and was able to watch the day to day training of top level horses and riders. Her favorite assignment was to take Robert's horses on trail rides in the Malibu hills to cool them out after he rode them. Even the Olympian Romantico got to trail ride, and he gave Christy her first feeling for piaffe, brought on upon crossing a creek. Of course it was Romantico's idea, but even so, he taught her the feel of lightness and engagement, even if by accident. Christy also travelled to shows to groom and braid for Robert, with Romantico and Federleicht showing at Grand Prix, and Armin and Lester Piggot showing at Prix St. Georges and Intermediare. Although he was working toward third level, it became clear that Christy's horse Nicey was not of the same calibur as his stablemates, and that Christy needed a different horse to advance her skills. A four year old Trakehner, recently gelded and with a reputation of being a bit difficult, was offered up by his owner as a mount for Christy, with the understanding that she would ride him in her daily lessons with Robert. The young horse's name was Trabour, and he was a son of Swiss Olympian Christine Stukelberger's Grand Prix mount, Troubadour.

...to be continued...

 

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