Birthday: January 1990

My story isn't so different from the stories of many others... I went to a YMCA summer camp at the age of six, fell in love with riding, and convinced my parents to let me take lessons. Hunter/jumper lessons seemed to be the most reasonable, and so the weekly lessons began.

After a year of riding lesson horses, my parents bought me my first horse. I continued through the hunter ranks with him, as well as with another pony that I acquired after he was sold until that pony broke my confidence for jumping. Around the same time, I began taking a few dressage lessons from a Canadian clinician, who convinced my parents to buy me a "nice", fairly inexpensive dressage pony she knew of, who had been fairly successful in Canada.

Oktoberfest, aka "Otto", was a terrorist. He loved to trot around with his head up in the air, and he loved to ignore me pulling on his mouth. Continuing in the canter while I asked him more and more strongly to trot seemed to be his favorite pastime. He was also a nasty little thing, and he bit me hard enough to break the skin on more than one occasion. He did give me my first experiences in riding and showing Training and First Level dressage, albeit with mediocre scores, and I muddled through riding him.

In 2001, during my not-so-fun time with Otto, Jürgen and Jennifer Hoffmann moved to my parents' training facility, Rancho Los Amigos Equestrian Center. It was the beginning of a very influential training relationship, and it is one that continues today. They began the long quest to turn me into an FEI rider, which culminated in the beginning of 2006. Jürgen taught me the most frequently in the early days because he had far more patience for an immature eleven-year-old girl and her naughty, nasty little pony. As I matured and needed a role model, Jennifer began teaching me more. The combination of their training techniques was exactly what I needed. I owe the entirety of my dressage career to them, because their guidance has brought me places I never thought it was possible for me to go.

At the end of 2001, my parents and I came to the realization that Otto was causing me to dislike Dressage. Knowing this, my parents took a risk and sent Jürgen and Jennifer to Europe to search for the perfect horse, one that I would enjoy riding. My mom went with them, but I was unable to go--so I sat nervously at home waiting to hear what they would find. My mom emailed me and told me about a horse named Kalibre: a then-ten-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, 16 hands, bay, with nice gaits and a good temperament.

He flew to the United States in January 2002, on my twelfth birthday, and I was in love from the first time I saw him. Suddenly it was fun for me to ride endless 20-meter circles, and my competitive side loved the success I achieved in the show arena with my new partner. I showed him in 2002 at First Level, and won my first year-end awards. 2003 brought us even more success at Second Level, as we were the CDS Second Level Junior Champions, and I was the USDF Second Level Jr/YR of the Year with a median score of 67%.

As 2004 began, I was able to form a new partnership. I was having trouble learning the changes, and my mom allowed me to ride her fabulous Dutch Warmblood stallion Facet. He was by far the nicest and most exciting horse I had ever ridden, and it was truly the opportunity of a lifetime. I learned the changes and many more of the upper level movements (we schooled up to Intermediaire I, with even a little bit of Grand Prix thrown in there) and I began showing in the FEI Junior Tests. I had little experience at that level, so I went in with low expectations, but Facet helped me qualify for the USEF Junior Dressage Team Championships in Pebble Beach, CA. We won the team gold medal there, and placed third individually. That show season, we also won a huge number of high point awards and year-end awards.

Facet turned eighteen in 2005, and we decided to retire him from the upper level competition arena, so I returned to competing with my old friend, Kalibre. I showed him at Third Level, and rode a few Fourth Level tests at the end of the year. I also began riding Endor, a sixteen-year-old Hanoverian gelding whom Jürgen had trained to Grand Prix. 2005 was a year for experience, learning, and personal growth. My riding improved immensely, and I learned to think and ride in new ways that my previous horses had never required.

The end of 2005 brought another new partner, my hope for the future. Farinelli, or "Fritz" as he is known around the barn, is a phenomenal seven-year-old Westphalian gelding with whom I hope to have a long partnership. We competed only once in December, and Fritz and I started out our partnership with a score of 72% at Third Level Test 3, winning a beautiful cooler as a High Point Award.

2006 has come with a bang, introducing me to new levels of competition and bringing much success. Endor and I competed successfully with good placings in the Region 7 Young Rider Qualifiers, and finished in fifth place, making us the alternate. However, our average would have put us on the team in almost any other region, and we got better and better as the qualifying season progressed. Kalibre is unfortunately for sale, because I have outgrown him in size, but I still competed him at the FEI Junior level. We qualified to compete at both the USEF Junior Dressage Team Championships (July 7-9) with an average of 67.3%, as well as the North American Junior Championships. We travelled to Lexington, VA for the NAJC in the beginning of August, and did very well, finishing just out of the medals! Fritz has been competing successfully at Third Level, and we have a year-end median of 67%. He has also made a successful Fourth Level debut.