Volker Ehlers was born and raised in the Hartz Mountain area of Northern Germany in 1941. He began his riding career at 13 years of age at the Hannoverian State Stud of Bad Harzsburg, where at that time about 80 Hannoverian stallions, several Trakehners and coldblood stallions were standing. For the next 6 years he spent every day after school with the stallions and riding horses. The late Landstallmeister, Hans Fellgiebel was his teacher and taught him everything he knew about horses, including grooming, riding, training, driving in hand with from one to six horses. He learned how to handle the stallions, all about their pedigrees and through this association made contacts with breeders all over Germany.
At the age of 19, Volker decided to become a professional horse trainer. After two years of army service, he started his apprenticeship at Hermann Schride’s international jumping stable. At that time Schridde was the European Champion and an Olympic Gold Medal winner. As an apprentice and student, he was able to scout and find talented jumpers for his Schridde’s jumper barn. After four years of apprenticeship, Volker passed the Bereiter Testing and he went to Alwin and Paul Schockemohle’s stable where he trained and showed Grand Prix Jumpers for the next 8 years. The Schockemoehle brothers were experts in all areas of the horse breeding industry and ran the biggest and most successful jumper stable in Europe as well as a large breeding farm which was overseen by Paul’s brother Werner Schockemoehle, an expert in breeding sporthorses. During that time he continued to ride and train dressage horses under the instruction of Herbert Rehbein.
An important part of Volker’s work with the Schockemoehle’s was to evaluate foals. Each year Paul and Werner purchased 50 – 60 foals as future jumper candidates. Every fall it was Volker’s job to go to the various farms to evaluate the foals, checking them for health, correctness and type. As a trainer and rider he was able to learn extensively about the rideability and temperament characteristics of many stallions and their offspring, adding to his knowledge of conformation, correctness and type.
After leaving Schockemohle’s stables, Volker opened his own business, training and preparing dressage horses, jumpers and auction horses for clients and preparing stallions for their Performance Testing.
In 1984, a long-time dream to come to America was realized and Volker traveled to Canada where at Barcrest Farms he organized and prepared horses for one of the first Sporthorse auctions to be held in the Americans. After completing his job at Barcrest, he was invited to Washington State where he set up the breeding and training program for the Hannoverian Breeding Farm called Heritage Farms.
Subsequently Volker went to California to Glenwood Farms where he has been since 1986. He has been very successful competing and showing dressage horses in California from the lower levels through Prix St. Georges. In 1998 he earned his Silver Medal in Dressage. He showed the Glenwood stallion, Prinz Gaylord in Grand Prix jumping competitions throughout California. His experience at Glenwood Farms has been extensive. .He and his wife, Judy, have been responsible for selecting mares and breeding stallions for the farm, preparation of mares for inspection and for the Mare Performance Testing, training and showing numerous stallions for competition as jumpers and dressage horses, selection and training of young sporthorses for Glenwood Auctions, acting as Training Leader for 19 Glenwood Auctions, preparing stallions for the 100-Day Testing, foaling out approximately 25 mares per year, selecting and showing foals/yearlings/two-year olds for breed shows, hosting yearly inspections for mares, foals and stallions for the American Hanoverian Society and the ISR/Oldenburg NA. During the past 16 years, Volker has made many trips to Germany to select breeding stock and riding horses not only for Glenwood Farms, but for clients throughout the country. In addition, he has given clinics in both dressage and jumping as well as private instruction in both disciplines.
Volker now serves on the American Hanoverian Society mare and stallion committee, traveling throughout the country to judge mares, foals and mare performance tests. He has served as a member of the stallion judging commission for ISR/Oldenburg.
CONTACT INFO: Glenwood Farms 1-406-947-2063 jehlers169@msn.com
Born in Portland, Oregon, educated at the University of Southern California and Stanford University with degrees in Physical Therapy, her involvement with horses began with riding as a youngster. Began breeding sport horses in 1966 and was heavily involved in dressage, jumping, three-day eventing and endurance and competitive trail,riding. Served as a leader in 4-H horse groups as well as the U.S.Pony Club.
A Charter Member of the California Dressage Society, she trained and showed several horses to the Prix St. George Level of Dressage, including the very successful Hanoverian breeding stallion, Diamont. Since 1973 she has bred, ridden and shown exclusively warm bloods, particularly Hanoverians, on a full-time basis. In 1975 with the importation of Hanoverian mares and the Hanoverian stallion, Diamont, she began the development ofa serious Hanoverian breeding program in Northern California. She worked closely with the German Hanoverian Verband and the American Hanoverian Society. In 1982 she was appointed Chairman of the AHS Mare and Stallion Committee and Registrar for the American Hanoverian Society. She has served since that time as a member of the Mare and Stallion Inspection Committee. She was also instrumental in helping to develop the ISR/Oldenburg Breeding Registry in the United States and for several years inspected mares and stallions on their commission as well as serving on their Advisory Board.
In 1985 Judy was elected to the AHS Board as Director at Large. She subsequently was elected for two terms as Executive Vice-President and four terms (8 years) as AHS President. Under her leadership, the AHS became a highly respected and a dominant sport horse breeding organization in the U.S. She continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the AHS and as a judge on the Mare and Stallion Committee. An important part of that judging duty is the evaluation and scoring of young dressage horses and jumpers throughout the country.
As co-owner of Glenwood Farms with her husband, Volker, Judy has been directly responsible for the selection of breeding stock, the breeding and foaling mares, care of foals and general herd care for over 30, mares, 5 stallions and 20 -23 foals. She has participated in the preparation and training of many mares for J Studbook Presentation and Mare Performance Testing, stallions for Stallion Licensing and 100-day Testing. For many years she has prepared and shown foals, yearlings, young mares and stallions in Breed Shows throughout California. She and her husband have organized and hosted annual inspections for over 20 years for the Hanoverian and Oldenburg Societies. For 10 years, Judy and her husband organized Sporthorse Auctions on Glenwood Farms, selecting appropriate riding horses for both jumping and dressage, both domestic and imported, preparing and training the horses and presenting them for sale. Judy has given dressage instruction through the Intermediare Level. Two of her students have earned USDF Silver Medals.
NAYRC Gold medal winner, dressage.
USDF Bronze and silver medal
U.S.E.T raining Camp at Gladstone with Robert Dover
Working student for Hilda Gurney and Kathleen Raine
Trained extensively in California, but some in MidWest as well. …Lilo Fore, Chritiana Noelting, Jessica Ransenhousen, George Williams, Jan Ebeling, Guenter Seidel, Steffen Peters, Natalie Lamping, Kerstin Albrecht, Betty Tukey, Jo Moran, Sonya Vracko, Dale Borman, Karl Mikolka.
6TH in nation, All Breeds Award, Hanoverian
3RD in nation, Third Level
Numerous USDF level awards and all breeds TB
AHSA national champion 3 years
3 horses trained to Grand Prix
H/J Background:
Trained as a youngster with Karen Brock, now Karen Perkins and Larry and Marilyn Bailey
Spruce Meadows with Albert Cley.
Montana Horse Show Association circuit more years than can count ... year end awards and championships
****NOW OFFERING SERVICES AT OUR SMALL DRESSAGE FACILITY “DILLY DALLY FARM” IN HUNTLEY, MT.
CONTACT INFO:
H# 252-1091, C#670-0834 or email: dillydallyfarmmontana@yahoo.com
She is equally at home with the rider wishing to seriously compete or the beginner just trying to master the basics. She is comfortable working with all breeds of horses at all levels of training and develops a systematic instruction plan for each student she works with, enabling them to go on with a logical, progressive training program in between clinics. She is both tactful and kind, but immediately gets to the heart of whatever training issues may exist and insists on correct basics being established with both horse and rider before moving on. She maintains her membership in the German association of professional trainers and instructors in order to further her own education, as well as participating in clinics given by internationally recognized clinicians that come to the southern California area. She is presently bringing on a young Thoroughbred gelding of her own, having recently lost her two FEI horses due to age and disability, and always has a few outside horses in training when she is not off giving clinics.
made his first appereance at a national venue in 1996 at the USDF Young Rider Championship where he earned individual gold and team silver for Region 6. Since then, he has gained much attention in the dressage press as a newcomer among world class competitors. Jeremy's
2001 accomplishments included a highly praised apperance as a demo rider at the USDF Isabel Werth Symposium and USET Fesitval of Champions qualification, an invitation-only event featuring the top 12 FEI riders in the nation, based on scores from regional championships. Jeremy was a demo rider during the 2002 USDF convention's University educational program, held at Devonwood and led by Debbie McDonald. For more than 10 years, Jeremy has trained with the renowned German master, Dietrich von Hopffgarten. He also rode at the Gestut Vorwerk in Germany, training with Martina and Ralf Hannover, long time pupils of the late Herbert Rehbein. Jeremy operated his business, Steinberg Dressage Training, in Southern California and Colorado before returning to his home area of Seattle in Spring, 2002. In 2004 Jeremy took a 4 month break from his business to move to Wellington, Florida to run Robert Dover's training business while the Olympian was busy traveling and competing as a member of the United States Dressage Team. Jeremy teaches daily lessons to riders of all levels, as well as riding up to ten horses per day, training and showing horses from Training Level through Grand Prix. Jeremy enjoys teaching, emphasizing an environment conducive to learning classical dressage and good horsemanship. His goal is for students to understand the basic philosophies of dressage, enabling them to work successfully with their own horses. Jeremy has become a much sought after clinician in the United States and Canada. For his 2005 clinic schedule please see his website, www.steinbergdressage.com
To read about Betsy Steiner's world reknown career, go to http//www.betsysteinerdressage.com
Donna is an S judge and a Pan Am Gold Medal winner among many of her awards and honors. The following information comes from her web site:
After a successful career as an amateur hunter/jumper rider, Donna Richardson switched to dressage in 1987. "As a teenager, I had been forced by Emmy Grant, one of the pioneers of American dressage, to do 40 minutes of dressage before being allowed to "jump." However, when faced with a lame hunter and a jumper who didn't like big fences, Donna remembered her earlier lessons and concluded dressage might be something both horses could do. By the time she had trained her Appendix Quarter Horse jumper to Grand Prix, Donna was hooked on the sport. When the time came for a new horse, Donna wasted no time is buying a three-year old Rhinelander from European dressage master Jo Hinnemann. With Astaire, she started again at the base of the training pyramid. Despite a serious bout with EPM, Donna and Astaire eventually became California Dressage Society (CDS) and United States Dressage Federation (USDF) amateur champions at Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I. When an injury ended Astaire?s career just as he was nearing Grand Prix, Donna retired him and bought another 3-year old gelding, Jazzman. With no more worlds to conquer in the amateur division, Donna turned professional in 1993. Jazzman was a once in a lifetime horse, advancing two levels a year, and winning CDS and USDF national championships at first and second level, third and third level freestyle, fourth level and fourth level freestyle, and Intermediate freestyle. In 1999, Donna fulfilled a lifelong dream, when she and Jazzman were named to the United States Equestrian Team. At the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Canada, Donna and Jazzman were team gold medallists and sixth individually. Jazzman continued his success at Grand Prix, being long-listed for the USET in his first year of competition, and earning scores as high as 75%. In 2002, Donna once again rode for the USET, this time at the Sydney, Australia CDI. Competing on borrowed horses, she and fellow teammate Jeremy Steinberg brought home a team bronze medal. Donna is now campaigning two FEI horses: Mondeo, an 11 year old Dutch gelding, who was the 2004 USDF Vintage Cup Prix St. Georges Champion, and Domino, a 9 year old Bavarian gelding, who finished 4th in the USDF Vintage Cup Prix St. Georges national standings. Both horses were nationally ranked in the USDF Intermediate Musical Freestyle Awards. Mondeo will move up to Grand Prix in 2005, while Domino will spend a second year at PSG/I-1. Donna is now a United States Equestrian Federation S judge. She has lectured on ?Physical Fitness for the Mid-Life Equestrienne? at the CDS Symposium, appeared as a demonstration rider at both the Conrad Schumacher and Raphael Soto clinics, exhibited Jazzman in a Grand Prix Freestyle at the Western US Horse Expo, trained the California Dressage Society Intermediare I and II champion of 2004 (Katy Barlgow on LeMans), and has written articles for Dressage Today and the USDF Connection. She coaches the local Pony Club in dressage and gives clinics throughout the United States. She trains horses and students at her own Fox Run Farm in San Marcos, California.
Gigi Brittain is a Bronze and Silver USDF medal winner as well as an 'L' judge. She moved to Sheridan, Wyoming from Florida in 2005 and will judge the fall HMDC dressage show.
Dressage Instructor for Northwest College Equine Program
Successful completion of USDF Instructor Workshops Training through Second Level
USDF Certified USDF Instructor/Trainer, Training through Second Level
Successful competitor throughout region in recognized dressage shows
20 years of experience in training horses for dressage and eventing
Multiple years of experience in teaching riding to all ages (4 years old to 65+)
Graduate upper level Pony Clubber
10 years of experience in teaching Pony Club
Recommended Rating Examiner for Big Sky Region Pony Club
Successfully completed 2005 Northwest Dutch Warmblood Kuering with a 4 year old mare, coming 3rd in the dressage DG Bar Cup, and 2nd in jumping.
Sue Sherry relocated to the Cody/Powell area in 1997 after owning and operating Pentor Farm in Milford, Michigan for 35 years, as well as traveling extensively as a dressage clinician. Sue has over 50 years riding experience in hunters and dressage, spending more than 40 of those years as a riding instructor. Sue worked extensively with masters Vi Hopkins, Karl Milkolka, Major Anders Lindgren, Sally Swift, and Col. Von Ziegner. Sue has ridden through Grand Prix level and trained through Prix St. Georges. She completed the British Horsemasters Course in 1964. Beginning in the 1970's, Sue served for 11 years on the committee which developed and ran the original USDF Vi Hopkins National Dressage Instructors Seminars. Sue continues to travel extensively in the US and Canada as a clinician, known for her expertise in equestrian kinesthetics, including unmounted and mounted work, imagery, exercise, and biomechanics.
Amy Larson. Amy has been riding for 27 years. She’s owned and shown Morgan horses with her father who bred her winning mare, The Colonel's Lady, aka “Kimmy.” Amy trained Kimmy and showed her to Grand Prix Dressage. The mare and her mother, Green Tree Shady Lady, have both won many breed, local, and regional dressage awards. Kimmy was the 1998 Morgan World Champion 4th level—FEI at the Morgan World Championships with a score of 67% at Intermediare 1. At that same show, Amy was asked to perform a Dressage exhibition during the “Spotlight on the Morgan” showcase. Kimmy loved the spotlight!
Amy has been teaching and giving clinics for 12 years, and has earned her USDF Silver medal. She is one score away from her gold. She loves working with people who are new to dressage or who have non-traditional dressage horses. Amy feels that dressage is a sport for anyone on just about any horse and that horses and riders can benefit from dressage training even if they never enter a dressage arena. She is looking forward to coming because she loves Cody and the people she has met here. She says that Cody is her favorite place to teach!
