Anne Galt

I started riding at the Nepean National Equestrian Park a little over twenty years ago. From following the Olympics, I had a vague idea that dressage had something to do with eventing, but I had never seen it. That changed when the Ottawa Area Dressage Festival (put on by OADG) came to the Park.

At that time the Festival was the biggest annual dressage show in the Ottawa area, with National, Trillium and Schooling divisions. Once I got to see horses performing extended trot, I was hooked – and as an adult beginner I wasn’t too crazy about jumping anyway. My first horse was an older Quarterhorse who had been a beginner horse in the school, but I went ahead and booked a private dressage lesson with him right away. Soon I was struggling with the challenges of the 20 m. circle.

WARNING!!! Dressage is seriously addictive, and pursuing it can be expensive, frustrating and life-consuming. But it can also be fascinating, fun, and incredibly satisfying. I now own 3 horses, and do dressage with all of them (with varying degrees of success).

Trying to figure out why I really got the marks I did on my tests inspired me to become a judge, and with my Basic status I hope to give helpful comments the riders can understand. I believe dressage can improve any horse, and you don’t need a fancy megabucks model to participate, learn and grow with, as a rider and as a person.