Michelle Gibson Clinic a Great Success

Olympic medalist Michelle Gibson made a lot of riders very happy over the weekend of September 23-24 at Ten Broeck Farm. Every rider that had signed up for the clinic had an hour to work with Michelle. “Having Michelle with us was such an exciting and rare opportunity for dressage enthusiasts in this neck of the woods,” said Orintha Silva, owner of Ten Broeck Farm, and one of the participating riders.

A crowd of auditors had the chance to watch two Grand Prix horses and a selection of Prix St. Georges horses, along with several horses working at second and third levels.

Alexia Rosoff, who rode Mozart, her six-year-old Iberian cross, said, “Michelle handled Young Riders as well as she handled Grand Prix riders, and all with enthusiasm and a sense of humor. Her instructions were very specific. She knew what would work and she held us to it. She pushed every rider and every horse – none of us avoided sweat and hard work – and she was very focused on each student. Whatever we worked on, whether it was transitions or leg yields or canter pirouettes, Michelle expected our best efforts and our total attention, and she got it. You could have heard a pin drop in the arena, everyone was listening so intently. But she also has a great friendly laugh and was quick with a joke, and encouraged everyone to enjoy the sport and their accomplishments. The hosts and staff of Ten Broeck Farm were professional, enthusiastic and supportive, and the event went off without a hitch. It was a terrific weekend.”

Nancy Later, who summered at Ten Broeck Farm and is a student of Michelle’s, was instrumental in bringing her to the farm. Nancy and Michelle live only five minutes from one another when they are both at their Wellington, FL farms during the winter. Nancy rode Alexis D, her 14-year-old Grand Prix Oldenburg mare at the clinic.

Michelle Gibson trained in Germany, and that was where she built her reputation in the international dressage community. Germany gave her its Golden Rider award, which no other American had previously received. Shortly thereafter, Michelle returned to America and her home state of Georgia, where the 1996 Olympic Games were to be held. She was selected to be on the American team. She and her Trakehner stallion, Peron, won the bronze medal. It was a landmark moment for the United States in Olympic dressage competition because her 75.20% was the highest score an American had been awarded at the Olympics.

This past June, Michelle was a winner at the United States Equestrian Team Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, NJ. Riding Lex Barker, a 9-year-old, 17.2 hands chestnut Hanoverian gelding, Michelle won the Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score of 78.700%. In fact, she made a clean sweep of three rounds of competition in the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Championship.

Tentative plans were discussed to have Michelle Gibson return to Ten Broeck Farm next year for another two-day clinic.

The participating riders were: Orintha Silva, Jane Hannigan, Leah Jamieson, Nancy Later, Elizabeth Armstrong Powers, Helen Cast, Beth Adams, Stacey Murphy, Alexia Rosoff, and Brittany Lincoln.

Many thanks to our wonderful sponsors: Bank of America, Barry & Honorow, Crumpets, Focus Capital, Granite Equine Massage, Home Health & Hospice Care, Rotary Club of Nashua, Souhegan Feed & Tack, Tacknology, Nutrena, Texas Road House, The Holistic Self Care Center, The Stone Pony, Tourbillon Trailer, and Tulley Buick.

Lastly, many thanks to the staff and volunteers who helped make the weekend such a success: Jolie Blauvelt, Susan Clark, Marcia Donaldson, Nancy & Paul Eason, Krystal Gennette, Julia Hefferan, Nancy Rosenberger, Lisa Rowe, and Beverly Smith.

Also, check out our other recent activities!