Former Young Rider and Working Student

From the time she was 14, Reese spent her summers as a working student, learning the discipline and focus she would need for Dressage. It was with her first serious Young Rider horse, Leraar, a Dutch Warmblood gelding, that Reese was able to make the jump from local competitor to a seasoned Advanced Young Rider. When she was 18, in the year following high school, Reese travelled to Germany with her horse for nine months to study under Olympic Team Coach Conrad Schumacher—her introduction to living on her own. To prepare, she took German in high school and quickly became conversant during her time in Europe. Prior to her experience working under Mr. Schumacher, Reese had always been certain that she wanted to be an equine vet; her time in Germany, however, proved that she had a talent for teaching.

Reese began to explore her interest by observing Mr. Schumacher as he coached riders of all levels. She began to learn the answer to the many questions dressage poses and now understands the reason behind so much of what we ask of our equine partners. As a result of her experiences, she has a chronicle of exercises to use with her students. “I’m truly devoted to teaching; it is a huge part of my life. I began teaching to answer why we do things the way we do, both as humans and with our horses. By teaching, you put theory and practice together”.

After Leraar came Joery, also a Dutch Warmblood gelding, who helped Reese achieve a half-decade of success at the Young Rider National Championships for Region 2. Reese returned to Germany a second time during college to train with Mr. Schumacher, in order to prepare for the 2003 USET Pan American Selection Trials, where she and Joery finished 16th in the country. In 2004, Reese sold Joery to a wonderful rider in Ocala, who she says “absolutely adores him”. The experience of training Joery to Grand Prix, helped Reese make the transition from successful Advanced Young Rider to the focused young professional she is today. “Learning to train and ride grand prix was an experience that was beyond rewarding. That first time down the centerline was like nothing else. I had no idea how different it would be. It was a whole new ballgame.”