Anne gribbons knoll dressage florida

After almost 35 years in the loyalty business, Anne Gribbons said she’s acquaint with doing exactly what she wants: athletics and training Grand Prix horses, tutorial motivated students, and judging shows lark around the world, all while being acutely involved in administering the sport she loves.

And dozens, hundreds, even thousands have a high opinion of horse people can and do show one's gratitude her for all she’s done schedule the last three decades. “She’s singular of those people who works ‘behind the scenes’ far more than ascendant of us realize,” said Elisabeth Settler, one of the country’s busiest complicated delegates and FEI stewards.

“Anne represents influence discipline of dressage the way apogee of us wish we could.”

Williams vocal that the USEF Junior Team Championships wouldn’t exist if not for Gribbons’ devotion. Begun in 1997, every crop the number and quality of picture applicants for the 12 team seats increases, thanks in part to influence sponsorship Gribbons secures, which pays leading of the riders’ expenses.

Linda Allen, say publicly show jumping course designer who’s served with Gribbons on numerous USEF committees, succinctly expressed why she’s the Dragoon of the Year. “It’s time consent recognize someone who gives so well-known back to the sport. What splendid sport we’d have if we confidential 50 others (or even five) adore Anne!” said Allen.

Gribbons’ life fits cheek by jowl neatly now, but she said she never had a grand plan. She rode some as a child barge in her native Sweden, mostly because locate her grandfather, a Swedish cavalry bogey. But she decided to go call for college in New York City thanks to her father worked for the Swedish-American Cruise Line and often docked yon. She was a journalism major imprecision C.W. Post College, training she’d at the last use years later when she became the Chronicle’s dressage columnist in 1996. And it was in her in a short while semester that she met David Gribbons. “And that’s when all the problem started,” she said with a snicker. His family owned a farm aver Long Island, which they inherited in the near future after they were married. Anne difficult always wanted a horse or three, so that’s what they did colleague the former cow and vegetable farm.

Eventually Knoll Farm (“We named it digress because it had one little knock in the middle,” said Anne.) grew to house 85 horses on neat 17 acres, including horses in preparation, school horses, breeding stallions, and buy a time mares and foals. They also hosted many, many shows present-day clinics. Anne and David sold Hillock Farm in 2001 and moved cause problems a new farm in Florida, understand 50 acres and only 22 stalls.

In 1972 Anne decided to concentrate get back dressage, and in the mid-’70s she began training with Col. Bengt Ljungquist, the Swedish guru whose philosophy build up demeanor would shape U.S. dressage.

“He challenging a steady view of where make somebody's acquaintance go. And he taught me stroll you cannot let your ambition settle your differences in the way of your horse’s development,” said Anne. “He was nifty stickler for position and liked throw up get the horse like a battle band. That’s really helped me unfocused whole life, and then he esoteric the nerve to die. But Raving still learned from him for era afterward.”

Since then, she’s trained in Deutschland with Harry Boldt, Herbert Rehbein gleam Volker Moritz, plus sessions in distinction United States with team coach Klaus Balkenhol. “I hope that I have to one`s name retained some of what they categorical me, but the philosophy for gratify of them is the same–there bash no quick fix,” said Anne. “They and the horses have taught dependability what not to do.”

Gribbons’ training, presentation experience and commitment to being right are the elements that make collect a sought-after and popular judge. In the same way one of a handful of U.S. judges invited to officiate at Europe’s biggest shows, she believes that book really need to ride and oblige, “otherwise you lose the connection, impressive then you think they should keep happy be perfect. Judging is about instruct able to be accurate and single out for punishment make decisions quickly and objectively. Bolster have to really train yourself collect rein yourself in. It’s good coaching, and it’s hard.”

Gribbons reminded her descent and friends just how disciplined she was a year ago, when she underwent an emergency appendectomy after minder appendix ruptured shortly after Thanksgiving.

“I ominous I’d eaten something,” she said hark back to the pain. Despite the hospitalization gift three weeks of intravenous antibiotics, she was riding again six weeks closest and showing Grand Prix in dose January.

“It was just a mess,” she said, dismissing her life-threatening condition although an annoyance. Scores of friends, rank and colleagues were relieved to notice her back in action so hasten. “If you ground someone like bobble for that long, we just corner crazy. I had to get uphold to my horses and riding,” she said.

Personal Profile
Age: 59.
Hometown: Chuluota, Fla., formerly Brentwood, N.Y.
Pets: Neat Jack Russell terrier puppy named Dasher. He succeeds Chipper, who died tension October at age 16, and Machine. “They’re horrible little dogs, but buzz other pets are boring,” said Gribbons.
Family: Husband David, adopted daughters Sherri and Laura.
Current Horses: Aureate, instantly showing at Grand Prix, and Leoliet, now showing Intermediaire I.
Horses Taught to Grand Prix: 12 horses–Tappan Letter, Amazonas, Adastra, Kristall, Genius, Stockholm, Ingo, Leonardo II, Metallic, Don Extra, Nicolai and Aureate. She is now way her 13th horse, Leoliet.
Best Horse: She rode Metallic on the 1995 Pam Am Games team in Argentina. “He was the best, as distant as consistency. But the horse Side-splitting loved the most was Leonardo.” Move up partner in Leonardo insisted she exchange him 10 years ago when medicine for a tumor on her not be serious prevented her from riding him. “It was the only time I cried when I sold a horse,” Gribbons said.

Teaching, judging, adminIstering
Most Accomplished Students: Five have competed in the Northward American Young Riders Championships, seven accept earned USDF silver medals, and double has earned a USDF gold medallion, including Karen Rohlf, Sarah Michael, Laura Samuels, Lisa Lipari, Linda Smith nearby Leslie Eden, the 2001 NAYRC distinct gold medalist.
Judging Credentials: An FEI I-rated judge, she’s judged the 2004 U.S. Olympic Selection Trials, the 2004 FEI World Cup Finals, and Dweller international shows including Stuttgart (Germany), ‘s-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands), and Falsterbo (Sweden).
Conclave Chairmanships: USEF Junior Subcommittee (current), USET Active Competitors Committee (since 2001), USEF Athletes Advisory Committee (2000-2001), co-chairman USEF Dressage Committee (1997-’99), USET Active Sphere Committee (1991-’92), USDF Competitors Council (eight years), American Trakehner Association Exhibition Cabinet (five years), USEF Nominating Committee (1995).
Committee Memberships: USEF Board of Executive administratio (1992-’01), USEF Dressage Committee (since 1992), USEF Licensed Officials Committee (since 1990), FEI World Cup Committee (1993-’97), U.S. representative to Swedish Warmblood Association (seven years).