United States Eventing Association

Looking at the Young Event Horse Program Through Eyes of Talented Young Rider Gabby Dickerson

The Young and Future Event Horse article series is being provided through a partnership between Mythic Landing Enterprises, LLC., and the USEA.

Gabby Dickerson started her riding career on the Outer Banks of North Carolina at a local Pony Club and lesson barn. By age twelve, Dickerson was ready to turn her passion into a career and decided to make the move to Charlottesville, Virginia to work for Olympian Kim Severson. During her five years working and training with Severson, Dickerson was able to learn the ins-and-outs of riding and managing a top sport horse barn. Dickerson’s experiences allowed her to bring multiple young horses through the levels where she’s experienced various achievements as a young rider especially through the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program.

Dickerson was able to further her experience working with young horses when she headed overseas after working for Severson. Dickerson spent a year working and grooming for Nicola Wilson where she was able to attend the prestigious Burghley Young Event Horse Championships. She then headed to Muenster, Germany where she worked and trained with Ingrid Klimke and then Dirk Schrade.

“My overseas experience changed me as a rider. I returned back to the United States with a better feel as a rider and a solid education on how to properly train and bring up young horses,” Dickerson describes.

Gabby Dickerson and Luck of the Draw at the 2016 USEA East Coast Young Event Horse Championship. USEA/Leslie Mintz Photo.

After her stay in Europe, Dickerson was ready to take her knowledge to the Young Event Horse Program here in the States. When Dickerson returned home, she immediately got her own business up and running out of Free Union, Virginia, and just last year she had three 5-year-olds in her program.

“The program is really great for the owners of these horses to get excited about their future. It’s also not as taxing on their bodies as a full event so you can get out and do more, which is super important when you’re bringing along a youngster,” Dickerson remarked. “The more they are able to get out and are able to see a lot of different places, the better.”

As a young rider, it can seem daunting to contest a YEH class that’s chock full of four-star and Olympic-level riders. When Dickerson entered her talented 5-year-old at the time, Luck of the Draw, in the YEH qualifier at the Surefire Horse Trials last year, she admitted to looking around and feeling intimated. Dickerson went on to win her division that day, which goes to show that no matter what, being confident in yourself, your program and the horse you’re sitting on can take you a long way.

Gabby Dickerson and Luck of the Draw on their way to winning the 5-year-old qualifier at Surefire Farm last June. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Dickerson describes, “On that day, my horse performed his best and showed he has the ability to make it to the top of the sport. That gave me a lot of confidence in how I’m continuing to produce my young horses.”

Young riders and young horses can compete at this level as long as both have consistent help and are a good match with one another. Dickerson shares that consistency is key with both the horses and riders alike and to not let the competition back you down from showing the judges what your young horse is made of. It’s a wonderful and educational program where the horses and rider can learn a lot from each other as they progress in their relationship together.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this series where Gabby walks us through an exercise she likes to use with her young horses to test their obedience and accuracy.

For more information on Gabby and her program, please visit her website at: http://gabbydickersoneventing.com/