Beginnings
Courtney began competing at age four in local hunter-jumper shows. She and Rainy (pictured at left) were successful (and very enthusiastic) competitors in the Short Stirrup division for several years.
During their 8 years together before Risky's retirement, Courtney and Risky Business worked in dressage and three-day eventing and spent many wonderful days bareback, hacking through the woods and galloping hills. They are shown competing in the Grasshopper division at Fair Hill just after Courtney's 11th birthday.
Courtney and her mother's wonderful appendix quarter horse gelding, Finn McCool, have been partnered since they were 6 and 3 years old, respectively. In one of Finn's crowning moments, he and Courtney won their Training Level classes at the 2000 Westchester Fairfield Festival of Dressage CDI.
Courtney was 15 when she found her Hanoverian schoolmaster, Akteur. In their first season together, Akteur and Courtney competed at Dressage at Saratoga, the USET Festival of Champions, the Northeast Jr/YR Dressage Championships, and Dressage at Devon in Fourth Level and FEI Junior Rider classes. The pair finished 18th in the rankings for the 1999 Cosequin Junior Team Championship. Before Akteur's retirement at the age of 19, he and Courtney showed in the FEI Young Rider's division several times.
This is Courtney with the now 7 year old Premium Holsteiner gelding, Chagall. Courtney backed Chagall for the first time when he was two and a half and rode him regularly during his early dressage training before he began his work as a hunter.
Dakar and Courtney
Dakar and Courtney have been a partnership since August, 2000. After only 17 days together the pair won the Fourth Level Championship at the Northeast Jr/YR Dressage Championships. This was the second dressage competition of Dakar's life, and his first time competing above Second Level.

The following spring marked the beginning of Dakar's first season of FEI competition. By the end of the summer the pair had earned a qualifiying average for the Region VIII Young Rider team with scores from the Westchester Fairfield Festival of Dressage CDI, the USET Festival of Champions, and the CDA Spring Competition and won their first outing at Prix St. Georges with a 61.750%. They finished the season as the Fourth Level Reserve Champions at the Northeast Jr/YR Dressage Championships and placed 4th in the Region VIII ABIC Prix St. Georges Jr/YR Championships.

After a year's hiatus from the show ring due to a family medical emergency, Dakar and Courtney spent the 2003 and 2005 winter seasons competing in Florida and are now showing successfully at Prix St. Georges and Intermediare I.

Training


Courtney and Dakar board at Wyndham Oaks and train with Betsy Steiner. Previously, they worked with Lendon Gray for nearly four years. Courtney has been selected to ride in the USDF Advanced Young Riders' clinics with Conrad Schumacher six times and has ridden regularly with Albrecht Heideman and Courtney King, both of whom have worked extensively with Mr. Schumacher. Courtney has been fortunate to ride Dakar, and previously Akteur with a number of nationally and internationally renowned riders and clinicians, including Kenn Acebal, Jennifer Baumert, Sue Blinks, Patrick Bursens, Kathy Connelly, Lilo Fore, Mary Anne Grant, Albrecht Heidemann, Christopher Hickey, Toine Hoefs, Courtney King, Gunnar Ostergaard, Jessie Steiner and Uwe Steiner.