From Training to Grand Prix, and Beyond...
Colleen began her riding career at the age of eight, when she started taking dressage lessons in Michigan. Although she competed mostly in 4-H shows until then, she began her dressage career with a bang. At her first All Dressage Association show in 1988, at the age of 9, she was High Percent Champion for Training Level (Prelim) Jr./Young Rider. From that point on, she fell in love with the sport of dressage. She spent hours riding after school, practicing for her competitions and spending time with the horses. That same year, her parents, Tim and Carolyn, started what was to become a nationally-acclaimed breeding programme, and made their first trip to the Netherlands to import Dutch breeding stock. They also purchased the approved Dutch stallion Patrick, and a breeding and training legacy began.
After competing for a few years at schooling shows around Michigan, Colleen decided she wanted to try her hand at the breeding business her parents had started. Using one of the 4-H horses her family owned, she saved her allowance for a year to afford a breeding fee to an Arabian stallion. A year later, in 1990, Alborak ("Bennie") was born, meant to be her next competition mount. She did all his training, from halter breaking, to showing in-hand as a young horse, to starting him under saddle in 1993 when he was three and she was fourteen. They went on the next year to be the Year-End Champion at Training Level Jr. Novice for the All Dressage Association, as well as winning all the English pleasure and dressage classes at the county fair that year. He eventually progressed to Advanced (4th) level and became a schoolmaster. In 1994, Colleen was also introduced to riding stallions when she rode Patrick, who was then retired from competition.
This education with Bennie laid the groundwork for her life in the competition ring, and demonstrated her talent early on for starting young horses through understanding their behavior and responding accordingly. From then on, with her newfound fondness of training horses, Colleen went on to break out all the young horses her parents' now-five-year-old breeding program produced. She also did this relying on a few clinics and her own sense, because most of her early riding had been on her own with very little instruction.
Living on a breeding farm from a young age was great instruction in itself. Colleen has been able to learn about breeding and raising young horses, and in the process has learned to play a part in every facet of the horse world: She has ridden dressage for more than 20 years, jumped for 4 years, collected the stallions, bred the mares, attended countless foalings and vet exams, evaluated semen, imprinted foals, and has trained and shown young horses in-hand and at breed inspections. She also has been over to Germany and Holland several times to purchase horses, and has gone all over the USA from Orlando to San Antonio to San Diego to attend the NA/WPN annual meetings. From the seminars at these meetings, Colleen has learned about biomechanics, nutrition, lameness, X-ray evaluation, horse psychology, semen handling, communicable diseases, in-hand showmanship and the judging of horses' conformation, movement and free-jumping talent. Adding those to extensive research on horse behavior, evolution and psychology, Colleen has pulled together a knowledge base that allows her to train, teach and communicate with the horses and their owners successfully.
Training several different young horses, introducing them to work and their first competitions provided Colleen with invaluable lessons on the individuality of horses and their particular training needs. She had numerous young horses win their classes at their first shows, including Ilanka, Knollwood Farm's premier broodmare, whom she also rode in her mare performance test to earn a "Keur" status from the NA/WPN; Hodea, dam of Knollwood's stallion Noteworthy, and many offspring of Patrick over the years. Colleen has started over 200 young horses in her career, all with excellent results, and each adding another essential component to her education.
At sixteen years old, Colleen started Knollwood Farm's approved Dutch stallion Kevekko under saddle. Tim and Carolyn imported Kevekko from the Netherlands to the USA in 1992 at 8 months of age with the help of the late head inspector of the NA/WPN, Gert van der Veen. By 1995, Colleen had finished Kevekko's groundwork and began his under saddle training. After riding Patrick, and now Kevekko, her work secured her affection and proficiency for riding stallions. As Kevekko and Colleen progressed, they won several awards from Training (Prelim) Level (they were the 1997 Reserve Champions for Training Level Jr/Young Rider at the ABIC/USDF Regional Finals) all the way through Grand Prix. The opportunity not only to compete at every level, but to bring Kevekko along every step of the way has allowed Colleen to understand the entire training system from the beginning, and makes clear the priorities of the training scale. Everyone should have the chance at such a partnership.
This idea of Partnership is the core of Colleen's training program. With the horse's confidence and well-being always at heart, she has successfully brought several other horses along over the years, such as Noteworthy, Knollwood Farm's other approved stallion. He is competed through Inter I, after earning scores over 70% at every level. This training perspective has also allowed her to help problem horses, nervous horses, or previously "unrideable" horses, as well as helping their riders understand them and gain their confidence and trust.
In 1996 at seventeen years old, Colleen spent a summer in Gurnee, IL to train at Tempel Farms with Curtis Sage. Kevekko was in the Chicago area during that time to prepare for the jumping portion of his approvals. Over that summer, Colleen began her FEI education with Tarzan, a schoolmaster by Patrick. During that time, she also participated in the Lipizzan stallion shows held at Tempel, and had the opportunity to work with the great Carl Mikolka. The following year, in 1997, she and Tarzan placed at the ABIC/USDF Regional Finals at Fourth (Advanced) Level.
Working through university (she has a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Michigan), Colleen traveled over 800 miles a week for five years, driving the hour-and-a-half commute four times a week so she could ride and go to school at the same time. Although grueling, it was worth all the extra hours to not only earn a degree, but to complete her sense of resolve and commitment to her horses and the sport of Dressage.
In 2000, Colleen won her first Regional Final, earning the title of Regional Champion at Second (Medium) Level with Kevekko. From there the two progressed through the levels, and in 2001, placed 3rd in the AHSA's National Silver Stirrup Awards at Fourth (Advanced) Level. In 2002 they made their FEI debut, earning a 65% at Prix St. Georges their first time out, and ending up USA Equestrian's National Upper Level Dressage Champions for the year. They were also the FEI High % Champion at Dressage at Lamplight and CDI*** with a 70.5% at Prix St. Georges. In 2003 they were the Intermediare I National Champions for the U.S. Equestrian Federation's Silver Stirrup Awards, and competed together for the first time at Dressage at Devon CDI***.
After earning her USDF Bronze and Silver Medals with Kevekko, Colleen made her Grand Prix debut on Knollwood's schoolmaster "Bill de Grand Champ". At Detroit Dressage at Willow Ridge and Dressage at Waterloo in 2003, she and Bill won every class. She went on to earn her USDF Gold Medal with Bill that same year. This was made possible partly by the three months of intensive training Colleen received over the Winter of 2003 when she traveled to California to train with Olympian Jan Ebeling. While out west, she also had the opportunity to train with the legendary Harry Boldt, as well as meet and compete against some of the top riders in the country. During that time, she also trained via clinics with Olympian Christine Traurig, former USDF President George Williams, and Canadian Olympian Tom Dvorak. In the years before leaving the USA, she trained primarily with Olympic medalist Michelle Gibson through clinics at Knollwood Farm and also in Wellington, Florida, and with J Ashton Moore, an ‘O’ Judge, former president of the NA/WPN and USDF Judging committee, biomechanics and genetics expert and prominent member of the US Dressage and Breeding communities. They both had a huge impact on her progress and continue to influence on her training methods today.
Other trainers and judges Colleen has worked with over the years:
Harry Boldt
Hilda Gurney
Elizabeth Searle
Patrick Burssens
Sue Madden-Mandas
Betsy Steiner
Tom Dvorak
Elizabeth McMullen
Nancy Smith
Jan Ebeling
Carl Mikolka
Christine Traurig
Max Gahwyler
J. Ashton Moore
Nicole Uphoff
Michelle Gibson
Dr. Cesar Parra
George Williams
Lendon Gray
Steffen Peters
Lois Yukins
Dan Greenwood
Matt Hicks
Becky Moody
Conrad Schumacher
Michael Eilberg
Leanne Wall
Andrew Murphy
In 2004, Colleen took over Knollwood Farm as its owner and Head Trainer, and also purchased the stallions Kevekko and Noteworthy from her parents. Knollwood Farm already had an excellent reputation as a breeding centre at the time, and her goal was to make it a training centre as well. To accomplish this, she built her own team of horses took a close-knit group of horses and clients to competitions all around the Midwest. She also participated in expos like Equine Affaire, and continued her own education through USDF judges training and instructor certification programmes. She quickly became a sought-after trainer and a popular clinician and judge in the area. Knollwood also hosted monthly clinics with international riders, trainers and judges as well as demonstrations and German Oldenburg Verband breed inspections, alongside providing stallion services and youngstock sales. Knollwood Farm soon gained a following as a hub of Dressage Training and Breeding in the area, made even better by the group of great people involved, the fun that was always had both on the farm and out-and-about, and the enduring bonds and friendships that still exist to this day.
Colleen was also thrilled in July 2005 to be able to show her lifelong partner, Kevekko, at the Grand Prix Level at Dressage at Lamplight. Being able to complete the training scale with her greatest equine friend has been her greatest accomplishment to date, and one of her proudest moments.
She is looking forward to continuing the legacy that was by her parents started 25 years ago on that little farm in Michigan.