said afterwards. “The main thing is the walk, which is very important in para competition, and I know we can im- prove that. With every show her scores improve, so I am happy that she is progressing correctly.” Debbie has been training with Michelle at Stono Riv-
er Riding Academy for the past two years. The Foldens have been especially supportive of Debbie, with David driving her and Goldie to California for a competition earlier this year as well as to Gladstone and Virginia. Debbie was in Florida last winter training with Grand
Prix rider Silva Martin, who had just earned a gold medal on her first U.S. team, when Silva sustained a head injury in a schooling accident. (See the article on page 31 about Silva's remarkable comeback.) While Debbie had been hopeful that she and Goldie
would make the WEG team, she didn’t let the not-quite- perfect performance keep her down. More recently the pair traveled to Lexington, Virginia, for Dressage at Lex- ington, where they improved their scores with a 65% in the Grade II championship test and 69% in the Freestyle. “The only one that didn’t improve was the team test,”
she says. “I have the videos, so I’m planning to review that and work it into our training.” Prior to becoming Debbie’s partner, Goldie had
evented through Training level with her former owner in Tryon, North Carolina, but was not keen about galloping and jumping cross-country. Her new, laid-back career as a para dressage horse suits her much better. Even though she has her moments (she threw in a buck dur- ing one test at Gladstone), she is generally steady and has good gaits. In pursuit of her goals, Debbie is looking for another suitable horse that has a little more presence in the arena than Goldie. “I think Goldie would be a great horse for a Junior rider, and I hope that I can sell her locally to a good home,” she says. Searching for the perfect para horse has its challeng-
es. “The horse needs to have presence in the ring, but very steady gaits,” Debbie explains. “The trot and canter can’t be too big, because I have balance issues. I’m pe- tite, so I can’t have a really big horse, but Goldie looks a bit like a pony. I’ve been spending hours online looking for the ideal partner.” Having lived in Canada for several years, and with both of her grown children calling Canada home—one in Toronto and one not far from the city—plus grand- kids, Debbie would be especially excited to make the Pan-Am Games team for 2015. “It would be like a home- coming for me and it would be fun to have my family there,” she says. Debbie is training hard, spending time at the gym and in the barn. She works out regularly, focusing on building her strength and balance, and is in full training with Michelle, taking lessons six days a week. Debbie has faced bigger challenges than this, and she won’t back down from this one.
Warmbloods Today 73
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