92 SIDELINES JUNE 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Edna B. Wilson
Shelly Reichart began riding at the age of four and competing
in the hunter circuit when she was seven years old. After
joining the United States Pony Club, she changed disciplines
and fell for eventing. By the ripe age of 15, dressage became
her favorite discipline. After winning four US Pony Club
National Dressage Championship titles, she was without a
doubt addicted to the discipline.
In her Young Rider days, Shelly was a working student
for Jayne Ayers, Michael Poulin and George Williams. Her
formal education includes a B.A. in Business Administration
and a Masters in Management Information Systems from the
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. She trains out of her
farm, Paradigm Farm, in Lake Mills, Wisconsin and travels
giving clinics to riders at all levels.
What are your goals for the future?
Competitively, my goal is to represent the United States
at the World Cup, World Equestrian Games or an Olympics.
Travelling the path towards this goal has been an amazing
experience. I continue to defne short-term goals along the
way, which of course get adjusted as needed. This winter I
competed on the Florida CDI circuit at Grand Prix, with the goal
of earning an invite to the National Grand Prix Championships
at Gladstone.
Who do you train with?
I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best trainers
throughout the United States and world. For the past 15 years
Linda Zang has been my mentor and coach. Since she’s an
“O” judge, when and how often I can train with her is defned
by her judging and my competition schedule. She comes to my
farm in Lake Mills and I also work with Linda during the winter
in Wellington.
You also train with your mother, what is that like?
My mother, Sheri, is a huge factor in my training. She acts
as my eyes on the ground and should have been a dressage
judge. We make a great team as I have the riding and training
knowledge and she has the eye, so she tells me what she sees;
I make the adjustments, and voila!
Funding is often an issue for competitors, how do you
handle it?
Purina and Schleese Saddlery sponsor me and I’ve used their
products for years. Both companies know my horses, as well
as what we need to be successful. Eventually I hope to ride
a sponsored horse as the cost of participating at the highest
level of the sport are very expensive. That’s my struggle with
my current Grand Prix partner, Welttaenser. We have been
successful, but to continue to participate at the international
levels of competition, I need funding.
What was it like competing with Welttaenser (Wally) last
year?
Welttaenser is the frst horse I’ve had with a natural talent
for dressage. My experience and his talent have provided us
with great success – we were USDF All Breed Champions at
Grand Prix Open for the American Hanoverian breed in 2010
e
Shelly Reichart Is Hooked On Dressage
Shelly Reichart
Photo by Susan Stickle
and 2011. Welttaenser also earned the FEI Dressage Horse
of the Year from the American Hanoverian Society and fnished
in the top ten for the USDF Grand Prix Dressage Horse of the
Year in 2011.
How do you balance teaching, training and competing?
I fnd competing, training and teaching add balance to
one another. That is, the better I am at explaining dressage
principles and tactics to a student while teaching, the better I
should be able to implement it myself in my training. And if my
training is solid, competing should refect the same. Juggling
comes in when trying to fnd time for all three on the calendar.
E.B. Wilson rides and competes in hunter/jumper shows
throughout the Midwest with her feisty mare, Argentina. She
writes and provides marketing for several companies in the
horse industry.