102 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 104
By Lauren R. Giannini
Editor’s Note: Part One of Avery’s story entitled “A Brief Life –
Full of Grace” appeared in the September issue of Sidelines. If
you missed it, you can read it on the Sidelines website at www.
sidelinesnews.com. We are pleased to share this tribute to a
special young girl and hope you enjoy Part Two of the story.
Avery Dudasch (April 3, 2001 – June 27, 2012) lived to ride and
shared a very special connection with horses, although she was
passionate about all animals. At six weeks young, she started
going to the barn. At the ripe old age of two, during her mother’s
lessons, she sat contentedly on a quiet school pony under the
trainer’s watchful eye. She shared a pony named Cory with her
best friend, Hayden Hilles, and before long Avery, only six, was
galloping the sweet pony around the field.
In April 2011, a few weeks after Avery’s 10th birthday, when
her new pony Gracefully Dun
walked off the trailer, Avery
and her equally horse-crazy
mother, Vicki Dudasch, wept
tears of joy. The Connemara-1/4
Welsh-1/4 Thoroughbred mare,
Avery’s dream pony and soul
mate, showed great promise
and potential for eventing. For
the next few months, the young
rider and Grace established
their partnership while learning
together under the tutelage
of Rochelle Costanza, head
trainer at Platinum Farms, her
family-owned eventing facility
southeast of Denver, Colorado.
“I have history with a lot of my
clients, but Vicki was unique –
one of the most fearless riders,
especially for an adult amateur,
I have ever run across. She was
always fun to teach, and Avery
e
– Avery was a unique kid from the start,” stated Rochelle. “She
always worked hard in lessons to be a better rider. She was an
amazing kid.”
Rochelle had found Grace for Avery, and the future looked
bright for both of them. Fate had other plans, however, and the
young duo enjoyed only one competition together: a combined
test (dressage and cross-country) in June, described at the end of
part one of Avery’s story by Avery’s father, John Dudasch.
“At the time I thought that I had just witnessed the first of what
would be many more horse shows, but that wasn’t what life had
in store for our sweet girl,” John
said. “Vicki and I will forever
treasure the memory of Avery
in her one and only show with
Grace, because we had at least
that one beautiful opportunity to
see the sheer joy that our girl
experienced competing on her
pony.”
Avery came off Grace a
couple of times, and Vicki
recalled that her daughter
“always had really good
balance and a tight seat – all
those gallops in the field on
Cory.” At the time Vicki and
Rochelle didn’t think much of
the falls, because Grace, only
five and green, occasionally
acted a bit “wiggly” in the field.
Avery appeared to be fine –
her usual happy self with no
Avery Dudasch:
“We saw how fearless Avery was and how she gave strength
to everyone around her. Avery was the inspiration for the motto
‘I Ride To Be Fearless’ and we had shirts and jackets made.
Twenty-five of us at Platinum Farms got the ‘Fearless’ tattoo –
because of Avery.”
Photo Courtesy of Rochelle Costanza/Platinum Farms
At the Aspen Ridge Combined Test in June, Avery’s first and
last show with her sweet Grace, ready to start their cross
country: “Grace is an amazing pony and, even though she was
so green when we got her, Avery was able to do that show in
such a short amount of time,” said Rochelle.
Ride To Be Fearless
