FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2014 129
Will the GDFNA be available on the internet for those who
could not attend?
Yes, DressageClinic.com is our official internet and digital
channel on the web and the entire show will be broadcast on
their site. We are also producing a DVD series of the Forum for
the tack shops.
Tell us about the GDFNA Master Class Program you’re
offering.
The GDFNA Master Class program is designed to give
dressage riders a once in a lifetime dream to ride with any of our
clinicians presented in our program. The days immediately prior
to the beginning of the forum we are holding private one-on-one
clinic lessons on the grounds of the Jim Brandon so that anyone
who has had a dream of riding with our clinicians can do so. We
do not discriminate as to what level they or their horses are. If
they want to ride with one of our clinicians, they can do so by
just signing up. Last year we had a seven-year-old girl who came
with her pony to ride with Ingrid Klimke. We accept any rider to
sign up on a first come - first served basis.
Which organizations have officially recognized the GDFNA
and how is this forum different from attending another clinic
or symposium?
The GDFNA is officially recognized by the opening ceremonial
presence of the USDF and its President, George Williams,
Dressage Canada with Desi Dillingham, and the Dressage
Foundation’s Judith Noone as they will be giving an update
speech on the state of dressage related to their countries or
organizations. This forum is a stage/theater type of setting where
one can become absorbed by a very interesting and intense two-
day program with arena demonstrations, lectures, discussions
and debates between some of the world’s most famous and
successful dressage trainers and educators. This forum is
an atmosphere charged with such electrical excitement and
opportunity, that anyone who loves this sport will surely agree
that this unprecedented experience will be like nothing that has
ever been produced before.
You have several Education Partners for this Forum, can
you explain how these Educational Partners benefit?
When I created this forum, I had in my mind to involve as
many GMOs or Dressage Federations as possible, so that
these GMOs would receive more nationwide exposure. I wanted
to bring awareness to the important work these GMOs do for
dressage education. USDF offers so much for education. NEDA
is one of the country’s leading organizers for clinics with their
annual Dressage Fall Symposium. Wisconsin’s WDCTA holds
valuable clinics and symposia as well as the California Dressage
Society, Georgia’s GDCTA and Illinois’’ IDCTA with their annual
clinics. We are proud to have Dressage Canada represented
by Desi Dillinghan as an Educational Partner because Canada
is so much a part of the Forum. We are also proud to have the
Dressage Foundation with us represented by the extraordinary
Judith Noone. I wanted to invite these federations to come and
join in the fun. We promote them and they help us promote the
Forum, but one of the most important benefits these GMOs
receive by being Education
Partners is that we give them
a discount coupon code they
can promote for the benefit
of their members and this
code offers a 15 percent
discount on all tickets with
additional advantageous
incentives.
For more information
or to buy tickets, visit
GlobalDressageForumNA.
com.
Stephen Clarke, winner of the Global Dressage Forum North
America (GDFNA) is the 2014 Life Time Dressage Achievment
Award recipient.
Photo by Sharon Packer
Dressage enthusiasts taking
part in the 2013 Forum.
Photo by Sharon Packer
