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Elisabeth & Mrs. B (a long, long time ago)

Elisabeth's mother, Madeleine Austin

Elisabeth Austin and Olivier

The Rider

One might say that she was born to the task.....

Elisabeth rode a Prix St Georges test in utero (she kicked). After she was born she was put on a horse at the age of two weeks (she smiled and burped). She practiced one-tempis, piaffe, passage and pirouettes in the saddle in front of her mother at nine months (she giggled and tried to steer). She was given her first pony, Mrs. B, at age one-and-a-half and has been riding ever since. Winning her first dressage competition at age six, Elisabeth has won numerous awards on a local, national and international level. She has successfully trained three horses to FEI (international levels), started young horses under saddle, trained client’s horses and through retraining, turned unrideable horses around.

Elisabeth has trained exclusively with her mother and mentor, Madeleine Austin for all of her riding career. Madeleine is a highly respected dressage trainer and rider, as well as a United States Dressage Federation Silver Medalist. Because of Elisabeth's talent and promise as a rider, she was chosen to participate in the United States Dressage Federation's Advanced Young Rider Program. Through this program, she was able to ride in clinics with such prestigious trainers as Conrad Schumacher (trainer of Olympic medalists) and United States Olympic bronze medalist Sue Blinks. Elisabeth has also had the opportunity to ride with a number of other outstanding dressage riders, including Lendon Gray, Carol Lavell, Jennifer Baumert, Ulla Salzgeber, Lisa Wilcox, Michael Poulin, Jane Savoie, Ingrid Klimke, Michael Klimke, Steffen Peters and Caesar Parra.

Elisabeth traveled to Florida in 2004 to be a working student for Grand Prix rider Jennifer Baumert, and spent 6 months in 2005 as an assistant trainer for Lendon Gray. These were positive experiences, which only fueled Elisabeth's desire to make a career in dressage. She will spend part of 2007 at her mother's facility, Imajica, in Williston, Vermont, and will be taking horses in for training to raise money to compete Olivier in Europe. In the future, beyond her international competition aspirations, Elisabeth hopes to train and sell horses. She is especially interested in working with young horses and giving them a positive, confident start to their under saddle careers.

Competitive Achievements

2007 CDI Raleigh Intermediare 2 and High Score FEI 72.195%

WEF Dressage Classic Grand Prix 71.25%

2007 Palm Beach Dressage Derby Grand Prix 66.25%

2006 Grand Prix Special Affalterbach

2006 Champion- USEF/Collecting Gaits National Dressage Championship Brentina Cup

2005 Champion- Youth Dressage Festival (Young Rider division)
2004 Individual Silver Medalist- NAYRC (Junior Olympics)
2004 Champion Youth Dressage Festival (Young Rider division)
2003 Young Rider Champion CDI Blainville
2004 NAYRC Team Member (Qualifying Average 67%)
2003 NAYRC Team Member (Qualifying Average 66%)
2002 NAYRC Team Member (Qualifying Average 65%)
(For additional achievements, please contact Elisabeth)

In addition to her busy schedule, Elisabeth has also attended six semesters at the University of Vermont, and will graduate with a Small Business Degree (Agricultural focus).

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