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Del Mar Dressage by Kathleen Serrano |
Passion required. Hard work and dedication expected. Paying your dues demanded. Help from partners and sponsors, recommended. A touch of luck, helpful. Chances are, if you ride and compete in dressage, you have dreamed one day of getting to the top. Only a select few actually have that dream come true. Bettina Loy and Susan Mac Isaac are two San Diego women who are determined to make that dream become a reality. Their dreams are big, right up through the FEI ranks to international competition.
Bettina Loy andTrinity. Bettina and Susan have been riding all their lives. Bettina started her lifelong passion for horses in her native Germany. Susan began hers in England. Both have been on an odyssey ever since. Their paths crossed in 2006 and an instant partnership was formed. Bettina owns Del Mar Dressage, a well respected training, competition and sales barn. Susan is the associate trainer and Bettina’s training partner. Between them they train 20 clients and horses at various levels from beginner through FEI. They work hard. No trust fund babies here. They are just people like you and me. Bettina is a wife, mother and grandmother. And although Susan graduated from Virginia Tech in 2003, she still calls herself a “starving student.” Her “student loan” was for her horse Ulando! In addition to that packed schedule, both Bettina and Susan are dedicated students who squeeze in weekly training sessions with Guenter Seidel. As for the touch of luck, they happen to live in a town with some of the top riders in the U.S. But not everyone gets to train with them. That you have to earn. Bettina has paid some of her dues with Guenter Seidel, whom she met in 1996. She worked with him as his groom and assistant for several years and traveled with him to the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Guenter Seidel
schooling Trinity. Sharp Turn Ahead In 2004 Bettina purchased a gangly 4-year-old chestnut gelding standing an imposing 18 hh. Trinity was going to be her partner to the top. Four years of hard work turned this gentle giant into a powerful and brilliant 8-year-old ready for world-class competition. During a lesson with Guenter, Klaus Balkenhol watched Bettina put Trinity through his paces. After the lesson, he suggested that because of his size and power, he might be better suited for a rider of Guenter’s stature. Guenter had been looking for talented new horses to train for possible Olympic contention. In June of this year Guenter Seidel and his sponsors Dick and Jane Brown purchased Trinity from Bettina. Her talent, hard work and dedication paid off. Starting over, Bettina headed off to Holland last month to find her next partner, her next success. Walentino, a talented and stunning gelding is on his way. Her work begins again. Five-year-old Walentino was purchased through the VDL stud.
Susan Mac Isaac and Ulando. He has tremendous potential and Bettina is confident that he can easily and quickly step into the place left open by Trinity. She hopes to be actively back in the competition ring in 2009. Susan and Ulando are well on their way, too. Susan purchased Ulando in 2007 from Bettina. In just a short year and a half they are showing Third Level in USDF recognized competitions, consistently earning competitive scores. That’s determination in action! Bettina and Susan realize that to make it to the top, two is better than one! They know this sport is a hard one to succeed in, but it’s the teamwork that helps make the road a little easier. There is no competition between these two competitive individuals. Instead, they view themselves as one. So how do you get from here to there…? You keep your passion alive no matter the odds. You work hard and you stick with it. Sometimes the paydays are thin, the scores are bad, the horses don’t cooperate. You get tired, even discouraged, but you keep at it. You rely on your teachers, partners and teammates. You look for support from friends and, hopefully, sponsors. For these two ordinary women who have to wear so many hats to keep their dream alive, the top hat is the most important one of all.
Bettina Loy and Susan Mac Isaac can be contacted at 619-871-2795 or on their website www.DelMarDressage.com.
Bettina Loy and Walentino. |
