I was a youngster that had been riding horses for a few years in 4-H, thinking I had mastered all there was to know, the walk, trot and canter. I was also jumping my mother's horse Gypsy of enormous 3ft fences. My parents were on a quest to find a new horse for my older sister Linda. Often I remained home to baby sit my younger sister but on this rare occasion I joined them when they looked at a horse boarded at Rowe Dressage Stables. I recall walking in to the lobby and seeing a horseman lunging a horse. The horse was so "in tune" to the man in the center it made quite an impact on me. Then when he later mounted the horse, and proceeded to asked the horse for more than I even thought possible at the time, I even became more intrigued. The owner of the horse walked in to the lobby and stated "Not bad for only having a rider on his back for the third time in his life". I immediately thought to myself, "this I need to learn". Of course the horseman that I saw that day was none other than James Rowe.

My next encounter came when a few weeks later my father carted my sister and 3 other girls to a Dressage Exhibition at what was the Livestock Pavilion located in the center of MSU. We had watched several demonstrations and then came in a quadrille performance. I was mesmerized by the lead rider on a handsome chestnut with four stockings. She did not move!! The horse was doing all of these different things and I could not see anything of which she was doing to cause it. So if you have not guessed yet that was Sharon Rowe, and she was riding Kaiser's Realm.

My older sister and my father's horse Moxie went in to Dressage training with the Rowe's shortly after that. He was a wonderful Appendix QH that was extremely talented for dressage. Most likely because of sibling rivalry I was continuing with my "jumping", then at the age of 16 thought it might be handy to learn some of the dressage to prepare my new mount, Beau Waggoner (Moxie's half brother), for jumping which we would have to wait a couple of years for any ways. Well I got started and then the German side of me was hooked.

Before coming to the Rowe's I had been exposed to several different influences in riding in both the 4-H and open circuit. With the Rowe's it was the first time that I could ask the question of "why?" and always get a sensible answer rather than "that is just the way it is done". This is what really appealed to the engineering side of me.

When it came time to go to college and get my degree in Electrical Engineering the choice was easy becuase both Wagg and I could both go to college together. I went to MSU and Wagg in training with Jim. It took me years to catch up with the skills Wagg learned in just 2 months!!

Horses and dressage with the Rowes became a "family affair". All of my siblings (Linda, David & Amanda) have learned horsemanship from Jim & Sharon. My brother even met his wife who was also a student here at the time.

That was several years ago that I first saw the Rowe's. I came to college and have never left. I am still trying to be the as good as the rider that I saw so long ago. My mounts that I have shown are as follows. Wagg (bred by my parents)was trained and I showed him through 3rd level. He is an unregistered quarter horse cross. He is now retired from showing and is used as a school horse.

My next dressage mount is Bianca a Dutch/Belgium Warmblood mare. Often people say to me what a beautiful horse she is and I often reply " as beautiful on the inside as out". She was imported from the Netherlands when she was 3 years old. My generous parents purchased her shortly after her arrival as "green broke" and then she spent much time in training with both Jim and Sharon. I feel blessed to have had Bianca in my life. She has taught me an enormous amount of how to ride a horse. She has been a great source of joy for me.

Another horse that I now compete with is Vicky De. She is a thoroughbred that my parents also bred. She was suppose to be the "runner" and was trained for racing in Florida and then here in Michigan. It was determined after her first race that she would not stay sound long if she continued. So she was brought home to my parents. Later that year she came up to Rowe's and I started playing with her. She has done pretty well and in 2001 earned my last needed 3rd level score for my bronze medal.

Something I learned a very long time ago is that dressage can not be done "alone". Now I ride almost every day under the watchful eye's of Jim, Sharon and Tracy. It is nice to know that you are not going to get too far astray in that errors can be corrected reasonably soon.

Lastly I can not ever thank my parents enough for their support. Not only did they allow me to have horses, by building a barn and fence area at home, but they have always supported my education and training through the years. They have always been there for me in every way possible.

• 1st Place Prix St. George BWP All Breeds -1997
• 1st Place Intermediare I BWP All Breeds - 1999
• 1st Place Intermediare I BWP All Breeds - 2000
• MDA Open Intermediare I Reserve Champion -2000
• High % FEI AHAM II 1999
• High % FEI Freestyle Showtime 2000

• MDA Open 3rd Level 4th Place 2001