What is surprising is that Kim didn't begin riding until she was 13 - and she didn't start her career as a dressage rider. Like many youngsters, Kim started off riding Western and bareback and competing in open horse shows. But her talent for both riding and training (she got her first horse when he was just a yearling) was evident even at that early stage - she won every event she entered and became bored with open shows. So she decided to move on to jumping and eventing, a decision that eventually took her to the East Coast to train with international-level eventer, Ralph Hill.

   By this time, Kim was determined to become a top rider. But the frequent injuries sustained by both horses and riders at upper level eventing caused her to once again re-think her choice of riding disciplines. "I knew that whatever I did in ridding wanted to do it at the top level." says Kim, "but when I saw how much damage jumping  at that level can cause, I realized I didn't have what it took to become a top event rider."

   Fortunately, while working with Ralph Hill, Kim also had the opportunity to work with his dressage trainer, Eika Von Velthiem. Realizing that this was a discipline in which she could go "all the way", she decided to begin intensive training in dressage with Eika.

   That was the beginning of a career that, Kim hopes, will eventually culminate in a spot on the US Olympic Team. And, if luck is with her, her chances for that certainly look good. This year Kim was one of only 12 riders in the country invited to compete at Gladstone and, this September, she and Grand Derneburg will once again compete at Devon in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediare I levels.

  Although she has another promising "trainee ",  Ragtime, a 6-year-old Westphalen gelding who will also be travelling to Devon this year as a schooling experience,  the expense of upper level competition has Kim actively looking for a financial sponsor. "I don't need a finished horse," says Kim who, unlike many international riders, trains all of her competition horses herself. "I will train the horse. I just need help meeting expenses."

   In addition to riding and training her competition horses, Kim, who lives with husband Glen, 9 -year-old daughter, Samantha, and 7-year-old son, Myles, in De Pere, Wisconsin, instructs dressage riders at training through Grand Prix levels, and trains competition dressage horses at Wisconsin Equestrian Center (See this edition's "featured stable").

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Before interviewing Kim, I asked Wisconsin Horseman subscribers what questions they had for this top-level dressage rider and instructor. Here are their questions and her replies:

Q. How do I perform a correct half-halt and how do I use it for transitions?

A. This is the most frequent question I get and the most difficult one to answer. The half-halt is used to collect and engage the horse - to bring his hind legs further under his body and to shift his weight so that he carries more of it in his hindquarters. But it is also used to say "listen to me", to prepare the horse for transitions, and to actually perform some advanced dressage maneuvers. It is a moment in time when you use your legs, seat and back to tell your horse "go" and then close your hands briefly to say "but don't go". Done correctly, this will result in the horse moving his hind legs up, "compressing" and re-balancing his body. When used for transitions, it should be applied on the stride immediately preceding the one in which you ask for the transition.

Q. How do I know if my horse is really on the bit?

A. I would suggest using a mirror to see if your horse is actually tracking up (moving his hind hooves up into or beyond the tracks made by his front hooves) and that he has his hind legs under him and not trailing out behind. Or, ask a (knowledgeable) friend or other rider to watch you ride. Some of the very best riders never ride without someone watching them, so there's no reason you should think you have to do it all by yourself. And you don't necessarily need to spend a bunch of money to have some famous clinician help you, either. Especially at the lower levels, there are a lot of knowledgeable people who are really just as capable of assisting you.

Q: How do you select a potential dressage horse?

A: The mind is really the most important thing - the horse needs to have a willing attitude. I also look for horses that are "short-coupled", that is, that have a short back, because they are easier to compress, and that do not have a thick throat latch, because a thick throat latch will make it difficult for them to come down on the bit. They also need to have clean, straight  legs, although a little toeing out or in is okay, and a good angle to the hind leg. Finally they should have 3 "pure" gaits - you don’t want a shuffly canter or a lateral walk - and an elastic stride with the ability to extend as well as an over-stride at the walk. I often hear people say that any horse or breed of horse is capable of doing dressage, but, while they may be okay at the lower levels, a lot of horses just don't have the conformation to perform upper level dressage movements, and you can't expect them to compete with horses that do. So I would say get the best that you can with the budget that you have to work with and be realistic.

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