Hilda's Story: From Backyard Lessons to the Olympic Podium on a $1K Thoroughbred

Hilda Gurney's riding journey began in Woodland Hills, where she took her first lessons at the barn right next door to her childhood home. After just a few lessons, her passion ignited, and she soon saved enough babysitting money to buy her first horse, an off-the-track Thoroughbred named Grand Jury. With him, she honed her skills foxhunting with the local club.

Tragically, Grand Jury broke his leg a year later while crossing a riverbank and had to be put down.

Undeterred, Hilda bought her next horse, a 15.2h OTTB named Flag's Elf. She began training at the Foxfield Riding School with Jo Ann Postel and Nancy Turrill, focusing on hunters and eventing. It was through eventing that Hilda was introduced to dressage—a discipline that quickly captured her focus and became her lifelong devotion.

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Hilda (far left), Edith Master, Dorthy Morkis receiving the Team Bronze Medal for

dressage at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games Team in Bromont, Quebec, Canada.

Flag's Elf

Hilda's growing interest in dressage soon paid significant dividends in her eventing career. In 1969, she and Flag's Elf shocked the equestrian world by winning the National Advanced Eventing Championship, leaving Olympians like Jimmy Wofford and Mike Plumb behind.

Reflecting on that pivotal win, Wofford recalled:

I finished in fourth place, Mike Plumb in second and third, and a cute young girl from California named Hilda Gurney was first...You could only go so fast on cross-country day, and only jump so clean in the final show jumping phase, but you could always get better in dressage. The news was slow to reach the United States but Hilda was showing us the way. I was not sorry to learn later that she had moved on to a spectacular career in the Grand Prix dressage world; I already had enough competition without Hilda and Flag's Elf, who would usually be close to the lead after dressage.

Jimmy Wofford - Still Crazy After All These Years

Keen and the Road to the Olympics

In 1968, the year everything changed, Hilda discovered Keen in a cow pasture. A 26-year-old schoolteacher, she saw spectacular potential in the large, hot-tempered Thoroughbred, even after he bucked her off twice. Keen (originally named Willoughby) was three years old and deemed too big for the racetrack's starting gate. For a mere $1,000, she took a chance on the unlikely prospect, changing his name to Keen—believing his registered name was "too cocky sounding.

Training and Early Dominance (1969 – 1975)

"Really, really hot" and brimming with energy, Keen proved a difficult student. Early on, he would only perform a highly collected passage or simply leap, and it took two months just to teach him a normal trot. With elite dressage instruction scarce, Hilda's commitment knew no limits. She educated herself by reading everything available and then spent years trailering Keen six times across the country—from California to the East Coast—for specialized help from experts like Franz Rochowanksy and Swedish Olympian Bengt Ljungquist. The dedication paid off. Under her guidance, Keen swiftly dominated the sport, earning the first of five USDF Horse of the Year titles at the International levels by 1974. The following year, the pair secured their place as serious contenders by winning Individual Silver and Team Gold at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City.

The First Olympic Games (1976)

Selected for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Hilda and Keen entered the arena as complete unknowns to the powerful European dressage establishment. Their ride was historic: they placed fourth individually in the Grand Prix and, critically, their performance was the backbone of the U.S. team winning the Team Bronze Medal. This was the first Olympic medal for U.S. Dressage since 1948. Their improbable journey proved that a combination of talent, dedication, even on an unlikely $1,000 Thoroughbred, could achieve the highest level of the sport.

Hilda and Keen at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. © Elisabeth Weiland

Individual silver winners, Hilda and Keen, at the 1975 Pan American Games.

U.S.A. Team Bronze victory gallop. Left to right: Hilda Gurney, Edith Master, Dorthy

Morkis. 1976 Montreal Olympic Games Team in Bromont, Quebec, Canada.

Maker of Champions

Hilda Gurney is renowned for her meticulous attention to detail and her extraordinary ability to unlock the full potential of both her horses and her students. Her training philosophy has shaped generations of American dressage excellence, guiding numerous riders to the very top of the sport.

Legacy of Success

Among the many riders Hilda has mentored through the FEI levels, her most notable students include:

Debbie McDonald: A seven-time Olympic medalist and one of the most decorated equestrian athletes in U.S. Olympic history.
Charlotte Bredahl-Baker: A two-time Olympic medalist (Individual Bronze and Team Silver).
Kathleen Raine: A four-time U.S. National Champion and member of the U.S. Equestrian Team at the World Equestrian Games and Olympics.
David Wightman: A two-time U.S. National Champion and U.S. Equestrian Team competitor at the World Equestrian Games and Olympics.
Mike Osinski: A respected USEF "S" Dressage and FEI 5* Judge, approved to the USDF L Program Faculty, known for his vast experience in judging, teaching, and riding education.

Beyond these international stars, Hilda has trained countless riders and horses, helping her students earn their USDF medals and win prestigious state, national, and international championships. She remains a true pioneer of the sport and continues to inspire and develop the next generation of dressage riders and horses.

Keenridge student Adrienne Bessey wins 2 of 3 Perpetual Trophies at the 2014 US Dressage Finals

Keenridge sweeps the xx and xx divisionss at the 20xx xx show.

Visit the Keenridge Riders page to learn more about our current students their accomplishments under Hilda.

Click on an Image to read about Hilda's CDS Horse of the Year Winners

Keen

Willy the Great

Lavania

Leonidis

Iris

Lottasilver

Wintersnow

Beyond the Arena: Leader, Judge, and USDF Hall of Famer

Hilda Gurney's impact on the sport extends far beyond her competitive career. In 2007, her outstanding contributions as a competitor, trainer, instructor, breeder, international judge, speaker, and leader were recognized with her induction into the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Roemer Hall of Fame.

Competitive Highlights

Her distinguished competition record established her as a pioneer of U.S. dressage:

Olympic Team Bronze Medal (1976)
Four Pan American Games Gold Medals (Individual in 1975, Team in 1975, 1979, and 1983)
One Pan American Games Silver Medal (Individual in 1979)
Six USET National Grand Prix Championships (1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984)
33 USDF Horse of the Year titles

Leadership and Influence

Beyond the arena, Hilda has dedicated herself to growing the sport through numerous leadership roles. She has served as a speaker at annual conventions and symposiums, chaired the USDF Sport Horse Committee, and contributed as a member of the Judges Committee and Test Writing Subcommittee. Today, she continues to serve on the USEF Dressage Committee.