Hilda's Story
Hilda Gurney took her first riding lessons as a child at the barn next door to her parent's home in rural Woodland Hills. After a few lessons Hilda begged her parents to let her buy a horse. She eventually saved up enough babysitting money to purchase a small off the track thoroughbred named Grand Jury and foxhunted him with the local hunt club. Grand Jury tragically broke his leg a while crossing a river bank and had to be put down a year later. Hida next purchased a 15.2h OTTB named Flag's Elf and began riding with Jo Ann Postel and Nancy Turrill at the Foxfield Riding School where she took up hunters and eventing. It was through eventing that Hilda was introduced to dressage and became an avid devotee.
Flag's Elf
Hilda's interest in dressage paid dividends later in her eventing career. In 1969 Hilda and Flag's Elf won the National Advanced Eventing Championship, leaving the US olympians Jimmy Wolford and Mike Plumb in the dust. Jimmy Wofford fondly remembers the event:
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
That same year Hilda discovered Keen in a cow pasture and purchased him for $2,000, even though he bucked her off twice. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Hilda's Accomplishments
In 2007 Hilda was inducted into the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Romner Hall of Fame for her outstanding contributions to the sport of dressage as a competitor, trainer, instructor, breeder, international judge, speaker, and committee leader.
Some of the highlights of Hilda's outstanding competition record in U.S. dressage include:
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Olympic team bronze medal (1976)
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Individual gold and silver medals at the Pan Am Games (1975 and 1979)
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Three team gold medals at the Pan Am Games (1975, 1979, and 1983)
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Six USET National Grand Prix Championships (1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984)
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33 USDF Horse of the Year titles
In addition to her competitive accomplishments, Hilda has also served in a number of leadership roles in the USDF. She has been a speaker at the annual convention and symposium, served as chair of the USDF Sport Horse Committee, and served as a member of the Judges Committee and Test Writing Subcommittee. She is currently a member of the USEF Dressage Committee. The full induction speech by USDF President Samuel J. Barish can be found here.
Click on an Image to read about Hilda's CDS Horse of the Year Winners
Maker of Champions
Hilda is known for her meticulous attention to detail and her ability to bring out the best in her horses and students. She has trained many of the top dressage riders in the United States including:
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Debbie McDonald: McDonald is a seven-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated equestrian athlete in U.S. Olympic history. She won individual gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and two individual silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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Charlotte Bredahl-Baker: Bredahl-Baker is a two-time Olympic medalist. She won individual bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and team silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
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Kathleen Raine: Raine is a four-time U.S. National Champion and a member of the U.S. Equestrian Team. She competed at the 2010 World Equestrian Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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David Wightman: Wightman is a two-time U.S. National Champion and a member of the U.S. Equestrian Team. He competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Mike Osinski: Mike Osinski is a USEF “S” Dressage and FEI 5* Dressage and Young Horse Judge and has been approved to the USDF L Program Faculty. Mike has vast experience in judging, teaching, and riding. He has taught a USEF "R” Dressage Judge Training program, served as a United States Pony Club examiner, and been a guest speaker at the USEF Young Dressage Horse National Championships.
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In addition to these famous students, Hilda has trained countless riders and horses through the FEI levels and helped her students achieve their USDF medals and win prestigious state, national, and international championships. She is 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.
Timeline of Hilda's Career
