Imagine a time when there were no computers or internet. When most of the Bay Area was made up of agriculture, with wide open spaces, and backyard stables filled with horses, even in Atherton and Palo Alto. Woodside and Portola Valley were practically the wild west, with one story ranch houses and small stables dotting the landscape. Into this rural setting, picture a small group of people intent on fostering the art and sport of dressage, something as foreign at that time as carrying a phone in your back pocket.
Perpetual Trophies
Learn more about the SFP Chapter’s rich history of perpetual trophies, awarded each year at our annual show.
Meet the Board
Nan Meek
I started riding when I was eight years old, on my uncle’s old ranch horse which he gifted to my family. Western dressage was not yet a thing! I became interested in dressage as a teenager, after reading the books of Colonel Alois Podhajsky, the legendary Director of the Spanish Riding School. His books inspired my lifelong interest in dressage and my love of Lipizzaner horses.
Gigi Noerr
I started riding as a teenager after watching re-runs of Mr. Ed. I thought it was so funny that the horse could talk, and it made me want to learn how to ride, and possibly talk with horses. Unfortunately none of my lesson horses said anything, at least not in words! I was introduced to Dressage in my 20s by a friend who owned an upper level horse. The movements were so amazing and seemed effortless, something I came to realize takes years of training to achieve, if at all.
Pragati Sharma
I've cherished a deep love for horses and farm animals since my toddler days. Fast forward to the present, I take immense pride in supporting my teenage daughter's learning journey in dressage and 3-day eventing. I am especially proud that she has earned her USDF Bronze medal, and her determination to continue growing is truly inspiring.
Michele Deluna
I started riding when I was 7 years old, taking lessons out of a barn in Daly City. In my teenage years I was an eventer. I was training at a barn where Leslie Morse was the dressage coach and because of her became hooked on the sport. I have been training with her and Kelly Casey since.
Kari Browne
I started riding when I was 5 years old. There was a stable down the road from our house and I took weekly lessons. My first experience with dressage was as an eventer in my early twenties, where it was more of a necessary evil to get to the jumping. When my last event horse developed arthritis and was unable to jump, I switched to dressage full time as I was seeing the positive impact it was making on my riding and my horses.
Katrina Lotti
I started riding horses when I was 5 years old. My first introduction to dressage was competing in 3-day eventing when I was 9. I became interested in dressage after seeing Hilda Gurney’s clinics at the Stanford equestrian center, which were truly inspirational. I started focusing on dressage in the late 80’s after I graduated from college.
Claudia Deffenbaugh
I started riding at 7 years old. There was a barn near our home and I took lessons once a week on school horses until I got my own horse at 12 years old. I had no experience with dressage until I met Judy McNames in the late 80’s and started taking lessons with her in Montara. I was in my 40’s at that point. I still jumped but began to enjoy the skill and discipline required in dressage and as I was getting older there was less chance of breaking my neck. I plan on riding my century ride in dressage this summer. I hope to do a pas de deux with my daughter.
Luci & Lily Bacon
We grew up loving horses because they were my Moms favorite animal when she was a kid. As soon as we were old enough we started going to riding summer camps and then began taking lessons at a barn in Menlo Park when we were seven. We started riding and competing in the sport of dressage when we were eleven. Seeing all the videos of Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro we were so enamored by the harmony between horse and rider, we knew it was the sport for us.
Contact Us
All fields required.
