Advertisement
Barbara is an FEI dressage competitor, trainer, and instructor who has brought over 30 years of experience to training and competing horses from USDF Training level through FEI Grand Prix. Earning her USDF Gold, Silver and Bronze medals as well as her USDF Gold and Silver Freestyle Medals, Barbara continues to seek out and provide excellent levels of education to horse and rider.As an active competitor, Barb has studied and competed in Euroswhpe under the tutelage of four-time Olympic gold medal winner, Nicole Uphoff-Selke, and is working towards representing her country internationally. While in Germany for 3 years, Barbara trained and competed through Grand Prix while riding as Nicole’s assistant.
Barbara began her FEI career as a young rider, winning a team bronze in the 1985 North American Young Rider’s Championships. She continued this training with Scott Hassler, USEF National Young Horse Dressage Coach. She was the Assistant trainer at Hilltop Farm in Colora, MD from 1990 to 2003. After her return from Germany in 2005, Barbara established her own business, Barbara Strawson, LLC.
She is currently managing her own facility, in Clarksburg, MD. As well as being an active clinician herself, Barbara hosts International clinician Nicole Uphoff-Selke, George Williams (who she also trains with in FL) as well as others.
Through her European based training, degree in Psychology from the University of Delaware and her certification in Balimo™, Barbara exceeds the expectations and the varying training needs of both her riders and horses by providing each the necessary tools to achieve their goals.
Barbara's skills and sensitivity allow her to bring out the potential in a variety of horse types and personalities. In addition, her philosophy, that each client is an individual with a unique learning style, results in her ability to help each horse and client to connect to the power of their own potential.
In addition to being an experienced trainer and instructor, Barbara co-authored My Riding Goals Journal and contributed to Equestrian Education. Both books are dedicated to improving personal performance in riding and instruction methods. She has also written or been featured in several articles for horse publications such as Dressage Today Magazine.
Competitive highlights include winning several regional championships and reserve championships as well as placing 3rd in the Grand Prix Freestyle and 7th in the Intermediare 1 at the US Dressage Finals, aboard Ivan, owned by the Stables of Rolling Ridge, and Barossa, owned by Carol Herron, respectively. In 2019, Barbara’s first year showing her own, Heinemann SBG, they capped off the season being 8th in the National standings for the USDF Horse of the Year awards at second level and 4th in the Hanoverian All Breed Awards at Second Level. In 2021 Heinemann shone on the FL circuit winning most of his classes at the Global Dressage Festival and White Fences with scores up to 75%.
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
406 Elrod Rd, Bowling Green, KY, United States
