Jürgen and Jennifer Hoffmann, together with Susan Walker mounted on Facet after the final awards ceremony at the USEF Junior Dressage Team Championships.

This was a year of hopes and dreams for mentor and protégée, Jennifer Hoffmann and Susan Walker. Under the watchful eye of Jürgen Hoffmann, the pair, whose relationship sometimes appears sisterly in nature, and at others that of teacher-student, worked hard to qualify for their respective USEF Championships and to be recognized amongst their respective Top 12 horse/rider combinations in the United States. Remarkably, both achieved their goals.

For 2004, Jennifer competed Herzberg and Petit Danseur at PSG/Intermediaire-1 and Pik’s Pride at 4th Level, and Susan began riding and competing Facet, a 17 year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion at 3rd and 4th Level and in the FEI Junior Tests.

Jennifer and Susan trained together at home, with Jennifer demonstrating the focus and planning needed to prepare a horse to reach competition in peak form without over-stressing him or losing his freshness. Susan proved an apt pupil. Susan and Facet qualified for and were undefeated entering the USEF Junior Dressage Team Championships, and had multiple High Point Awards to their credit, including DG Bar, the Dressage Affaire and the Del Mar National Horse Show. Jennifer was equally successful, with Pik’s Pride having a long run of wins and High Point Awards at 4th Level, and Herzberg ranking 13th in the USEF Qualifiers for the Festival of Champions, with only a 0.14 separation between him and the 12th place horse. Jennifer did qualify for the for the USEF Festival of Champions with Petit Danseur by dominating the Rancho Murieta CDI*** with a 1st in the Intermediaire-1 and a 2nd in the Prix St. Georges, and then stepping up the pace at the second qualifier of the year by winning all 3 classes (Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire-1 and Musical Freestyle) at the Dressage Affaire. This was one of Jennifer’s happiest moments of the year, because in addition to the wins, she was also given the “Most Classical Rider Award” by the judging panel, Dr. Volker Moritz (GER), Hilda Gurney (USA) and Jessica Ransenhausen (USA). Choosing Jennifer as the winner made her proud, showing the classical way of riding as taught in Germany is still the world’s best, and validating her 12 years of hard work in Germany along with the consistent coaching she receives from her German husband, Jürgen Hoffmann.

The USEF Festival of Champions was an entirely new experience for both Jennifer and Georgia Griffiths’ Petit Danseur. Things were serious there, with the tension from the concomitant Olympic Selection Trials clearly in evidence even though they did not pertain to Jennifer and Petit Danseur. Fellow Olympian dressage competitors eased the pressure, however, by taking the time to express words of encouragement and words of wisdom to Jennifer not only regarding the USEF Trials, but also with regard to her goals. This was particularly helpful, because Petit Danseur had some difficulty settling into the tight quarters of the stabling area, and that made him nervous and then a little tired for the first part of the Prix St. Georges. However, with many walks and relaxation exercises, they were able to get back on track and ride a strong Freestyle, earning a 71%, which moved them up into 8th overall.

“I learned a lot about my horse, which will help me in the future for other USEF Championships and in international competition. Yes, I wish I could have done a little better, but the experience was once in a lifetime and the friends I made will last for a lifetime. I also think I will be better prepared for the goals I am looking towards for the future. We will continue to work hard and every day will bring us just a little closer to our dream of earning a spot on the United States Equestrian Team.”

Susan and Facet went to the USEF Junior Dressage Championships July 8 – 11 in Pebble Beach, and found themselves in the middle of an event that felt bigger than anything in their wildest dreams. Sanctioned by the US Olympic Committee as an official Junior Olympic event, the girls faced media coverage (television and print) under the watchful eye of Chef d’Equipe Charlotte Bredahl, and enjoyed a bevy of planned activities that included a trail ride on the beach on rental horses. FEI Vet Mike Tomlinson hosted a jog clinic for the girls (who had been divided up into teams), and then the fun began. Susan said that the atmosphere was one of total support—all the girls were friendly to each other, but as the competition drew near, the teams drew closer together. Riding for Team Liberty, Susan placed 5th on the warm-up day, and then 6th on the first day of competition. Susan felt she was capable of better, and was discouraged with her standings. Jennifer, drawing on her experience from the USEF Festival of Champions, gave Susan a pep talk to place things in perspective and then carefully analyzed Susan’s test and the judges’ comments with her, and together they made plans for the following day. A strong test on Sunday resulted in a 3rd, and moved Susan into position for an Individual Bronze Medal as well as helping to assure Team Liberty of the Junior Olympic Team Gold Medal.

Jennifer did not rest on her laurels, either. A mere 3 weeks after the Festival of Champions, Petit Danseur moved up to Intermediaire-2 at the Pebble Beach Dressage Show with scores of 71% and 72% and the Open FEI High Point Award, and Pik’s Pride debuted at Prix St. Georges, winning the Prix St. Georges High Point Perpetual Trophy. She also swept the Pebble Beach CDI*** at Prix St. Georges/Intermediaire-1/Freestyle with Herzberg, which also earned them the CDI*** High Point Perpetual Trophy that had been awarded to Leslie Morse and Kingston in 2003.

In addition to Jennifer and Susan’s competition dreams, Jennifer and Jürgen have 6 promising youngsters that have just begun their undersaddle work, and they continue to work with their amateur riders of all levels of ambition and ability, from those who only seek improvement for improvement’s sake to those eager to compete. They have openings for additional training clients, and Jennifer is currently accepting 1 or 2 more junior riders to take under her wing.