Dancing Horse Challenge Rider Biographies
Shannon Dueck
Country of Birth: USA
Residence: Florida, USA
Shannon began her riding career at the age of six on rented horses in Burnaby, British Columbia. She competed in eventing for years before turning her attention to dressage. In 1996, Shannon and Madison were long listed to the Canadian Dressage Team. During the 1999 season, Shannon and Korona won the Canadian Pan American Games Selection Trials. In Winnipeg, they were extremely competitive and, in spectacular fashion, won the Freestyle competition and claimed the individual silver medal for Canada.
In 2002, Shannon was the top placed Canadian at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, ESP, finishing in 25th place overall. She also won the Swarovski Canadian League World Cup Final and represented Canada at the 2003 World Cup Final in Göteborg, SWE. She was also part of the Canadian DressageTeam at the European Dressage Championships at Hickstead where the Canadians qualified a team for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Shannon has trained and competed many horses in the years between 2004 and 2010, but it took her 6 years to find and train her next international Grand Prix star. Currently Shannon is competing with Ayscha a 9 year old, bay Oldenburg mare.
“I feel very strongly that we all need to be proactive in the fight to cure breast cancer. I was lucky enough to get diagnosed early, but my mother and aunt were not so lucky. I am so happy to be able to be part of the Ride For Life- not only does it increase awareness of breast cancer, but the funds raised will go towards the my dream of helping every woman get an early diagnosis, as well as finding cures for everyone diagnosed with this terrifying disease.”
Jane Hannigan
Country of Birth: USA
Residence: Massachusetts, USA
Jane Hannigan is from Harvard, MA. She has always ridden horses but became addicted to the power and beauty of dressage at 15, focusing there ever since. She represented the US at the World Cup with her long time dance partner, Maksymilian. The reason she loves the Ride for Life is because it helps generate money of course but it truly brings awareness to people that breast cancer is still a real fight, and as a community through horses we can keep people involved with the fight for life. Her Grandmother had breast cancer back in the dark ages and it almost took her life. Today because of fund raising for research, her level of care would have been very different. Now people can hope for a cure, but we are not there yet. With every penny donated we can get a molecule closer to a cure. She is proud to ride for every woman’s life!
Jane and Mak have had an illustrious career with multiple successes at Grand Prix and continued hopes for Olympic contention.
Bent Jensen
Country of Birth: Denmark
Residence: Florida, USA
For more than 20 years, Bent Jensen’s name has been synonymous with upper level dressage in Europe and the United States. He competed as an Olympian on the Danish Team in Barcelona and has made his mark in the Grand Prix dressage world with a string of successes in CDIs from New England to Florida.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Bent started his formal training at the age of seven. As an adult, he trained for more than five years with his mentor, Lis Hartel, two-time Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion of Denmark. Bent is now a US citizen and lives in Wellington, Florida.
In the United States, Bent is known for his no-nonsense approach to training both horses and riders. He works consistently on solid basics with the eventual goal of developing every horse and rider to his or her fullest potential.
Bent’s Involvement with Breast Cancer: Bent has been a supporter of the breast cancer cause for many years having been touched by watching many friends battle with this disease. He has also ridden multiple times in the US quadrille for the Challenge of the Americas, a breast cancer charity event, held each winter in Wellington.
Julio Mendoza
Country of Birth: Ecuador
Residence: Maryland, USA
Julio Mendoza is an FEI International Trainer and Instructor, a USDF Silver Medalist and is proud to be training at The Stables at Rolling Ridge, LLC. Julio has been training horses for over 19 years in dressage, driving, keurings , inspections, trick training and jumping. He has competed in the International Cup held in South America 5 years in a row always placing in the top 5. In 2007 he finished 3rd at the SA Rolex with his 8 year old Hanoverian Gelding, Gramero.
Born Julio Cesar Mendoza Loor in 1979 in Empalme, Ecuador, Julio was reared in the world of horses and is descended from a great equine-training family. His great- grandfather, Eduardo Carranza, was a professional horse trainer in Spain. His maternal grandfather, Bienvenido Loor, was a renowned horse trainer in Colombia, South America. Both of these men had a great impact on the young Julio. They recognized his gift and acknowledged his dream of someday becoming a professional trainer himself, and they nurtured his aspirations. They frequently offered him advice and tips on riding and handling horses and always encouraged him to follow his dream.
Julio remembers his grandfather telling him, “When training your horse all the movements of dressage, always remember it is like dancing. As the horse is your dance partner, always dance with your horse.”The young Julio took this advice to heart, and has always seen himself and his mount as partners.
Michael Barisone
Country of Birth: USA
Residence: New Jersey, USA
Michael Barisone is a regular participant at the top levels of national and international dressage. He has been in the elite dressage spotlight since his USDF Junior/Young Rider days and is a welcome addition to Ride For Life’s annual fundraising event to take place at Prince Georges Equestrian Center. Mr. Barisone, a USDF Gold, Silver and Bronze medalist, has been on United States international teams since 1991. Along with his wife Vera Kessels-Barisone, he runs a successful dressage training business based in New Jersey and Florida.
Silva Martin
Country of Birth: Germany
Residence: Pennsylvania, USA
Ms. Martin, originally from New South Wales, Australia, now makes her base at Phillip Dutton’s True Prospect Farm in West Grove, Pennsylvania. There she trains and teaches amateurs and professionals alike. She also has a number of horses in training for dressage. As a result of spending 7 years in Germany in training, she has become a licensed riding instructor and has achieved “Bereiter” status. Ms. Martin is currently training with Jessica Ransehousen in Pennsylvania and Michael Barsone in Florida.
She has competed in dressage as well as in eventing, where she “attracted the attention of the eventing crowd, including world-class competitors Phillip Dutton and Jan Byyny” (Heintzberger, Silva Martin Dressage).
Silva has enjoyed much success in American dressage competitions, including the Championship for Four-year old horses at Dressage at Devon in 2007 (FS Tiger Lily), Reserve Champion for Five-year old horses at Dressage at Devon in 2008 (FS Tiger Lily), Training Level Reserve Champion at the Colonel Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Championships (CBLM) Finals in 2008 on Wasabi Rosa, Prix St. Georges at the Wellington Classis in 2009 on Prosecco, second and third in Fourth Level at Dressage at Devon in 2009 on Sea Lord. Silva and Comet V won the Reserve Championship at the CBLM Dressage Championships and placed third with Jeff the Chef in the Intermediaire Championship in 2009.
This will be Silva’s first year riding in the Dancing Horse Challenge although she is no stranger to the Ride for Life licensed competition, having shown in previous years.
Dutch Chapman
Country of Birth: USA
Residence: Pennsylvania, USA
Dutch Chapman originally got interested in showing horses after he watched a show from the side lines. He made his show ring debut in 1985 and has been racking up the wins ever since. Eventually his focus turned solely to the sport of reining and he has left an indelible mark on the sport.
With lifetime earnings nearing $91,000, Chapman is also a two-time NRHA World Champion. His first big win came in 1990 aboard Smoke And Lightning, when they won the Limited Open championship. Dutch earned his second World Championship in 1992 aboard Tiny Money Miss in the Novice Horse Open division.
This multi-talented trainer has been the NRBC Limited Open Derby Reserve Champion and the Carolina Classic Limited Open Derby Reserve Champion. He has also been a finalist at the NRHA Derby Futurity and the All-American Quarter Horse Congress Futurity.
Chapman has ridden to and coached his clients and assistant trainers to more than 60 NRHA Top-Ten finishes, 45 World and Reserve World Championships, which have been spread among every division that NRHA offers. This group has earned more than $3,000,000 in NRHA competition. He has also coached two Rookie of the Year winners!
Martin Audet
Country of Birth: Canada
Residence: North Carolina, USA
Martin Audet started riding reining horses when he was 14. He has a degree in Equine Science from La Pocatiere in Quebec where he was trained in all equine disciplines. After college, he started his professional reining career with Rejean Levesque, a well–known Canadian trainer, breaking colts and showing horses.
In 2003 he moved to North Carolina and began working with Mike McEntire. Audet started showing horses on the national level with Mike McEntire at National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) competitions. He has been very successful in the show pen with over $20,000 in life time earnings.
Highlights of his career include the 2005 Limited Open Reserve World Champion on A Poco Nic Chick. In 2007 Audet won the VRHA Limited Open Derby on Che Bellarima. In 2008, on Cash My Brudders Chex, he won the renowned ABI Limited Open Derby at the Carolina Classic. In addition to showing futurity and derby horses, Audet enjoys coaching and training non-pro riders.
Vitor Silva and Sons of the Wind
Country of Birth: Portugal
Residence: Massachusetts, USA
Vitor Silva, a native of Portugal, realized at a very young age that in order to achieve function with lightness and harmony there needed to be complete understanding between horse and rider. His studies, combined with his great passion for the horse, helped him develop a remarkable ability and finesse in communicating with his equine partners with the aim of becoming living art in motion.
Prompted by the need for a riding school in the east, Vitor established Sons of the Wind, School of Equestrian Arts, now located in Merrimac, MA. This full service training facility and school provides every rider, from recreational to competitive, a venue in which to expand their abilities in a progressive manner on equine schoolmasters, trained by Vitor, many of which perform to the Grand Prix level.
Recently appearing in the instructor spotlight (Feb 2006) of Dressage Today magazine, riders can see that Vitor’s training and teaching is grounded in his philosophy that the best teachers are the horses. Whether from in-hand work, under saddle or on long-lines, Vitor teaches his students that while masters or trainers can share their knowledge and explain the technical aspects of riding, each rider must open themselves to feel the horse’s movements, responses and needs. Ultimately, Vitor strives to develop this intuitive feeling in his students so that harmony between horse and rider can be achieved.
Vitor and his Sons of the Wind will be returning to the 2011 Ride for Life, reprising their fantastic acts performed in 2010.
KYB Dressage
Residence: Illinois, USA
Kim and Yvonne Barteau comprise KYB Dressage based in Maple Park, Illinois. Both members of this husband and wife team are career horse trainers with a unique and diverse skill set between them.
Yvonne spent seven years on the racetrack and has done everything from team penning to driving Standardbred race horses to Grand Prix Dressage as well as her years in the horse entertainment business. Yvonne currently focuses on FEI training and instruction, is a USDF Gold medalist and holds her USDF Gold Freestyle Bars. She has trained numerous horses and riders to a variety of year-end awards, regional championships and USDF All Breed Awards. She has competed at the USET Festival of Champions in Gladstone, NJ and has won FEI classes at prestigious competitions such as Dressage at Devon.
Kim Barteau started in the Arabian industry and has won National titles in Western Pleasure as well as being the Head Trainer at the Arabian Nights Dinner Theatre in Orlando, Florida, for over ten years. He has worked his Liberty exhibitions on the TODAY show, at Madison Square Gardens and in Equitana.
PVDA is delighted that the Barteaus will be returning to this year’s Ride For Life to reprise their breath-taking performances of 2010.
