Laura Parker and Dee Dee Cooke have enjoyed a relationship of over four decades with each having over 50 years of experience. Although they have landed in different disciplines – Dressage and Hunter/Jumpers, they realized when sharing information from collective experiences that they are speaking the same language.
This is the first book in an ongoing series on horses, riding and horsecare. The following chapters are our offering to you as guidance and support to provide a path to success.
Laura A. Parker has been dedicated to horse care, handling and training since co-managing a local barn at the age of 15. A serious student, for multiple years she had the opportunity to ride in clinics with international trainers such as Franz Rochowansky, chief rider of the Spanish Riding School, and Eicke Von Veltheim, International Grand Prix trainer and competitor. To date, she still takes advantage of opportunities to study with skilled Dressage trainers.
By age twenty-six Laura had been assistant to an FEI Dressage trainer for 7 years, had attained her BA in Fine Arts and Psychology and was teaching and managing the riding facility at Pace University. She soon joined the faculty as Director of Riding and Assistant Director of Equine Studies. Simultaneously she earned her Masters Degree in Education from NYU, focusing on Motor Learning and Kinesiology. In 2000 her passion for detail in care and training led to the construction of her own ‘sanctuary barn’ in Patterson NY, Inner Circle Farm. “...A place where I can offer horses and riders privacy and patience in discovering what they need.” She has put together a team of professionals from sports medicine veterinarians to physiotherapist to farriers who willingly communicate with each other about a horse, giving that animal the best chance to heal, advance or just be comfortable. “Learning is ongoing for a true horseperson” she states.
About Authors, cont.
DEE DEE COOKE
Dee Dee Cooke has been a familiar face on the horse show scene in New York, Connecticut, Virginia, and Florida for the last five decades. Her students have brought home multiple championships and reserve championships in the Hunter, Jumper and Equitation rings. Dee Dee grew up in Connecticut and New York, and was blessed to have been mentored by Frank and Wayne Carroll and Gordon Wright. Her time spent showing as both a junior and a professional is a deep part of her invaluable ongoing education. After running her family’s farm for ten years in North Salem, NY, she decided to turn full time to her passion for teaching and coaching her students both at home and at horse shows. She is truly gifted at matching horses and riders and has developed a significant network of horses and professionals. Dee Dee believes that teaching people to ride well creates a bond that lasts the life of the partnership, one that continues to deepen via the rider’s commitment to learning. She says: “Being safe and successful at this sport comes from hard work and time spent with these beings.” Dee Dee currently resides in Virginia and continues to be a freelance instructor and horse show coach.
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