Dressage Competitor And Trainer Allison Kavey Brings A Fresh
Outlook To Riders Of All Disciplines
When Allison Kavey first made the trip to Wellington in 2002, she couldn’t have dreamed what the world’s winter equestrian capital would come to mean to her. Kavey first visited the Florida winter season with Uwe Steiner in Venice, and then came to Wellington to work with Bent Jensen the following year.
The Wellington horse community, packed full of top-tier trainers and horses from all corners of the world, offered enormous opportunities to her in both the business and competitive sense.
“Uwe Steiner was an amazing trainer, and I’m so glad I had the chance to work with him while he was alive,” Kavey said. “Much of my [training] foundation is due to Uwe. But I needed to be exposed to a much more competitive atmosphere to learn how to really show. The horse show opportunities and the atmosphere of Wellington were so different from Venice, which was very laid back. I just love it here. It is absolutely exciting and inspiring. In this country, you just don’t have the opportunity to watch riding like this very often.”
When she was able to return to the Florida season in 2015, Kavey quickly came to realize how many unique opportunities existed in Wellington. She was especially excited about the chance to watch top professionals of other disciplines compete — all of them existing just a few minutes from each other.
“It was so cool to go to the show and watch some of the best hunters and jumpers in the country, because I also like to train young hunters and jumpers,” Kavey explained. “I work with quite a few riders of other disciplines, so it was really nice to get to see their work as well. Any good rider is somebody I want to learn from and talk to. I enjoy the specificity of the hunter question. If dressage is 26 questions in a row, all of which require extension, collection, submission and all those things, hunters have to answer one question perfectly 12 times. It’s an amazing thing, we ask these horses to make the same shape from the same step over very different obstacles. It’s a real privilege to watch the very best of equestrian sport no matter the discipline.”
Kavey’s passion for the artistry of the sport and her desire to provide the best possible care and training to the horses in her management is central to her business and training philosophy. With those principles as a driving force, Kavey and Andrea Woodner founded Rivendell Dressage Inc. in 2007, and it has since grown into a prominent dressage training and sales entity in Millbrook, N.Y., and Loxahatchee.
Kavey offers a unique training experience through her extensive teaching skills in and out of the arena and her ability to impart the foundational skills of dressage to riders of all levels and disciplines. Whether she is bringing a young horse up the levels, helping a high-level dressage rider fine-tune skills or guiding a hunter rider to improve a horse’s balance, her commitment to honesty and integrity are what drive her to help others.
Kavey has spent the last decade working with Bettina Drummond to improve her artistry and technique, which brought her to the Grand Prix ring with QueBa HM. She also works with Allison Brock and Lee Tubman to improve her ring technique and enhance her understanding of dressage sport. Citha’s Utopia, a 14-year-old KWPN mare owned by Andrea Woodner, was the Region 8 Intermediate II reserve champion last year, as well as earning fourth place in the Grand Prix freestyle at the regional championship. The mare competed in the CDI medium tour at the end of January at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, and Kavey plans to move her up to the CDI Grand Prix after gaining a bit more practice in national level tests.
Her goal this year is to qualify for the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions at the Grand Prix level. Her second top mount, Cacharel, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare also owned by Woodner, has successfully competed in the Intermediate II with an upward trajectory into Grand Prix work. Kavey also has a bright string of young horses and client horses competing in the national ring this winter.
“I’ve been based in Wellington for the winter for the last six years, and it’s amazing,” Kavey said. “Last week, I grabbed the chance to watch the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special. The quality of the horses and riding is incredible, and I only have to drive 20 minutes to see it. There are other excellent CDIs, but they only last a few days. And when I’m at the show riding, I’m focused on my horses and do not get to really focus on watching and learning from others. Because there are so many competition weeks here, I make the time to watch. Then I can really pay attention, take notes, and come home and apply it right away. It’s awesome.”
To get the best of both worlds and serve her clients appropriately, Kavey spends the winter season in Wellington and the rest of the year in Millbrook, N.Y. Conveniently located only a few miles from the AGDF facilities in Wellington and White Fences in Loxahatchee, Rivendell Dressage offers full and half-training packages, sales services, clinics and lessons at top-of-the-line stables. Kavey takes pride in her one-on-one approach to horse care and nurturing healthy and happy athletes.
“Integrity and honesty matter to me more than anything else,” Kavey said. “I like to bring a sense of humor to the ring, and if it’s something a client enjoys, I’ll use it a little more. I don’t think people have to compete. If you love competing, that’s great, but if you want to just ride your horse and learn, I’m absolutely happy to help you with that. You can love your horse and the sport all the same.”
Learn more about Allison Kavey at www.rivendelldressage.com.
