An international dressage star who has spent almost two decades in top-level competition, Shelly Francis is a gifted rider and trainer of top dressage horses. Nurturing confidence in her horses through a systematic process, whether at home at Roundabout Farm in Loxahatchee, or at an international competition, she feels especially encouraged when a top European rider compliments her on a horse’s training. Since the early 2000s, Francis has teamed with horse owner Patricia Stempel and consistently scores in the highest rankings throughout the national and international circuits. In 1996, Francis was selected as an alternate for the Atlanta Olympics. The next year, she and her mount, Pikant, won the U.S. Dressage Federation’s Grand Prix Champion Horse of the Year. In 1998, Francis competed at the World Equestrian Games in Rome and, in 2005, took her horse, Dominion, to the top six in the U.S. team rankings. For the last three years, she competed on the international CDI European Tour circuit with mounts Doktor and Danilo, finding success in the show ring and landing her at the top of the U.S. rankings. She will continue to compete this season, looking to be invited to compete at the World Cup in Paris.
