Gerri Lewis

Dressage Coach

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Geraldine Lewis, but everyone just calls me Gerri. The following is the highlights about me the coach, trainer, rider, competitor and all-round horse lover.

I began riding in 1975 at the age of 10, after years of pestering my parents that I wanted to learn how to ride.

My dad says it all started when my uncle put me on one of his mules when I was 3 years old.

The farm I rode at was Redstone Farm in Richmond Hill, Ontario. I just loved it and couldn't wait for the next lesson. In the spring of 1979 I asked my mom if I could start part-boarding, so I could ride more than once a week in a lesson. I was more than confident enough to ride on my own. I also wanted to compete in some of the horse shows they had at the barn, so being able to ride on my own would prepare me more for them. My mom said yes, so I started to part board one of the school horses named Cariba.

No one really seemed to like this horse. He had a few tricks that would put people in the dirt. He would gallop off for no reason then stop suddenly, spin around to the other direction and leave the rider behind and he got out of jumping by stopping at the fence and letting the rider do the jump without him. Looking back now he was not what I would have called a very good school horse, but boy did he teach me how to have a very good seat.

In the beginning of 1982 I joined the Redstone Pony Club which was a branch of the Canadian Pony Club. I tested that spring for my D2 level.

In the fall of 1982 I bought Cariba from Redstone Farm after the death of the farm owner Kuni Von Rothenstien. We had formed a good partnership and I just had to have him.

Also when I was 17 years old I started to ride other horses for people. I was averaging 5 horses a day to ride including my own horse. This was so good for my riding and I learned so much. Every horse was different, so I had to adapt to each one. One of the best horses I rode was a mare trained to medium level dressage. I was able to ride this mare for a couple of years and learned how to do a lot of movements correctly. Ever since I started to ride other horses I always had about 2 horses to ride whether they were my own or someone else's.

Around the end of 1983, after competing in different horse shows from Eventing, Hunter/Jumper and Dressage I finally decided on Dressage. I loved the work involved and found when the horse responded correctly it was truly elegant. I just could not get enough of Dressage, I was hooked.

In the beginning of 1984 I started to teach lessons at the Redstone Farm riding school. Most of the lessons I taught were on the flat. I really enjoyed teaching what I knew to other people. In doing this I found that my own riding improved.

On Dec. 1st 1988 I bought my next horse a 3 year old Hanoverian cross gelding that wasn't backed yet. I named him Ozark.

The training of this horse wasn't going as well as planned so I sent him to a professional that I trusted to back him and get him started.

In 1989 I went into teaching lessons freelance.

The summer of 1991 I retired Cariba to a friend's farm north of Barrie.

In 1994 I decided to sell Ozark. My training of him was going well, but there was no connection between us. We were like sandpaper together. It was then I received the ride on Colby.

He might have been short only 15.1hh, but boy did he have attitude. I was able to train him in 4 years from only able to do walk, trot and canter to competing in the Prix St George and Intermediare 1 Levels.

Colby's training was going so well that I tried out for Dressage team for the 1999 Pan American Games. I knew the chances of being able to get on the team riding a 15.1hh Quarter horse were very slim. But in doing this it opened many doors for me. I was given the opportunity on a few occasions to ride with top coaches from Europe without having to travel to Europe.

I the late spring of 1999 I became a Pony Club Tester at the D-2 Level.

In March of 1999 I bought Rufus, an 11 year old 17hh Rheinlander gelding. I was only able to compete with him at Basic 2 and 3 in a few shows, because on Nov. 29th of that same year I tragically lost him due to colic.

On Dec. 1st 2000 I bought a 17hh 5 year old Hanoverian whose registered name is Tristram, but I've renamed him Curzon. When I bought him he was very green and could walk, trot and barely canter.

As of Jan. of 2004 I became an EC certified Level 1 Coach.