Gay Anderson
Gay Anderson has had the opportunity to study with excellent riding instructors. She began riding seriously in 1972 in Columbus, Ohio under the tutelage of hunter/jumper trainers Harriet and Gene DeLaney at Neathery Fuller's Stillwater Farm. She also was fortunate to be introduced to dressage by Uwe and Betsey Steiner, who were trainers at Stillwater, too! While Gay was attending Greenville College, in Greenville IL, Jack built the indoor arena/stable that still continues to be the focal point of Brier Bank Farm's training facility.
Gay showed her hunter 'Fritz' in the hunter shows both in the St. Louis area, and in Columbus. She began giving lessons to local adults and children, and one student led to another.
Gay began earnestly studying dressage in about 1980, after meeting the German instructor/hunt course designer Hans Kraut from St. Louis. Hans incorporated both the hunter and dressage, and entrenched the belief that hunters and dressage horses both be trained in classical principles.
The next highly influential instructor to come into Gay's life (and barn!) was Sue Madden Mandas. Sue continued to stretch Gay's dressage skills. While Sue was there, she brought in Olympic medalist, Hilda Gurney, for a clinic. That was quite an experience at the time! Sue continued to return for clinics for several years.
Gay began showing the TB gelding, ‘Hot Gravy', training level, and eventually winning the St. Louis Dressage Society horse of the year award at 4th level several years later. Gay also had the opportunity to ride a 'schoolmaster' Lippizann stallion (trained by Karl Mikolka at Temple Farms) that taught her the 'feel' of all the upper level movements! After training Gravy to Prix St. George, she sold him, and began breeding Trakehners. In 2004 Gay and Neathery Fuller, imported the Trakehner mare, Sistine, from Germany. Sistine won her mare inspection, earned model status, and also was 2006 American Trakehner Association mare champion at the annual convention!
Gay has continued to bring in well known clinicians to study with... Thomas Ritter for 7 years, Simon Battram for 2 years, just to name a few.
In July of 2007 Gay attended a clinic in Indianapolis to ride with the Olympic champion Ed Rothkranz. Ed continues to train her in principles that he learned from the masters of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria.
Gay is currently showing her Trakehner gelding, Torcato, 2nd level, and has recently purchased a Hanoverian cross gelding, DaVinci, from Ed, that she has great hopes for!
Gay feels that her strength as an instructor lies first and foremost in her positive approach to every student and horse. There is no room in her instruction for negativity! The well being of both horse and rider is paramount, and Gay believes that all horses and riders deserve the best opportunity to further their skills. Even though Gay primarily teaches the intermediate and advanced students, she still loves working with beginners on occasion and thrills to see the joy that correct riding can bring to everyone!