teamworkdressage
at Jilba

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Jules Anderson

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Libby Anderson

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Libby Anderson and 'teamworkdressage'

Career Highlights:

* I have trained 7 horses from the ground up to Grand Prix. In addition I have coached four riders to Grand Prix. One of these rider's was my daughter, Jules, who was competing Grand Prix at the age of 18.

* I have enjoyed training dozens of horses and riders to the FEI levels in the USA and Australia. In '07 I was awarded through the success of my students, the VADA NOVA "Trainer of the Year" award.

* I have competed in and won many National and State championships in Australia, including the 1988 National Grand Prix Championship and the National Grand Prix Freestyle Championship.

* Since 1989 when we moved to the US, I have won many championships. The highlight for me was winning the Grand Prix at the CDI in Raleigh and second in the GP Freestyle.

* I earned the USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in the first few years after my husband, Jock, and I moved to the USA.

* In 1988 I earned the International FEI "C" judging license, in 1993 I was granted USEF "S" judge status and in 1994 I was promoted to FEI "I" dressage judge. Today, I am happily retired, concentrating my energy on promoting 'teamworkdressage' and my daughter, Jules.

* I was a A level judge in Australia (Grand Prix) and was active in forming the judges training program, EFA Rule Book changes and developing new dressage tests for Australia. I served two terms as Chairman on the National Dressage Council and I was on the Committee of the NSW Dressage Council for several years.

* I graduated in 1964 as a M.Agr.Sci Queensland. I have authored and co-authored many scientific articles relating to animal nutrition and I researched and wrote a much needed text on equine nutrition titled "Horse and Pony Nutrition."

* Since 1970 I have written several books. A New Horse for Marny, Care of Your First Pony, Ride Your First Pony, Horse and Pony Nutrition, Gundaroo Pony and Dancing with Your Horse. I have contributed many articles, tips and critiques to equine magazines and periodicals.

Now a 'somewhat longer' life history:

As a child I was "horse crazy" and rode ponies, showed in Pony Club and local Gymkhanas and shows with lifelong friend Rachel Hunter. I also enjoyed a season playing A grade polocrosse in Queensland.

I was lucky enough to find a perfect jumping pony called Danny Boy. I competed in show jumping on Danny winning lots of ribbons and showing at the big National show. I started to enjoy eventing, and during my university years, I had two eventing horses who showed up to Training. While attending a show jumping clinic with the late Franz Maringer, then the Australian coach for all three disciplines, I was introduced to the possibilities of dressage. Over the years I worked with Franz not only for jumping but for straight dressage as well. After a fall in a cross county competition in NSW, Australia when I was three months pregnant with Jules I decided for the sake of the family to concentrate my efforts on dressage. I have never regretted this decision. I started to search for suitable dressage horses but ended up with two Grand Prix horses who were not fancy bred, in fact one was a Thoroughbred and one was an Australian stock horse.

Both horses were trained by myself, under the guidance of my mentor, the late Franz Maringer. Franz Maringer was retired first chief rider from the Spanish Riding and was the cornerstone of dressage in Australia. He is remembered by his famous book, "Horses are Made to be Horses."

After these two horses came several warmbloods who I trained and shown to the FEI levels. I was lucky to be able to attend dressage clinics with top, international dressage trainers Franz Maringer, Jaap Pot, Hubert Eichinger and Hanne Valentin which often involved traveling long distances and crossing flooded creeks and rough dirt roads.

I had a committed interest in the local dressage club, Pony Club and the National Association called the Equestrian Federation of Australia (EFA). I have twice served as the chairperson of the dressage division of the EFA and have been actively involved in the accreditation and training of dressage judges and the formation of rules, as well as supervising a body of approved tests.

Additionally, I have had an active career as an animal nutritionist. Working with scholarships from the Australian Sheep and the Australian Beef Industry. I worked to design feed lot fattening rations for sheep and cattle. I was also interested in the metabolism of the ruminant and how they digested and utilized the feeds that we were feeding them. I have published several scientific articles on animal nutrition.

Along with my long career as an active, international dressage competitor, I continue to train riders and horses through the USDF awards. The musical freestyle continues to be one of my special interests, and I have attended many freestyle Clinics and competed in both USDF and FEI Freestyles. Now as a coach and trainer, I enjoy passing along my lifetime's worth of experience and training.

I have benefited from the wonderful tuition of several international and US national trainers, including formative mentors Frans Maringer and Hubert Eichinger from the Spanish Riding School, who taught me the basics and developed my philosophy of training a happy horse. I also continue to write on the subject of dressage. My most recent book, "Dancing with Horses" is a popular overview of musical freestyle.

In 2004 I retired from International FEI judging. The hectic program and travel for judging CDI's across the USA and in Australia, South America and Canada was no longer possible and I was determined to concentrate on producing wonderful horses and riders. But as an USEF "S" Judge, I still judged at least 20 recognized shows throughout the United States and South America each year. By the end of 2006, I found that such a schedule was still too demanding and resigned my USDF "S" Judge Grand Prix license to focus entirely on training, coaching and riding at Jilba dressage and Teamwork dressage.

In 2007, Jilba & 'teamwork dressage' had a winning year, our clients and horses won and placed at Regional Finals and collected end of year Awards. I was named the VADA/NOVA Trainer of the Year and Jules rode four different horses to success at Grand Prix and won two Fourth level classes at Devon CDI.

In 2008, I retired from active riding though continue to train, teach and coach together with Jules. Togheter we develop quality dressage horses and riders and proudly represent 'teamworkdressage' at Jilba.

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