Young Dressage Star Courtney King-Dye and Mythilus

August 5, 2008

Courtney King-Dye has worked hard to get to the top of the dressage world, and she’s proving that she deserves to be there as she heads to Hong Kong as part of the US Olympic dressage team. She will be riding Harmony’s Mythilus, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, and also has Idocus, an 18-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion, along as a back-up ride for the team.

Working Her Way to the Top

Courtney had her first riding lesson when she was 9-years-old, a Christmas gift of five lessons that she managed to turn into a working student arrangement with a local barn near Harbor Springs, Michigan where she grew up. She mucked stalls in the early morning hours before school, had the bus drop her off after school for a riding lesson, and then walked home. She was first introduced to dressage several years later when trainer Lou Denizard came to her barn and subsequently took her under his wing.

Courtney got a good dressage foundation from Lou and some limited show experience through the local 4-H, but was ready to start moving up in the world. After graduating high school a year early, she landed a working-student job with Olympic dressage rider Lendon Gray. “When Courtney came here she was just another working student,” Lendon says. “She rode adequately—she was secure—but I’ve certainly had students who were better when they first came.” Courtney was so eager to learn that she rarely had to be told anything twice, and was able to stay on when money ran out because Lendon helped her find part-time jobs babysitting, house sitting, and even painting equine portraits.

When the year with Lendon was up, Courtney’s father offered to pay for schooling at the University of Michigan if and only if she gave up riding. Courtney gave it a try, but she knew from the beginning she couldn’t stay away from horses. She returned to Glenden, Lendon’s farm, after completing one year UM, enrolling at SUNY Purchase part-time. She was in school 2-3 days a week, working nights in a bar to pay for tuition, and keeping up as a working-student at Glenden.

Eventually, Courtney’s dedication paid off when Lendon and some others helped with tuition bills for a few of her classes. Says Lendon, “Courtney impressed people. She never said, ‘I need to do this—schoolwork or a part-time job—so I can’t do my work today.’ It’s pretty remarkable that she finished college, and she had some help both from myself and from some clients who said, ‘Here’s a kid who deserves it.’”

While riding other horses for Lendon, Courtney began riding Idocus, a Dutch Warmblood stallion. The two learned Grand Prix together.

In 2001, Courtney took several of her horses to Europe to train with Conrad Schumacher in Germany. After an exciting third place Grand Prix finish with Idocus, his owners sent him to European trainer and Courtney took a break from the horse world. She spent some time traveling before returning to New York, earning a literature degree from Columbia University, and riding horses at Glenden to support herself.

In this time she says, “I regained the sense that riding is a game. It’s not about getting to the next show, getting scores, getting to the championship. It’s having a more playful, accepting attitude instead of thinking, ‘Everything has to be perfect.”

Rising As An International Competitor

When Courtney came back to the dressage world full-time, she quickly gained a reputation for success at all levels. She spent some time training with Steffen Peters as well as rode in clinics with Debbie McDonald, Henk van Burgen, and Michael Poulin.

Courtney’s show record includes a long history of championships and honors, including many USDF Regional Championships and Reserve Championships from Training Level through Grand Prix, USDF Horse of the Year Awards and Year-End Championships from the New England Dressage Association (NEDA). In 2007 at “Dressage at Devon” Pennsylvania, she entered 11 classes on five horses ranging from 4th level to Grand Prix, finishing first 5 times, second 4 times and third 2 times, and also earned the FEI High Score of the show with a 71.25%.  In one banner year, Courtney qualified seven horses for the USDF Regional Championships from Training level to Grand Prix and was Champion and/or Reserve at every level except Second, which was not entered.

In June 2008, Courtney finished in third place at the Olympic Trials with Harmony’s Mythilus, securing her a spot on the team. She was also entered with Idocus. In 2007 Courtney rode impressively on both horses on the European circuit, finishing in the top ten at Grand Prix events in Germany and the Netherlands. Riding Idocus, she finished sixth at the Las Vegas World Cup, representing the United States for the first time.

Outside the Show Ring

Courtney, just 30 years old, rides and trains at Sunnyfield farm in Bedford, New York. She is a certified dressage instructor through the Fourth Level.

Aside from riding, Courtney enjoys boating and water-skiing, barbequing and cooking. She also loves travel and golf. A 2004 graduate of Columbia University, she was recently married to Jason Dye.

Courtney King-Dye and Mythilus Olympic Trials Grand Prix Test


Courtney King-Dye and Mythilus Olympic Trials Freestyle

Courtney King-Dye and Idocus Grand Prix Freestyle

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Posted in 2008 Olympics, Olympic Dressage