Genevieve Rohner - 2019 Cynthia Aspden Youth and Young Adult Development Fund and 2021 Para-Equestrian Dressage Fund Grant Recipient
Photo by Deborah Hickey
In 2019, I was 11, and had just started competing in recognized shows. TDF chose me to receive the Cynthia Aspden Youth and Young Adult Development Fund grant, which helped me travel to Florida to train and watch FEI-level para-dressage riders. I told TDF, “I hope that one day I will be one of them.” In 2020, I did go on my first trip to Wellington to watch the para-dressage riders in a CPEDI3*. When my mom and I went to Florida, we really didn’t know anyone except the Para team leader, Michel Assouline. I was 12 by then and it was such a great experience to see the competition and even meet some of the riders. I met Kate Shoemaker there, who became a friend and mentor.
Later in 2020, I got to compete in an open event for Emerging Athletes at the Para National Championships. I met Becca Hart, who gave me her winning ribbon as a symbol of motivation and hope for my future in Para competition. I decided right then that I wanted to compete internationally as soon as I was old enough. I spent a lot of time volunteering at home and training hard, and in 2021, TDF awarded me the Para-Dressage Fund grant. For the first time, I felt like people in the Para world knew who I was, and I was excited to be even a small part of it.
In 2022, I turned 14, I had the chance to compete in three internationals that year. At my first one, I became the youngest classified para-dressage rider in the world. At my third one, Kate coached me on her Paralympic and World medaling horse. It felt like I had only dreamed of this, and I couldn’t believe I was riding Solitaer40 in a CPEDI3*! The other riders were very supportive and welcoming, and I definitely felt like I was finally one of them. I am still the youngest Grade IV rider and have been the youngest U.S. classified since I was nine.
In addition to riding, I have been involved with Pony Club. This year, I got to present Adaptive information at the annual Pony Club meeting, to help Pony Club better support riders with disabilities. I also was awarded the reserve USEF National Youth Sportsman’s Award and was named to the USEF National Youth Advisory Board as the Para representative.
I feel very lucky to be the recipient of two TDF grants. I want to say that TDF has always made me and my mom feel like part of the family. It’s not about the money. While money helps, of course, the support and belief in me that the staff and Board at TDF have given me, has been really helpful. Knowing they care means everything. I have big goals and many of my goals have changed in the past two years. Partly because of horse issues, but mostly because my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023. That changed a lot of things for our family and a lot of how I think about what is important. I still have big dreams and goals, but now that I’m 16, I have figured out different ways of looking at what I want to accomplish, and how to get there. TDF was super supportive when we told them about my mom, and I know they will always be there for me.
I said this to TDF once before, “Sometimes when things don’t work the way you plan, it’s even better and you learn more than you would have otherwise.” I have learned to stay open to possibilities instead of having too many expectations. My motivation doesn’t come from what anyone else thinks. It comes from how much I love to ride and how much I want to achieve my goals. I am lucky to have some great sponsors, coaches, and family, and will always be appreciative to TDF and their generous donors for being part of my life.
