Krystal Wilt - 2015 Karen Skvarla Fund for Emerging Professionals, 2018 Maryal and Charlie Barnett Continuing Education for Dressage Instructors Fund, and 2020 Shannon Foundation Fund for Judges' Licensing Grant Recipient
Photo by Q2 Photography
Krystal Wilt grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state and began riding horses at a very early age, first trying hunt seat, then dabbling in eventing. By the age of 12, she had found her life passion of dressage.
Although Krystal spent time as a working student, she went on to become a high school biology teacher. However, she continued pursuing a career as a dressage competitor and trainer in her spare time.
Knowing that she wanted to further her dressage education and become a full-time instructor/trainer, Krystal applied for grants from The Dressage Foundation. Thanks to TDF donors, Krystal received education that changed the trajectory of her teaching career. She went from high school biology teacher to a full-time dressage instructor/trainer.
Continuing her education with the help of TDF, Krystal attended the USDF Instructor/Trainer Program, trained with Gary Rockwell, and began the ‘r’ judges program.
“I am hands down a much more professional and effective rider and trainer after completing the Instructor/Trainer Program workshop series. I enjoyed working through the required reading list, and continue to reference those texts on a regular basis,” said Krystal. She also named as a key benefit of the program her large network of peers that she can reach out to for ideas for various training situations.
During her clinic with Gary Rockwell, Krystal said, “My two horses both showed great improvements throughout the clinic. We focused on improving suppleness over the back on my FEI horse, especially in the tempis, where we have struggled in the past. On the younger horse, we worked a lot on improving the engagement necessary for the collected work at Third Level.”
She was thrilled that many of her students were able to audit the clinic and come away with a great deal of new knowledge, as well.
“An unexpected benefit of attending the judging program was the level of inspiration that comes from grouping knowledgeable and passionate dressage riders together. Every session that I attended gave me not only judging knowledge, but also riding, training, and teaching insights, and left me excited beyond words to continue learning and participating in a sport that I so adore.”
Krystal currently has over 90 students and employs two assistant trainers in her program at Cherry Ridge Dressage. She has earned her USDF bronze and silver medals and has successfully competed through Intermediare 2. She has served for 10 years on the board of her local USDF Group Member Organization, the Eastern New York Dressage and Combined Training Association, of which she was awarded Member of the Year in 2013 and 2021. She enjoys officiating as a USEF “r” dressage judge at both recognized and schooling shows and loves to officiate ride-critique-ride sessions, in which she can help guide riders along the correct path of dressage basics.
When she looks back throughout her career, Krystal notes the TDF was not just financially supportive, but gave her recognition and encouragement. “TDF’s support gave me both confidence and a drive to make the most of the opportunities,” Krystal said. “I knew TDF had strong connections in the dressage world where I wanted to make a name for myself, so this recognition meant a lot to me.”
