Claudia Schoendorf and Walkers Schnapps (WI)
Team #858: Claudia Schoendorf and Walkers Schnapps
From: Superior, Wisconsin
Ages: 70 & 31
Combined Age: 101
Test: Introductory Level Test B
I completed my Century Ride, sponsored by the Dressage Foundation with Walkers Schnapps on January 24, 2025, during a Kate Phillips clinic at Big Rock, near Ashland. To qualify for the Century Ride, the age of the horse and rider must equal or exceed 100, and ride any test of your choice, before a licensed Dressage judge.
My partner for this ride was Schnapps, who is still to this day a very hot, old horse, at 31 years young. On his feisty days, he is willing to drag you along with him to the pasture. He is a Saddlebred who loves to show off, always becoming more animated when another horse is in the arena.
He has the most expressive face on a horse I have ever known. When you come up to him, he will cock his head with ears pointed forward and a sparkle in his eye, as if he is saying to you “Hi, I’m Schnapps.”
We have been together for 20 years. He has been mostly retired for the last 10 years, but we still go for walks through the snow, and do some lunging to keep our bond going, with occasional rides. What I like so much about this award is that it’s not about a high score on a dressage test, but rather the partnership between horse and rider that has endured and flourished. This partnership through dressage encourages communication between the horse and rider, through our bodies which I find so compelling and magical.
As I said, he has been mostly retired for the last 10 years, but I still wanted to ride and do dressage. I was 60 at the time and didn’t know if I was too old to buy another horse, but I wasn’t ready to be done. I found a wonderful Dutch Warmblood mare, named Sammie, she was 11 years old, and past the stage of maybe she will turn. I thought that in 10 years, I would be 70 and Sammie would be 21. Maybe then we will be ready to be done. She is a great partner, who challenges me in a good way. We have learned together, and I enjoy her immensely. Well, I’m 70 now, and we are not ready to be done.
