Christina Hall of Alvord, TX, was presented with The Dressage Foundation’s 14th annual “Region 9 Teaching Excellence Award” at the 2022 Region 9 Championships. Christina received the $5,000 award for her excellent teaching skills.
Christina has been a professional instructor since 1990. She has a degree in education, a police officer license, and was a mounted patrol officer for eight years. She has a variety of clients from beginners to Grand Prix. As a former teacher, Christina believes each of her clients learns differently and works hard to create individual lesson plans that best fit their needs. Christina plans to use the $5,000 award to add a dressage court to her facility to be able to host more educational events, such as ride-a-test clinics. She is also planning to add a Pixem/Pivio video system to conduct remote lessons. Christina has a passion for volunteerism and has volunteered in many areas including judging IEA competitions, hosting complimentary clinics to teach dressage basics to riders in other equestrian disciplines, and by serving as a mentor. She also encourages her family and students to volunteer as much as they can.
Christina said, “I am thrilled to have been nominated for this award, and winning it is such an amazing honor. I hope to be a steward of all trainers and coaches who lie in bed at night thinking of ways to explain a concept to a student and to be an ambassador for those who stand on the sidelines, riding every step of their student’s dressage tests with them."
“I hope I can take this award and pay it forward by helping make dressage and dressage education accessible, applicable, and available to those who wish to learn. I cannot express my appreciation enough to TDF for making this award available for instructors like me. Finally, I cannot close this without expressing my lifelong gratitude to my own trainers and mentors. It is those remarkable educators who instilled in me the methods that I have used to teach and shape the horses and riders I have been lucky enough to touch.”
Meg Flemming, who established the award at TDF in 2009, said, “Being trained at Curragh Equestrian Center in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area within the same format as The British Horse Society gave Christina a foundation for all aspects of a career with horses, training, management, volunteering, and especially teaching. Christina's lessons show organization and diligence while simultaneously showing support for and encouragement to the rider. There is a clear beginning, middle, and end to each lesson. Additionally, each horse and rider combination showed improvement.”
Students or peers nominate dressage instructors, who then submit an application that is reviewed by a prominent, independent Selection Committee. In addition to being a USDF Region 9 member in good standing and a Region 9 resident, the recipient must also demonstrate adherence to sound dressage principles and have a reputation for honesty, integrity, and community service.
For more information about the Region 9 Teaching Excellence Award, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org or contact Sara Weiss, Director of Grants and Programs, at 402-434-8585 or sara@dressagefoundation.org.
To support this Award through donations, please contact Jenny Johnson, Executive Director, at 402-434-8585 or at jenny@dressagefoundation.org.
Donations can also be online at www.dressagefoundation.org/support.
The Dressage Foundation
The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to educating, supporting, and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants to dressage riders, judges, instructors, breeders, high-performance teams, nonprofit equestrian organizations, and more. For more information, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.
Photo by Robin Gaines
