The Dressage Foundation (TDF) has announced that Callie O’Connell is the recipient of its 2024 Patsy Albers Award, which was first awarded in 2013 in special remembrance of Patsy. The $2,500 award provides financial support for continuing education and training to an FEI-level rider.
O’Connell (MA) and Eaton H, a 2009 Dutch Warmblood owned by Betsy Dangel, placed third in the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship at the 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. The Patsy Albers Award is given to the highest placing Grand Prix rider at the Championship who also competed for the U.S. at a previous North American Youth Championship (NAYC).
Photo by Susan J Stickle
O’Connell said, “Supporting dressage from a very early age is not easy for every family. Getting support from The Dressage Foundation in many ways has helped me excel in my sport and I couldn’t be more thankful. TDF has always been so generous, and it has helped me take on opportunities I never thought I would have. From competing at NAYC at 14, to now riding in the Grand Prix National Championships at 26, receiving the Patsy Albers Award is so meaningful to me. Thank you to The Dressage Foundation for all you do to support the dressage community!”
Patsy Albers, one of the nation's best-known figures at dressage shows across the country, passed away in October 2012. She was a longtime supporter and Chef d'Equipe of the North American Youth Championship Region 1 team and was very involved at the prestigious Dressage at Devon, where she served for many years as the FEI Event Director. Patsy’s expertise also extended into management, officiating, and volunteering, for which she was honored multiple times.
Thanks to generous donors throughout the years, the Patsy Albers Award was expanded to Dressage at Devon in 2023 and then to the Del Mar National Horse Show in 2024.
For more information about the Patsy Albers Award or The Dressage Foundation, please contact The Dressage Foundation at (402) 434-8585, by email at info@dressagefoundation.org, or visit www.dressagefoundation.org.
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.
