Heidi Wilson Valk

Professional Dressage Rider, Instructor and Trainer

1984

Photo of Heidi and Waldgraf in training
Practicing Piaffe

  • Champion, East Coast American Horse Shows Association (AHSA), Second Level Horse
  • Champion, East Coast American Horse Shows Association, Third Level Horse
  • United States Equestrian Team (USET) Young Riders' Invitational Clinic, Gladstone, NJ
  • Silver Medal Team, North American Continental Young Rider's Championships (NACYRC), Toronto, Canada

1985

  • United States Equestrian Team Advanced Young Riders' Invitational Clinic, Gladstone, NJ
  • Bronze Medal Team, North American Continental Young Rider's Championships, Wayne, Illinois
  • Southern Team, Olympic Sports Festival, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • United States Equestrian Team Benefit, Invitational Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Exhibition

1986

  • United States Equestrian Team Advanced Young Riders' Invitational Clinic, Gladstone, NJ
  • North American Continental Young Rider's Championships, Lake Erie College, Ohio
  • Awarded United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Bronze Medal Rider Award

1987-1990

Photo of Heidi and Waldgraf in Germany
Training in Germany

  • Trained at German Olympic Training Center (DOKR), Warendorf, West Germany, under Olympic level coaches

1990

  • Won FEI Intermediaire II and FEI Grand Prix, Richmond, Virginia, Spring and Summer competitions
  • Won FEI Grand Prix Special, Virginia Dressage Association, Amhurst, Virginia, Charlottesvile competition
  • Won FEI Intermediaire II Championship and FEI Grand Prix Reserve Championship, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Dressage Championships
  • FEI Grand Prix Exhibition, Wakefield, Virginia, Wakefield 4-H Center
  • FEI Grand Prix Exhibition, Diliwyn, Virginia, Equestrian Center Opening Ceremonies

1991

Photo of Heidi and Wally competing in Virginia
Competing in Virginia

  • Won FEI Grand Prix, Virginia State Horse Show, Richmond, Virginia
  • Won FE1 Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage, Commonwealth Park, Culpepper, Virginia
  • Won FE1 Volvo World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, New York
  • Won FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, Virginia State Games, Richmond, Virginia
  • Placed Second FEI Volvo World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix Freestyle and Third FEI Grand Prix Special CDI-W Halifax, Halifax, Massachusetts
  • Reserve Champion FEI Grand Prix AHSA National Dressage Championships and USET 1992 Olympic Screening Trial, Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Qualified to compete at Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Championship, Lexington, Virginia
  • Placed Third at First U.S. League FEI Volvo World Cup Dressage at the Washington International Horse Show, Landover, Maryland

1992

Photo of Heidi and Wally Volvo World Cup Qualifier
Winning at the
Volvo World Cup Qualifier

  • Awarded United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Gold Medal Rider Award
  • Winner FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, Virginia State Horse Show
  • Winner FEI Grand Prix Freestyle World Cup Qualifier, Royal Dressage Festival, CDI-W Port Jervis, NY
  • Winner FEI Grand Prix Dressage at Commonwealth Park - Summer Competition
  • Winner FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle World Cup Qualifiers, CDI-W Raleigh, Raleigh, NC
  • Placed second FEI Grand Prix Freestyle World Cup Qualifier, CDI-W Devon, Devon, Pennsylvania
  • Placed third at the U.S. League FEI Volvo World Cup Dressage Finals at the Washington International Horse Show, Landover, Maryland

1992-June 1994

Director of Training at Fox Ridge Farm, Charlottesville, Virginia

Photo of Heidi and Reuben 2005
Rabenstein's First Show, 2005

  • Managed many working students and horses at all levels of dressage training.

1994-Present

Dressage Trainer and Riding Instructor

  • Training and competing horses in FEI dressage
  • Instruction for dressage riders at all levels
  • Consulting for clients wishing to purchase dressage horses in Europe