By Lauren R. Giannini

Courtney, 31, achieved her goal of riding in the Olympics, but looks forward to many years of dancing with horses. After finishing high school a year early, she moved halfway across the country to learn from two-time Olympian Lendon Gray. Courtney’s dedication and perseverance, strengthened by her love for horses, carried her from working student to assistant trainer at Lendon’s facility until 2000.
Courtney often showed many horses, all at different levels, winning or placing well with each. For the USDF Region 8 Championships, while still Lendon’s assistant trainer, she qualified seven horses from training to grand prix and each one harvested the championship or reserve honors. Her talent and empathy with stallions first manifested when she partnered with Idocus in 1997. An elegant rider by any standards, the USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist is also certified as a Level IV instructor.
In 2006 Courtney married Jason Dye (NZ), who isn’t a horseperson, but loves sports. Courtney feels fortunate that he considers dressage a sport, takes a keen interest in it and derives great satisfaction from her career. Together, they enjoy a variety of non-horsey diversions, including cooking and travel. Although it’s a matter of timing with Courtney’s riding, they also want to start a family.

Sidelines: Was there a defining moment when you dedicated your riding life to classical equitation?
CK-D: I knew by the time I was nine that I wanted to spend my life riding horses. I wanted to be an event rider. When I got to Lendon’s, I saw the riding that was going on. Lendon was doing one tempis on one of her clients’ horses and another client was doing a pirouette, and I had never seen dressage like that. It was seeing the power, the harmony and the beauty in person for the first time – I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.

Sidelines: What was the silver lining for you at the 2008 Olympics?
CK-D: A lot of things were just wonderful about the Olympics that can’t be diminished. Being part of a team, not only the equestrian team [with Steffen Peters and Debbie McDonald], but being part of the USA team with the whole country watching – that feeling of unity. Also, particularly for my family – I have a big family and we’re really close – horses and dressage became my great passion in life and no one really understood that. But there’s nothing like the Olympics – my whole family and all my relatives were really into the Olympics and they came to appreciate the sport of dressage.
With respect to the drug testing, of course, it’s a bummer and it’s a tarnish that I can’t get rid of. I was so clearly innocent, and I think that made people start to re-think the rules. A similar thing has happened with Isabel [Werth], and I think it’s enough that we’ll start taking small steps and start making the rules better and a little bit more fair. Perhaps my bad experience will have a good outcome.

Sidelines: Do you ever suffer from nerves?
CK-D: I’ve been really lucky. I got nervous once, the day before my first World Cup, and I can’t imagine functioning like that all the time. I think that’s just part of the way I am. Lendon would show eight or ten horses at every show and that’s what I was exposed to and that’s what was expected of me. It was really exciting for me to take horses to shows, and I’ve always been comfortable with that.

Sidelines: What are Idocus, Harmony’s Mythilus and Don Principe like?
CK-D: I still have yet to get to know Don Principe – he’s only been with me a little over a week. For sure, all three of them have a lot of personality and they’re really different. Idocus is such a smart and emotionally charged horse. He lets you know if you’ve made a mistake and he doesn’t like it. He has a physical sensitivity to hand and leg, which not all stallions have.
Mythilus is the kindest, sweetest and most forgiving horse. He only ever wants to be a good boy. He always wants to be cuddled. He’s very personable. Don Principe so far is very sweet – like Myth, but more confident. When Myth first came to me, he was very shy and a bit of a worrier. Prince is very loving and wants to be with people all the time. Jim Koford called him Prince, and the name really suits him.

Sidelines: What are the most important things for you to teach to riders?
CK-D: On a basic level – first, being part of the horse before you ask the horse to be part of you. Being able to follow with your seat; to follow with your arms and have that steady contact before you put the horse into a package. Clear and consistent aids, so that when you ask for something, you follow through and get a consistent response every single time. Start with a small aid, and then there’s a correction, but you don’t nag all the time.

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