Kim Keenan has been a life-long FEI dressage competitor and trainer. She is now also a successful dressage horse show manager. She is the founder and president of KP Events which provides full-service planning and management services for equestrian events in the United States in order to provide an environment that allows competitors to qualify for National and International endeavors. Sidelines had the opportunity to interview Kim only three days after her marriage to Dareen Stordahl.
      Congratulations to Kim and Dareen!

Sidelines: Now that you are married and live in Washington--how do you balance all this while still organizing shows in Southern California?
HB: Actually life is much more relaxed for me now. I am able to work out my home to manage the shows, and I can do most everything via the internet. Every year the shows become easier and easier to organize, I have great supporters and volunteers that help me get things done.

Sidelines: You have been involved for much of your life in dressage. Can you share how you made the transition from competitive showing and riding to training professionally?
HB: It was not much of a transition. The two were synonymous; I was riding competitively while I was training. I have been training for about 20 years in Southern California in both the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. Although I left the San Diego area and live in Washington now, I am still able to train. I travel to several barns and give lessons.

Sidelines: How then did you make the transition from having a successful training barn to managing world class dressage events?
HB: It was a very slow and different transition. Through my years as a trainer, I realized that to be a successful competitor I had to have the right horse and the adequate financial backing in order to compete at the top level. This was the reason that I got into show management. I wanted to give back to the dressage community, and I knew that I would not be able to ride and compete at the top level myself without the right horse and the money. I do miss having the opportunity to compete top horses.

Sidelines: What are some of the challenges of organizing CDI's?
HB: Money!!! It's always about money; finding and securing financial backing is the hardest part. However, when the financing is there, it is very enjoyable and rewarding. I enjoy organizing shows and events that provide positive and beneficial experiences for competitors. For me, it has been very interesting getting involved and learning about every facet of event planning, from the travel arrangements for the judges, to catering for the parties, to managing and organizing the facility.

Sidelines: Considering your goals for events and competitions in California and the USA, how do you see the future of CDI's here?
HB: I am looking into doing more CDI's in California. However, that depends on the demand for the shows and what support I am able to raise for them. I am committed to doing whatever I can to make sure that the West Coast riders have the shows they need in order to stay on the international dressage scene. I am also looking into doing shows here in Washington State where I live. Another of my goals is to get involved with the Para-equestrian riders. I want to be able to organize and manage a CDI for the Para-equestrians.
I also believe that the CDI competitions in California are on the verge of change. The interest for CDI's is definitely there, however, the awareness for the shows needs to shift. There is still an interest within the sport of dressage, but overall we are at a point where we are redefining what people's involvement will be in the sport as well as the direction we are going with the sport. The most difficult part, from a manager's point of view, is the change in top-level, FEI dressage requirements and standards. We have really good quality horses and riders but not the same quantity that you see in Europe. When I was living and competing in Europe, the quantity was much higher. There would be easily 70 horses in a CDI Prix St Georges class. You do not see numbers like that in California. In California, we have created a need for the CDI's. Now that we have started them, we need to continue to support them if we want the U.S. to stay on the international scene. Basically, for the CDI's to continue to serve our international riders, we need more riders in the competitions themselves.
Europe also has national competition standards, similar to what that the United States is looking to implement. I can see how these standards could cause problems in the USA, but they have not seemed to affect Europe