A few years ago, while visiting my home town of Claremont, CA, a friend and I decided to stop and see my former riding instructor.
Now in an assisted-living facility, Mora Celaya had always been tiny, but now she had shrunk to an even smaller size. However, she was still brimming with energy and seemed glad to have visitors. We were talking horses and riding and remembering the old days when Mora said, “Karen Jaffa was the best rider I ever taught.”
Her statement left me momentarily speechless—and flattered—because I am Karen Jaffa McGoldrick.
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Golden Staters Ari Lopez, Mackinzie Pooley, and Jamie Pestana got into dressage at just the right time.
Good timing—plus generous helpings of talent and tenacity—perfectly positioned these three young women to take full advantage of what’s now known as the American dressage pipeline. The pipeline program, which came together in 2011 under the auspices of then-US Equestrian Federation national dressage technical advisor Anne Gribbons, is a joint US Equestrian Federation/USDF effort to identify, educate, and guide talented riders and horses through the levels. The goal? Create a new generation of elite US dressage competitors.
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