Denny Emerson on Union Station in 2009.
DENNY EMERSON is clearly the rider to write about how the choices we make can lead to the conclusions we desire. His own career with horses bears that out, and even more importantly, he’s watched thousands of other riders wade their way through the myriad of choices, some to emerge as Olympians and champions, others perhaps getting lost along the way, or abandoning their quest.
For 60 years, starting with a pinto pony in gymkhanas at the age of 10, Denny has ridden thousands of horses over many thousands of miles in all kinds of horse sports. He is the only rider in the world to have won both a gold medal in international eventing and a Tevis Cup buckle in endurance. He has shown Morgans at the National Morgan Horse Show; raced over steeplechase fences; been the US National Three-Day-Event Champion two times; jumped 6 feet in jumper classes; enjoyed foxhunting; and ridden in hunter and dressage shows. He has owned 17 stallions that have sired hundreds of foals.
Denny has been president of the US Eventing Association (USEA) and the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA), and a vice-president of the US Equestrian Team (USET). He has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: the USEA Hall of Fame, the Vermont Academy Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Dartmouth College Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was named “One of the 50 Most Influential Horsemen of the 20th Century” by the Chronicle of the Horse.
For more than 40 years, Denny has taught and coached thousands of riders, and watched them pursue their own dreams. Now, in How Good Riders Get Good, he shares many of those years’ insights to help guide other riders toward making the right choices to “get GOOD.”
Visit the Tamarack Hill Farm website and Facebook page for more about Denny.
