Joan Chain and Chavi (PA)
Team #975: Joan Chain and Chavi
From: Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Ages: 76 & 24
Combined Age: 100
Test: Introductory Level Test C
When I lost my horse of 17 years, I told my sister I was ready for a competition horse that would be sane for me when I was 75. She told me he was in her barn. Twenty years later, at ages 76 and Chavi 24, we had the privilege to qualify to become members of The Dressage Foundation’s Century Club. My sister’s description of Chavi fits him to this day, “he’s an old soul.”
I have been riding since three. I thank my parents every day for their love of equestrian sport and for being riders themselves. From fox hunting to hunter jumpers to low-level eventing, my passion for dressage developed.
Chavi is an Anglo-Arab/Trakehner and has always exhibited the best of each breed. In 2007, 50 years from when I competed as a child at the Devon Horse Show grounds, we placed third in the suitability to become a dressage horse in the six-year-old division. Continuing in competitions, we confirmed our USDF bronze medal in 2016.
After injuries for both of us, Chavi’s rehabilitation with my trainer, Anecia Delduco, at Second Nature Farm in Oxford, Pennsylvania, we made a comeback in 2019 to win the Second Level Freestyle at the Col. Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Championship Show.
In November, Chavi and I completed our Century Club ride and plan to continue to do fun schooling shows while I continue to compete my 16-year-old Dutch Harness Horse to secure my silver medal.
