Maggy Zinggeler and Debonaire (FL)
Team #1,012: Maggy Zinggeler and Debonaire
From: Tarpon Springs, Florida
Ages: 76 & 26
Combined Age: 102
Test: Training Level Test 3
On March 28, 2026, I participated in my first USDF show, the Suncoast Dressage Festival in Tampa, with Debonaire. I have half-leased him since last October, intending to ride Training Level Test 3 as my Century Club ride.
I was born and raised in Switzerland. My father was a farrier and served in the Swiss Cavalry during WWII. He rode until the day before he passed in his sleep at 93.
I moved to the US with my own family in the early 1980s. By age nine, my daughter was determined to ride and have her own horse like the other girls at the stable. I “inherited” her Quarter Horse mare when she got a Thoroughbred. For a while, the two horses were at the same stable in Minnesota. Some of my fondest memories are the rides with my daughter in the snow and the hours at the barn. When Razcal passed at age 30 – we owned her for 20 years - I started taking dressage lessons. It was never my goal to show; I just enjoyed being with horses and taking dressage lessons.
When I read about the Century Club somewhere, a goal formed. I found the perfect horse and trainer, Collette Zimmer, who helped me reach my goal. I participated in two schooling shows earlier this year, before riding at the Suncoast Dressage Festival. Dr. Max Gahwyler – the founder of the Century Club – was Swiss too. We both found dressage as our passion in the US.
