Sydni Cook (UT)
By Sydni Cook, 2025 Recipient of the $25,000 Debbie McDonald Fund Grant for FEI Riders
As a little girl growing up in Utah, the world of dressage felt very far away. And yet, somehow, it now feels like home.
When I think about dressage dreams coming true, that is exactly what The Dressage Foundation (TDF) has meant to me. Because of a grant from TDF and its donors, I was able to attend the USDF/USEF Young Rider Graduate Program in 2014. Attending this program truly changed the course of my life as I learned the importance of education, education, education!
Photo by Una Schade Photography
The experience at the Young Rider Graduate Program inspired me to continue pursuing that education, leading me to earn my L Program Certification with Distinction and then to become a USDF Certified Instructor. These opportunities would not have been possible without TDF.
TDF’s belief in me didn’t just build my credentials—it built confidence. It built momentum. And it shaped my path. Each opportunity built on the last, ultimately culminating in receiving TDF’s $25,000 Debbie McDonald Fund Grant for FEI Riders in 2025.
That investment has allowed me to immerse myself fully in high-performance training with Anne Gribbons and take the next step toward international sport. To learn within Anne’s system, and bring that knowledge back into the program at Leslie Edison’s Winter Farms in Utah, is something I will never take for granted.
Photo by Kat Natwick
Because I’ve been so generously helped, giving back to this sport is deeply important to me. I do this through service through United States Dressage Federation and the Utah Dressage Society. Supporting the next generation of riders isn’t just something I do—it’s personal. I am here because someone invested in me.
To every individual who has chosen to give to TDF, whether it was a large gift or small, please know that you are not just funding programs. You are funding people. You are funding belief. And you are changing lives in ways you may never fully see.
This grant didn’t just fund an opportunity—it created a pathway. A pathway to education, mentorship, partnership, and ultimately, a life I once only dreamed about.
Photo by Sue Stickle Photography
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to The Dressage Foundation, to its incredible donors, to Leslie and the entire Winter Farms family, and to Anne for turning belief into opportunity, and opportunity into reality.
Your donation today will provide opportunities that can change lives. Together, we can make more dressage dreams possible.
Give today: www.dressagefoundation.org
